Youth reporter speaks passionately about her work under UNESCO's Syrian Hour radio project

18.12.2014 - Amman, Jordan

Nour, a 21-year-old student of journalism, is excited as she waits to share her story. She is sitting in a café in Paris, on her way to meet the Japanese Permanent Delegation to UNESCO to present the outcomes of the Syrian Hour (“Sa’a Suriya”) radio project, funded by Japan. The project is close to Nour’s heart as she has been working as a youth reporter for the past year. Later the same day, Nour will also visit an independent Syrian radio broadcasting from Paris called “Rozana FM”.

“The fact that I am half Syrian helps me a lot in this program. I can understand the background of the refugees, their culture, and their fears. I am one of them,” says the young student who has a Jordanian father and a Syrian mother.

As a youth reporter for the program, Nour has been trained in conflict-sensitive reporting and interviewing prior to starting her work in the field. She works closely with Syrian refugees in the host communities and also with vulnerable Jordanian youth. Currently, Nour is in the fourth year of her BA studies in journalism, radio and television at Yarmouk University in Irbid. Living in Amman, she spends three hours every day commuting to school, using the time on the bus to study or work.  

Communication resources are a powerful tool to facilitate the access to services and to voice opinions, particularly in a crisis or post crisis situation. If under-utilized, refugees and host communities may be at risk.

This barrier was the impetus of the Syrian Hour project, which is part of the UNESCO response to the Syria crisis and has become a vital, well-known and much needed program for Syrian refugees and young vulnerable Jordanians residing in the host communities. The radio show is broadcast bi-weekly on Yarmouk FM (Irbid) and Farah al Nas (Amman) and serves as a communication platform for refugees and marginalized youth to access information, share personal stories and interact with the local community and service providers.

When asked about her motivation to engage as a youth reporter, Nour responds, “I believe that we have a responsibility towards our Syrian brothers and sisters and communicating reliable information to refugees is part of that responsibility”.

The young reporter has produced six reportages for the Syrian Hour so far, each lasting between two and three minutes. She has tackled such issues as early marriage, women’s empowerment and the World Health Day. Nour is finding stories and interview partners through the help of NGOs and service providers in the field. In part she attributes her success to her long history of journalistic engagement, as she previously worked for Radio Balad, an Amman based community radio, and Jordan TV. She is also a blogger and has her own youtube channel.

Thus far, a total of 40 youth reporters from Irbid and Amman governorate have participated in the project. Working for the Syrian Hour program represents a challenging experience because it requires such a sensitive approach and humanitarian journalism skills. “It is not easy, especially working with traumatized children,” says Nour, her face turning more serious. “Once I asked a little boy which games he misses the most. He told me that he doesn’t miss any toys or friends; he just wants to have his dad back.”

Nour is currently working on her graduation project. She is producing a documentary film about the chemical attack in Ghouta, Syria in 2013. Asked if she would like to continue her studies and complete a Master’s degree, Nour replies, “For the time being, I want to work in the field, as a humanitarian reporter.  This is how you become a real journalist. This is where I can make a change.”