Aso News Network is cooperating in preparing a self-care workshop for female journalists and civil society workers

Aso News Network prepared a self-care workshop targeting women employees of the organization and the participation of women working in the media field and civil society, in the city of Qamishlo/al-Qamishli over a period of two days.

The workshop aimed to enhance the skills of media women / journalists and humanitarian workers, and contribute to their support and development in the professional field, in addition to overcoming work and life pressures, and helping support them in overcoming challenges.

The idea was launched from a capacity-building mechanism that aims the Foundation to support and develop workflow, support women in the Foundation, and thus participate in supporting women working in the media and civil society.

The workshop, which was sponsored by the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, was attended by 12 women.

The independent journalist and podcast producer, Nour Al-Ahmad, who is one of the participants in the workshop, talked about the necessity of conducting these workshops for women workers in humanitarian fields, with the aim of supporting them, and said that the workshop contributed to my daily enrichment of knowledge and great benefit.

The presence of humanitarian organizations specialized in psychological support, especially since the workshop was of a high level of training, experience, culture and knowledge.

Nour took the initiative in affirming that Aso News Network had taken an initiative to support women journalists and workers in the field of civil society. “The goal stems from the awareness of the network and the people concerned with the extent of the psychological effects that we are exposed to as journalists and humanitarian workers during our daily work, and our direct communication with society in light of the difficult living conditions in the country .”

Nour Al-Ahmad confirmed that the workshop achieved a great deal of knowledge and boosted her self-confidence.

According to Al-Ahmad, the workshop, in its physical form, contributed to getting to know young women working on the human and humanitarian side, and getting to know the experiences and skills of each of them, stressing that these workshops support participation and the exchange of support and ideas, regardless of the differences in attitudes and opinions.

For her part, Amina, a volunteer at Taa Marbouta Organization, confirms that the experience in the workshop was useful and enjoyable, “It was a space for recreation, and an opportunity to learn the mechanisms of self-care.”

The pressures differ according to the participants from one woman to another, but Amina believes that the economic pressures are among the pressures that encouraged her to participate in the workshop, confirming that she was not interested in the culture of self-care previously, but now she will be interested in exercises to deal with daily pressures and stress.

Alaa Malla Ahmed, a journalist and editor at Aso News Network, says that in the past, she used mechanisms to deal with psychological stress, but during the workshop she was able to learn new and more useful mechanisms, such as breathing exercises to overcome stress, and the separation between personal life and work life, “I met during the workshop a group of girls and I was able to benefit from their experiences and expertise.

Newroz Alika, a social worker at Jiyan Center for Human Rights, and a training supervisor, says that the goal of the self-care workshop is to increase self-awareness of the various sources of psychological stress, which can affect the mental health of the trainees, in addition to providing them with a safe space, and sharing the challenges they face, facilitating support and receiving support from others, especially since they work in the field of media and humanitarian work.

Alika stresses the importance of reinforcing self-care practices among the participants, and encourages them to develop an individual self-care plan.

Alika adds that the workshop relied on extensive training for the participants, and various tools and techniques across basic axes, including creating a collage exercise (cut and paste) and showing the effect of stress on the person and the importance of self-care, shaping your shield, examining the body with awareness, freedom bird, control circle, and other techniques.

Alika believes that the most important thing in the workshop is for each participant to develop a personal self-care plan.

A self-care workshop continued on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 16 and 17, at Jiyan Center for Human Rights