Syrian Youth in Za’atari Refugee Camp as ICT Wayfarers: An Exploratory Study Using LEGO and Storytelling

Abstract

We share insights from exploratory research with Syrian youth at the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan about the role of information and mobile technology in their daily lives, and how they serve as information, communication and technology (ICT) wayfarers. Survey findings (n=174) show most youth own mobiles and SIM cards, and WhatsApp and Google are the most popular apps/engines. Design Workshop data contradicted youth survey self-reports of being heavy ICT users on behalf of others. Instead, narrative-drawings (n=50) created using LEGO Mini-Figures depicted situations involving primarily instrumental assistance, with fewer representations of informational, technological and emotional assistance, per Dervin’s Sense-Making framework. Depicting mostly events in Syria, with several in Za’atari, the narrative-drawings reflect the youths’ affinity for the forms of assistance outlined in the fourth Geneva Convention. The research informed longer workshops in the camp setting in accordance with the methodology’s original aim to co-design ICT mediary devices that support the youths’ mediary behavior, as represented by their narrative-drawings and survey data, and in support of UN Sustainable Development Goals.