The Professional Group
Alsama runs a Professional training program for its highest-flying students. Students who achieve a B1 level or equivalent across all of their subjects are welcomed into the Professional Group. This group receives extra teaching in science and a range of skills to prepare them for the workplace such as collaboration, leadership, time management, business writing and creating comprehensive project plans. We currently have 18 students benefitting from the Alsama professional curriculum.
Alsama/coach
All Alsama students play cricket, but some go an extra mile to become Assistant or Junior Coaches! Currently Alsama has 32 student Assistant or Junior Coaches working with our team of professional Coaches to train the other >550 young cricket players in our hubs located in Shatila, Bourj and Beqaa. The Assistant Coaches work in teams of 3 under the supervision of a Coach to manage their cricket hub.
They receive weekly leadership training sessions from senior coaches and have been put through Red Cross First Aid Training and ICC Level 1 coach training. The sessions are a space to brainstorm solutions to problems they are facing in their hubs and also to develop confidence, effective team management strategies, tools to handle stress and public speaking.
Alsama/yoga
Alsama collaborates with yoga studios to provide professional yoga teacher-training to those students who are keen to become yoga instructors. Given the sensitive backgrounds our students come from and the tough realities they live in inside the camp, yoga provides a space to relax and find calm.
All our students and cricket players in Shatila, Bourj al-Barajneh and Beqaa valley receive yoga lessons every week by 3 certified Alsama yoga instructors trained by yoga NGO Koun. We currently have 8 students working as yoga teachers in our schools, trained in partnership with Tools for Inner Peace and Koun.
In yoga class when I get time to sit with myself in a safe and quiet space, I feel my shoulders relaxing. Yoga has helped me focus better in my classes.
Amel, Alsama Student, Assistant Cricket Coach
I play cricket, but sometimes my muscles are too stiff. Yoga is helping me change that. When I do yoga I feel I can fly like a piece of paper. I am a lot calmer. That is why I decided to become a yoga teacher. I want other students to feel the difference yoga brings to your life.
Ibrahim, Alsama student training to be a yoga instructor