As part of the Thrive Project at the GJU's Department of Social Work, trainer Rola Annan conducted a Mindful-based Intercultural Resilience Training (MBICRT) for 20 social work students and Syrian social workers from the Zaatari Camp on December 1st and 2nd, 2023. The workshop focused on mindfulness and self-care practices, aimed to empower social workers in intercultural settings by enhancing their self-awareness, metacognition, and emotional intelligence. The session was designed as an experience-based learning, which included a theoretical foundations and engaged the participants. The workshop began with circle values, emotional check-ins, and discussions on happiness definitions, incorporating perspectives such as contentment, peace, comfort, freedom, security, love, family, and satisfaction. The trainer also explored the concept of happiness as per Hays, involving setpoints, conditions, and voluntary activities. After “checking in” participants' feelings, the trainer demonstrated mapping emotions in the body, revealing how emotions can activate different bodily responses.

The trainer delved into the current impact of the absence of peace talks, emphasizing the importance of teaching children effective communication and conflict resolution skills. 

Key takeaways from the training included fostering mercy and compassion, practicing patience, conducting check-ins to break autopilots, shifting from self-blaming to self-love, recognizing and cultivating self-compassion through meditation, engaging in ongoing self-development, prioritizing personal needs, disregarding others' judgments, and understanding that self-actualization aligns with compassion and empathy.