How returning to education led Ahmad to help others with their mental health
Ahmad had always been someone who kept his circle small. After years of juggling jobs in trades, sales, as a bouncer, in sales, just picking up whatever work he could since arriving in Jordan, formal education felt far behind him. He hadn’t studied since tenth grade. “I wasn’t really thinking about formal education,” says Ahmad. That changed when his friend and an Amala alumna, Sarah, posted about her graduation. When she told Ahmad that Amala might offer him a way back into learning, something clicked. He decided to apply.
Ahmad (back, centre) with fellow Amala students and alumni
When he joined Amala, Ahmad rarely opened up to others, especially when it came to his mental health. “In the Middle East, there’s a lot of stigma around mental health,” Ahmad says. “And even more for men.” But that changed through Amala. In the supportive environment of the programme, Ahmad began to focus on his own wellbeing, and found the courage to talk openly about mental health struggles. “Everyone struggles with their mental health at some point,” he says, “and those struggles don’t always look like depression, or crying. I started to share my struggles openly as a way to destigmatise mental health”.
That openness shaped Ahmad’s path at Amala. For his Personal Interest Project (PIP), he considered focusing on facilitation skills, but decided instead to design a mental health programme. “Being a facilitator would help students,” he thought. “But going into mental health could help even more people.” Around the same time, he also started wrestling as a hobby. To his surprise, even his wrestling teammates were open about their emotions and mental health. “That made it easier to keep talking,” he said. One of Ahmad’s most memorable moments from his time at Amala was a wrestling match that he was competing in. He looked into the crowd and saw 30 Amala classmates and facilitators chanting his name.
Ahmad on graduation day
“Amala made me more willing to learn. It got me back into learning mode. The focuses of the courses were different, bringing out hidden potential. Amala is like a learning platform, a way for bringing out and showcasing people’s skills. It gave me agency and opportunities. Even the opportunity to volunteer and be helpful, like me starting my mental health project. ”
Ahmad has now been running his mental health project for two years. It’s grown steadily, thanks to small amounts of funding that cover transportation and private sessions. He received strong feedback from fellow students, and he’s committed to keeping the project going. But his ambitions go further. Ahmad dreams of building the project into a dedicated not-for-profit organisation that offers low-cost therapy to refugees and others in need. He wants to make it accessible outside of Amala, in its own space. “Students aren’t always ready to talk about their feelings right after a two hour class!”
Ahmad facilitating a mental health support session
Looking ahead, Ahmad is applying for a scholarship to study psychology at university. He also plans to turn his project into a standalone not-for-profit. He wants it to offer affordable therapy to refugees and others who struggle to access support, charging just a fraction of the cost of private sessions in Jordan. “If there’s a leak in your house, you can call a plumber,” he said. “But if you know how to fix it yourself, you can prevent the problem next time. That’s what therapy does.”