Cultivating Curiosity: Aswatna’s Journey Continues

30 September 2024 - Mohammed Marafi, Programs manager

We're gearing up for our next Aswatna cohort, and it's already shaping up to be something special! We've received some fantastic applications so far, but we still have a few spots open. If you know any Arabic-speaking high school students who are curious, eager to meet new friends from different backgrounds, and interested in exploring issues that affect their communities, please encourage them to apply!

It’s been especially interesting preparing for this cohort since we also hosted a teacher training with public school teachers a few months back. Designing this space while including teachers as co-learners alongside youth participants in Aswatna was a fascinating experience. The teachers embraced our experiential learning model with the same enthusiasm and sense of empowerment that we see in our youth participants. It was a powerful reminder of how traditional educational models often limit not just students but teachers too, who might feel the same lack of agency in shaping the learning experience they deliver.

On another note, our English cohort is deep into their research projects within their schools, and it’s always a joy to see them dive into their curiosity and take on a bit of detective work. Watching them gradually build and deepen their understanding of their school environments and the structures that shape them is incredibly rewarding. We can’t wait to see the kinds of interventions they come up with!

Exploring justice, access, and community - The path ahead

29 August 2024 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v

We hope you have had some time to slow down and recharge over the summer and are ready to join us in what we have on our 24/25 calendar. Our work continues to inspire and challenge us and we hope it does the same for you as we continue to collaboratively explore how to create a more resilient and compassionate Kuwait. This year we have been expanding our thinking about the nature of justice, access and inclusion, learning from the disability justice movement. Disability justice offers a way for us to deepen our work, and you will see this reflected in all of our programs this year. Here is a snippet of some of our upcoming activities, and how you can get involved.

Applications are now open for the final Arabic cohort in our youth empowerment program, Aswatna. Please encourage any interested high school students you know to apply. You can find the details here. This is a chance for students to make a difference in their schools! We will also be hosting an online session for teachers on how to make classrooms more accessible (also in Arabic). If you are a teacher interested in attending, please let us know.

Applications for ENBAT, our school-to-work program with KIPCO, will be opening soon. This program helps new graduates learn the skills they need to be resilient and adaptable learners in any new work setting. You can learn more about ENBAT here.

Community meet-ups are back! Community meet-ups are a chance to meet with people from all walks of life to learn about and wrestle with issues affecting all of us, working with our partners from the migrant community. If you are interested in an invite, please fill out an application here and learn more about our past meet-ups here.

At en.v, we always love to learn about what is on your mind. Our amazing AWAKEN Community of Practice is currently conducting focus groups exploring community interaction—this research will help us design our AWAKEN community festival in November where we explore and celebrate one another’s perspectives and contributions to the world. You can learn more about AWAKEN and how you can participate here.

Other upcoming activities include workshops exploring how AI and assistive technologies can be applied to support women with disabilities to gain greater access to resources and community, as well as collective explorations on how to effectively advocate for justice and inclusion. We’ll be sharing more details soon, so stay tuned!

In a world facing so many challenges, we are always grateful to be able to work in a space of hope and possibility with all of the partners who continue to engage with us. We hope you will join us on this new ride!

Love in the face of despair - Reflecting on the year behind us

24 July 2024 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v

It is impossible to speak about 2023 without speaking of Gaza. More than ever, we are reminded of the devastating consequences of narratives that dehumanize those who are perceived as “other”, of the tragic losses and injustice caused by an unequal access to representation and participation in decision making processes. We believe it is also a time for self-reflection, as people advocating for collective liberation: what is it that we can do, starting in our own backyard, to counter these systems and address the barriers that hold enduring inequities in place?

For us at en.v, it means amplifying marginalized voices. It means fostering agency and organizing skills within communities, and creating opportunities for people to represent themselves and their lived experience. It means enabling two-way dialogue that starts with a questioning of our power, privilege, and positionality, opening a space that allows for the possibility of us reaching a shared understanding and vision of what a more just, compassionate and resilient society could look like. It also means shifting from single-issue or single-group goals to a definition of success that encompasses true flourishing for all those who make up our beautifully diverse society.

This work is not without its challenges, and sometimes even pain and failure. But the response and support we have been getting from our community keeps us going through it all. In the words of poet and activist Aurora Levins Morales, “To live a lifetime of audacity, dwelling in the place where joy meets justice, year after year, can only be sustained by being so in love with a vision of what’s possible that we no longer flirt with despair”. That is where we choose to dwell.

You can read our 2023 progress report here.

Rediscovering Community: A journey through everyday encounters

27 June 2024 - Giuliana Lomonaco, Learning Facilitator @ en.v

The people that we encounter in the places that we frequent daily are, whether we are aware of it or not, part of our community. Through the ways in which we interact with these people, we have the power to either validate or challenge the predominant social narratives that characterize our cultural context. 

This year’s enquiry for AWAKEN, our community-building program, has to do with the nature and quality of these interactions. We have created an experimental research tool designed to foster self-reflection about the ways in which we address the people that we see on a daily basis but that we don’t consider part of our social circle. 

Through the gentle disruption of the social expectations that surround these daily encounters, we aim to understand and dissect what supports them. What happens when we ask the person who sells us our daily cup of coffee (or the cashier at our local supermarket, or the person we always park next to in our building) a question about themselves, instead of just giving them our routine greeting? What impact does that have on our relationship with them? How does that transform the way we perceive each other? Does it have an effect on our and their sense of self? 

If you’re curious to engage in our little experiment, click here to find the instructions, or reach out to us! We’ll be more than happy to have you be a part of our team of empirical researchers this year :) 

Empowering students, inspiring teachers

27 May 2024 - Khadija Rangwala, Operations Manager @ en.v

For over 15 years, we've been awarding subgrants to support and pilot community projects using the “train > empower > mentor” model. Today, we're happy to shine the light on the Nudge Club, one such initiative which has exceeded all expectations, showcasing the profound impact of collective action.

Nudge Club was created as part of Aswatna, our youth-led education reform program that helps identify and address barriers to inclusion within schools in Kuwait. In our Aswatna Ideathon, students, teachers, community members, and parents came together to explore barriers to inclusion in the Indian schools. The Nudge Club was born out of this student-led process, and the team started by questioning the traditional student-teacher-administrator relationship model, which according to research by Aswatna students, can contribute to high levels of stress, anxiety and a lack of a sense of community between different stakeholders in the schools.

The Nudge Club aims to create a safe space for students and teachers to interact and bond outside of the hierarchical classrooms. By using learner-centered experiential activities, the Nudge Club attempts to counter existing power dynamics and contribute to better communication and greater empathy for everyone involved. Experiential tools include storytelling, dialogue work, games, and sense-making activities which build trust and create shared meaning and values for participants. The Nudge Club’s ultimate goal? To transform classrooms into spaces where teachers and students have the trust and agency to allow ideas to flow freely and to discuss serious issues.

Over the past several months members of the Nudge Club have met various Indian schools to introduce the idea of the club. The team has started working with teachers to familiarize them with the types of pedagogies which the Nudge Club will facilitate and to encourage them to participate with the students. The Club recently managed to secure a partnership with the Indian Community School Kuwait (ICSK), a well-known institution with five branches serving over 6000 students. Through the implementation of best practices using learner-centered methods, and facilitated by the Nudge Club, ICSK is cultivating a culture of learning and empathy that promises to positively transform the way in which it engages with its student body.

This success story underscores the importance of creating supportive spaces for educators and students to connect, share ideas, and inspire change. As we mark this milestone, we commend the Nudge Club team for their passion and dedication to creating a better future for our children. We have no doubt that they are helping reshape the landscape of learning, one workshop at a time.

Shifting perspectives - Finding growth in unexpected places

29 April 2024 - Noor Al Khateeb, Project Coordinator @ en.v

Have you ever witnessed something that sparked a fire within you, even though it wasn't directly intended for you? That's been my experience watching young graduates go through Enbat, a KIPCO program designed by en.v to prepare young people to navigate their professional lives with increased self-awareness, agency and compassion. My name is Noor, and until I recently joined en.v, I had worked in the Ministry of Health for almost 15 years. As program coordinator at en.v, I attended all eight sessions of Enbat that we facilitated for our program participants, covering topics such as self, critical and systems thinking; design thinking; cross-cultural communication and teamwork. Seeing our participants’ enthusiasm as they developed their skills and gained confidence has been truly inspiring. It made me realize the importance of taking a more proactive approach to my own professional development.

Even as an observer, I couldn't help but absorb valuable tips and strategies from the program. Watching the participants’ diverse ways of thinking and approaches to problem solving was eye-opening. It really made me rethink how I handle my own situations. Enbat's focus on "soft” skills has definitely shifted my perspective. While I used to prioritize technical skills, witnessing the emphasis on teamwork and communication makes me wonder if I've been overlooking something crucial.

Admittedly, there were moments when I felt a pang of envy seeing these young people’s fresh start and the opportunities they have. During the graduation ceremony hosted by KIPCO last week, I could just sense their excitement for all the possibilities still ahead. But I am using it as fuel for motivation in my own transition into the community-building and educational space. As we continue our work with en.v across different sectors and communities, I have realized just how much we learn from and are inspired by the people who join us in these brave learning processes, and how we come away as enriched from each program as they do. Enbat's impact on me might not have been direct, but it's undeniable. It's a reminder that growth can come from unexpected places, and sometimes observing others' journeys can be the catalyst for our own.

Preparing for tomorrow - A Vision for youth resilience and success

31 January 2024 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v

At en.v, we have learned to never underestimate the knowledge, curiosity and ability to self-reflect and create change that resides in youth. We are consistently impressed with the hunger that young people have for challenging their assumptions and learning new ways of navigating their experiences. We have also found that the most transformative learning happens when we focus on fostering so-called “soft skills”, such as empathy, interpersonal and intercultural communications, critical thinking, self-regulation, and the ability to collaborate. While they are traditionally referred to as “soft skills”, some are renaming them “core skills” or “durable skills” – that is, the skills that form the foundation that allows us to adapt, learn and grow in different and changing environments. Recent research has also shown that these are the key skills that employers now look for in the workplace. 

It is because of these learnings that we have partnered with the Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) in co-creating their latest flagship initiative, Enbat. “Enbat” is an Arabic term symbolizing growth and adaptability, and encapsulates KIPCO’s commitment to fostering core skills and competencies of young professionals across diverse sectors and from different backgrounds. Together, we have designed an inclusive program which seeks to equip young professionals and university graduates with skills for work and for life, while also empowering them to navigate the world with increased agency and compassion. The 8-week immersive program encompasses critical thinking, communication, design thinking, and work culture, providing a well-rounded understanding of what it takes to thrive in modern workplaces. We know that we cannot predict our participants’ future work settings, particularly in our rapidly changing world, but we can contribute to the success of these youth as deep thinkers and confident team members and leaders within their respective fields, as well as in their communities.

Enbat is more than just a program - it's a testament to our shared belief in the potential of our youth and our commitment to building a more inclusive, responsive and resilient Kuwait.

Building bridges for peace - Exploring tools for intercommunity dialogue

21 December 2023 - Giuliana Lomonaco, Learning Facilitator @ en.v

Data consistently shows that intercommunity dialogue helps promote tolerance, reduce stereotypes, and resolve conflicts. Now more than ever, we are reminded of the urgency of creating spaces where this dialogue can occur, and where we can envision new ways of not just coexisting but flourishing together. AWAKEN in the Desert is our attempt to create this space for people in Kuwait. This year’s theme ‘Once Upon a Time’ was an opportunity to explore our sense of belonging through childhood nostalgia, using memory and reminiscence as a tool to connect more deeply with ourselves and others. It was also a space for communal healing, allowing individuals and communities to express their emotions, support one another, and collectively navigate their grief.

During our communal lunch, hosted by Namak, we were able to break bread with strangers while learning about the culinary traditions of the Dawoodi Bohra community and sharing our own with our thaal mates. After this experience of collective nourishment, we embarked on a journey into the depths of our personal, cultural and social identities through storytelling, art, theater, play, dance and heartfelt conversations. Mapping Belonging, the research tool that our Community of Practice co-created and implemented throughout the year, allowed us to explore our emotional relationship with the different places and areas of Kuwait and reflect on the ways we navigate them according to who we are and who we encounter. We also exchanged childhood pictures with strangers while telling them stories about what made us what we are now. We found spaces for creative expression (both through art and poetry) around the memories that we carry in our minds, bodies and hearts. We played games that reminded us of the joy of childhood afternoons when we would create whole worlds of meaning through interpersonal connection. We sang the lullabies that were sung to us by our caretakers in the different social contexts where we grew up. We danced together, we cooked together, and we witnessed the beautiful cultural traditions of some of the communities that we interact with on a daily basis but whose voices are often silenced.

If you were part of this year’s AWAKEN, we thank you for spending the day discovering parts of yourself and others that would otherwise remain hidden. Every year, AWAKEN is proof that - although we live such separate lives - belonging is a feeling that we can find both with those closest to us, and those we’ve just met. Our eternal gratitude to every character who played a role in the story of ‘Once Upon A Time’, we’re already excited about next year!

From Insight to Impact - PAR's actionable approach to inclusion & justice

28 November 2023 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v

You may have heard us talk a bit (or a lot) about participatory action research (PAR) over the past few years. That’s because we think it is an amazing tool in fostering inclusion, solidarity, and justice. PAR actively involves community members in research and reflection, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. This collaborative approach, rooted in solidarity, breaks down traditional hierarchies, allowing for collective empowerment and shared responsibility. Importantly, PAR doesn't just identify systemic inequalities but actively seeks to address them, serving as a catalyst for transformative action. In a world where the scale of injustice can feel overwhelming, PAR becomes a beacon of hope, providing a tangible way for individuals to engage, make a difference, and collectively work towards a more equitable and just society.

Last month, we hosted a lessons learned workshop for our Aswatna program, which aims to promote inclusion in the education system through student-centered PAR processes. This coincided with the launch of our Aswatna online portal, the culmination of months-long, painstaking work by our team and our wonderful partners @Data4Change. On this portal, you will not only find information about all the phases and aspects of the program and our White Paper including learnings and recommendations for stakeholders in the field, but also ALL the key insights and data from the student-led PAR projects which were implemented last year. Yes, it’s a lot of reading, but we promise you it’s worth it! Whether you are a teacher, an administrator, a parent or a student yourself, we are sure you will be enriched by these diverse perspectives, and hopefully inspired to take action - no step is too small. 

Thoughts? Reflections? Please share them with us!

Brave conversations - Women as community peace-builders

01 November 2023 - Eleanor Burton, Relationships and Training Manager @ en.v

Last year we worked together with a group of women who were willing to interrogate their own histories, values, and experiences in relationship to the women who work in their homes. What we learned through this very intimate dialogue is that the relationships between women in households, between employer and employee, are complex, intertwined, and often challenging. Most women feel they lack support in knowing how to navigate them. Further complicating this is that, unlike in an average workplace, a woman working in a household cannot go home. She must live within close proximity of those who hold power over her. Women employers generally rely upon strong cultural norms handed down intergenerationally from grandmother, to mother, to daughter. Problematically, these norms exist separately from an understanding of the protections and rights of the domestic worker.

The women who participated in our first training of trainers (TOT) were truly amazing. They have continued doing the work by organizing women’s circles within their communities to open up these uncomfortable conversations. Following the implementation of the first round of women's circles, we designed a toolkit with input from both our trainers and circle participants, so that other women could also initiate and facilitate these kinds of conversations within their own networks. The toolkit - available in both English and Arabic - includes facilitation notes, all of the activities and materials required, and an additional resource guide. The approximate time to hold a circle is 3 hours, and the recommended size of a circle is between 3 and 5 women. Due to the nature of the conversation, facilitating this with intimate groups allows participants to engage vulnerably with themselves and one another.

We encourage women who are interested in being a part of this movement to also apply to participate in our second TOT, which will be taking place in November. For more information and to apply, fill out this application form.

Students driving change - Raising awareness through data

27 September 2023 - Mohammed Marafi, Program Coordinator @ en.v

Dear friends,

As many of you already know, as part of Aswatna, our education reform program, our  participants came up with and conducted research projects in their schools about issues that they care about. These youth-led and run teams sent out surveys to Indian schools about body shaming; explored issues related to mental health across educational systems; put together focus groups for both students and educators to talk about whether they feel included in their university’s culture, and interviewed employees at the ministry of education about how/why they pick textbooks for public schools (among many other things). They truly did an amazing job, and we’ve spent the last few months sifting through their research and creating a social media campaign to share bits and pieces from their work. If you’ve got a minute, take a look at our Instagram to find out more.

Next month, we are also planning on releasing a white paper with recommendations on how to develop more responsive and inclusive spaces in schools based on our learnings from the program, as well as a dedicated online portal which will include more details about all of these great projects. So make sure you stay tuned!

Looking back to move forward - en.v progress report 2021-2022

30 August 2023 - Elisa Franceschinis, Managing Director @ en.v

We are so excited to (finally!) share with you our 2021-2022 progress report. These were years of incredible growth for us, both as individuals and as an organization, and we feel so grateful to our community and partners for trusting us, believing in our work and in our process. 

As many of you know, joining one of our programs often turns into a much more long-term commitment than what you might have anticipated. You may show up at one of our events out of curiosity, and end up as partners, participants or co-designers across a number of our projects over the years. You end up embarking on a journey with us - one that is often uncomfortable or challenging -  yet always deep and meaningful. And that is because systems change is long-term work. This is not a time for quick fixes. If we want to truly create a more united, compassionate and resilient society we need to start at the root, understanding why things are the way they are, unpacking power and privilege, questioning our assumptions, and reconnecting with each other on a more authentic level. Only then can we begin to (re)build relationships that are grounded in equity, care and solidarity, and work towards a better future. This work is not easy nor safe - it is brave, and it is slow. But we are hopeful. We feel so validated by the response we have been getting from everyone, and are so excited for what is yet to come.

You can read the full report here.

People and stories - Embracing Kuwait's diversity

30 July 2023 - Giuliana Lomonaco, Learning Facilitator @ en.v

The possibility of deepening our understanding of this melting pot we call home is something that will never cease to excite us at en.v. With its rich fabric of life stories and lived experiences of people from many different backgrounds, Kuwait is constantly offering us the opportunity to learn from cultural diversity and appreciate its beauty.

Project Sidrah, one of the pilot projects developed by the participants of Aswatna’s Ideathon, is an initiative designed to explore the relationship between urban space, memory, identity and belonging. The amazing team composed of students, professors, and researchers, is reaching out to people from different communities to gain more knowledge about how they have related to the neighborhoods, areas, and spaces of Kuwait over time. Through the implementation of an online survey and some in-depth interviews, their intention is to learn about people’s sense of belonging to the city, while also getting them to reflect on which traits of their identities and spatial/cultural memories have impacted it. The ultimate goal of the project is to create an interactive educational game (in the form of a memory map) that will showcase Kuwait’s cultural diversity by giving visibility to the voices that we don’t usually tend to hear. 

Coffee, croissants, and heartfelt conversations - Planning for change

08 June 2023 - Khadija Rangwala, Operations Manager @ en.v

Finding time for reflection can be a challenge, but we know it’s important. Picture this: Our team whisked away to a quaint seaside chalet, huddled over freshly brewed coffee and buttery croissants. It's our time to disconnect from the chaos of daily tasks and dive into the heart of the matter. We know that real change begins within ourselves and ripples out into the community, so these regular check-ins are important to make sure we are showing up for the work, for one another and for the community in ways that align with our values.

When we gather, it’s not just as colleagues, but as friends willing to be vulnerable, sharing stories of how our work has impacted us deeply. The room fills with heartfelt moments of connection. Our strategic planning sessions are full of laughter, deep listening, occasional tears, but above all, gratitude for the work we do. It's incredible to witness how our values resonate with this work and with one another. If you’re curious to know more about our priorities and our approach you can check out our Strategic Action Plan (SAP).

As our team grows, so do the opportunities that lie ahead. We're on the lookout for a proactive individual eager to develop their financial skills and contribute to our dynamic and expanding organization. It's a chance to be part of something special, to make a difference and grow alongside us. Check out our call for applications and reach out to us if you're interested.

At the core of our work, we believe in the power of relationships and the magic of collaboration. That's why your input and engagement are not just important, but vital. So let’s keep the conversation going. We're here, ready to listen, to learn, and to make a difference—together.