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ArchiSmile: Empowering society through art
By Aisha Ahmed, Jordan News
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AMMAN — Lina Abo Jaradeh was studying architecture engineering at the University of Jordan when she passed by her old school. The dull colors and appearance of the school stood out to her and inspired her and some of her colleagues to utilize their skills by painting some of the walls of the schools to give them a vibrant feel.اضافة اعلان
After the group’s rewarding experience, ArchiSmile was launched as a volunteer initiative to empower society through art in 2014. Now the organization is officially registered and has opened its office on Queen Rania Street.
ArchiSmile offers workshops and courses that bring art to various communities as an effort to empower the community’s members. (Photos: Handout from ArchiSmile)
“At first, the majority of the participants were architecture students. We did murals at different university departments such as the civil engineering department and the architecture engineering and mechanical engineering department. Then we started to go to schools around the Kingdom,” said Jaradeh, the founder of ArchiSmile.
The organization has conducted over 40 mural community events in eight governorates, including Madaba, Salt, and Irbid. They have also held events such as painting a public staircase in Jabal Al-Taj, painting inspirational murals in Al-Nadeem and Al-Bashir hospitals.
Through these events, they hope to provide opportunities for youth to develop valuable skills while interacting with people of the community by volunteering. According to Jaradeh, all members of the community can participate regardless of artistic capabilities.
ArchiSmile offers workshops and courses that bring art to various communities as an effort to empower the community’s members. (Photos: Handout from ArchiSmile)
“ArchiSmile was established as a way for us to use our artistic skills to benefit our society. When pedestrians or children see our murals on their schools or in the streets, we want that to positively impact their mental health,” said Jaradeh.
Due to the success of their volunteer initiatives, three years ago, ArchiSmile added art designing programs for children and youth to their initiatives.
One of their programs called “Art and Life Skills” aims to teach children teamwork, emotional intelligence, creativity, and innovation.
ArchiSmile also held workshops for various marginalized groups, including disabled youth, refugees, and less fortunate individuals, which aimed to bring art into their lives and encourage them to utilize art in beneficial ways.
They held these workshops in eastern Amman, southern Marka, Jabal Al-Taj, and many other areas.
Jaradeh said: “It is possible that many of these children never had an art class, and their parents see art as a luxury,” emphasizing that activating the culture of art for all segments of society is the goal of the organization.
In 2021, Archismile opened a studio that provides various artistic services to continue its non-profit impact.
ArchiSmile offers workshops and courses that bring art to various communities as an effort to empower the community’s members. (Photos: Handout from ArchiSmile)
“We consider yourself as a social enterprise, not a business. We use our profits to support the marginalized segment of society,” she said.
What distinguishes ArchiSmile from others is their work with psychologists, child development experts, and specialists for people with disabilities to help design their programs and workshops.
“We have a scientific basis in designing our programs. We connect skills through art. We believe that art is an educational methodology in itself and not just an outcome,” said Jaradeh.
Jaradeh believes that the role of art in Jordan is neglected, “Comparing Jordan with other countries reveals how small the amount of the government spending is regarding the artistic programs that exist,” she said.
She emphasized that neglecting art harms our youth as art is significant for them to express themselves and build confidence in their identity. However, she also recognized that in Jordan, art is limited to a certain economic class, which can afford to buy art tools and enroll in art workshops and classes.
Jaradeh emphasized that the economic gap of artistic individuals is what also inspired ArchiSmile to provide workshops and courses at very affordable prices, as they seek to encourage people to try and feel the importance of art regardless of their talent or economic capabilities.
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After the group’s rewarding experience, ArchiSmile was launched as a volunteer initiative to empower society through art in 2014. Now the organization is officially registered and has opened its office on Queen Rania Street.
ArchiSmile offers workshops and courses that bring art to various communities as an effort to empower the community’s members. (Photos: Handout from ArchiSmile)
“At first, the majority of the participants were architecture students. We did murals at different university departments such as the civil engineering department and the architecture engineering and mechanical engineering department. Then we started to go to schools around the Kingdom,” said Jaradeh, the founder of ArchiSmile.
The organization has conducted over 40 mural community events in eight governorates, including Madaba, Salt, and Irbid. They have also held events such as painting a public staircase in Jabal Al-Taj, painting inspirational murals in Al-Nadeem and Al-Bashir hospitals.
Through these events, they hope to provide opportunities for youth to develop valuable skills while interacting with people of the community by volunteering. According to Jaradeh, all members of the community can participate regardless of artistic capabilities.
ArchiSmile offers workshops and courses that bring art to various communities as an effort to empower the community’s members. (Photos: Handout from ArchiSmile)
“ArchiSmile was established as a way for us to use our artistic skills to benefit our society. When pedestrians or children see our murals on their schools or in the streets, we want that to positively impact their mental health,” said Jaradeh.
Due to the success of their volunteer initiatives, three years ago, ArchiSmile added art designing programs for children and youth to their initiatives.
One of their programs called “Art and Life Skills” aims to teach children teamwork, emotional intelligence, creativity, and innovation.
ArchiSmile also held workshops for various marginalized groups, including disabled youth, refugees, and less fortunate individuals, which aimed to bring art into their lives and encourage them to utilize art in beneficial ways.
They held these workshops in eastern Amman, southern Marka, Jabal Al-Taj, and many other areas.
Jaradeh said: “It is possible that many of these children never had an art class, and their parents see art as a luxury,” emphasizing that activating the culture of art for all segments of society is the goal of the organization.
In 2021, Archismile opened a studio that provides various artistic services to continue its non-profit impact.
ArchiSmile offers workshops and courses that bring art to various communities as an effort to empower the community’s members. (Photos: Handout from ArchiSmile)
“We consider yourself as a social enterprise, not a business. We use our profits to support the marginalized segment of society,” she said.
What distinguishes ArchiSmile from others is their work with psychologists, child development experts, and specialists for people with disabilities to help design their programs and workshops.
“We have a scientific basis in designing our programs. We connect skills through art. We believe that art is an educational methodology in itself and not just an outcome,” said Jaradeh.
Jaradeh believes that the role of art in Jordan is neglected, “Comparing Jordan with other countries reveals how small the amount of the government spending is regarding the artistic programs that exist,” she said.
She emphasized that neglecting art harms our youth as art is significant for them to express themselves and build confidence in their identity. However, she also recognized that in Jordan, art is limited to a certain economic class, which can afford to buy art tools and enroll in art workshops and classes.
Jaradeh emphasized that the economic gap of artistic individuals is what also inspired ArchiSmile to provide workshops and courses at very affordable prices, as they seek to encourage people to try and feel the importance of art regardless of their talent or economic capabilities.
Read more Trending news
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