Mohamad Al Jounde – Keynote Speaker

Mohamad Al Jounde and his family fled Syria to Lebanon in 2013, where 1.5 million Syrian refugees reside. His parents had been politically active but his mother upsetting the regime forced them to flee and for Mohamad to start a new life aged only 12.

Like thousands of other refugee children in the country, he couldn’t go to school, so he set out to make a difference for children in the same situation. Mohamad Al Jounde began volunteering in the camps teaching maths and photography. Not satisfied with this, in 2014, he came up with the idea of building a tent where children meet and receive informal education from volunteers. The tent grew with the help of donations and turned into an educational centre supporting 120 children and 20 women.

In 2015, when the government decided to remove the refugee camp, the school was destroyed. However, with the support of local NGOs, the centre was reopened as a proper school building; the Gharsah Centre. At the time the school supported 170 children and 90 women.

In 2017 Mohamad Aljounde received the International Children’s Peace Prize, securing funding for the continued running and expansion of the Gharsah center, which now encompasses 240 children and 500 women on an annual basis.

Mohamad Al Jounde helps children heal, learn, and have fun with games and photography. Mohamad is a very talented storyteller who raises awareness around the challenges facing refugee children through sharing their stories with a wider audience. Mohamad has made three documentaries and his latest, “Hunna Mothers of Revolution,” is being screened around the world with the support of the UC Davis Feminist Institution.

Mohamad Al Jounde has been a prominent speaker at various international events including the World Economic Forum and the Youth Activist Summit at the United Nations. He often focuses on the need for greater refugee support and the importance of education as a tool for empowerment and change. He has been a strong advocate for fostering intercultural understanding and challenging stereotypes regarding refugees. With Youthtopia, Mohamad currently teaches masterclasses on Community Building and Surviving Crises.

Mohammad Al Jounde’s story is a testament of the power of one individual’s determination to make a difference in the lives of those affected by conflict and displacement. His unwavering commitment to education and humanitarian work has not only transformed the lives of refugees but has also inspired countless others to join the cause, making the world a better place for those in need.