Rite of Passage: Yousef’s story

Sep 29

Yousef has always been an artist. As a child, he drew. When the economic situation in Iraq got difficult, he dropped out of high school, and got a job as a tattoo artist in the north of Iraq to support his family.

Yousef with Lamis, Amala’s Head of Programmes in Jordan, showing his work as part of his final project for the Global Secondary Diploma

Things got much more challenging for the family when they were forced to flee their home, resettling as refugees in Jordan in 2023, where Yousef couldn’t work to continue his career in tattooing. “For two months, I was just shut off in my bedroom. It was a new country, new people, and it was very hard.”

He began learning to paint, at a time where his world view was changing. “In Jordan, I was faced with diversity that we don’t have in our country. I started to gain new thoughts. Art was the only way I could express them”.

It was Yousef’s neighbours who told him about the Amala Global Secondary Diploma. “When I joined Amala, life became easier”, Yousef says. He found new connections. People helped him with work. He gained knowledge and discovered new worlds. There was some tension first, recalls Yousef, because of how diverse the community is at Amala. Everyone is from different backgrounds. To create acceptance and cohesion between his colleagues and the wider community, he created a project called ‘Coloring Stereotypes’ as part of the Peacebuilding course.

“Amala shaped my point of view of diversity", says Yousef. “From the first class at Amala - ethical leadership - I realised it was for me. The Amala curriculum is so rich. I discovered a world in three months at Amala: ideas, theories and philosophies.”

“Each course had its own value”, says Yousef. “Maths and economics opened my eyes, how different the learning was, learning how money works. Learning through developing competencies, critical thinking, embracing diversity, how to represent an idea - all of these are things I use every day. When you’re studying something at Amala you can use it straight away, not just in your projects, but also in your daily life”.

“Amala organised our thoughts. The curriculum enabled us to put structures around them. We started to see the world in a new way. Becoming a changemaker and learning about peacebuilding helped me to represent my ideas. I started to show my culture, the Assyrian culture, and paint more about my values and my community. My identity became more global. I began to enrich my paintings with thoughts and take on criticism of the problems of my local community through art.”

A page from Yousef’s book, showing his journey with sculpture

Yousef turned to sculpture as a new form of artistic expression when he had to choose a focus for his Personal Interest Project (PIP), an extended engagement and core part of the Diploma. "It started with a small step," says Yousef. "Assyrians love sculpting, so I was inspired by my heritage. But it always seemed like a big step. At Amala, when we started doing our PIP, I started small. I put together a plan for learning sculpture."

It accelerated from there. Yousef showcased his final pieces at a gallery at the end of the Global Secondary Diploma, then got a job as a sculpture instructor at a local art college, teaching others the craft.

"It started with a small step," Yousef said of his first sculpture plan. This September, that step became Rite of Passage: his first solo exhibition at Q0DE Gallery in Amman, and a book of his work for others to take home.