“I used to be a judgmental person, I am not anymore! Criticizing people is a bad habit. I hate to judge or to be judged based on my looks, style, accent, or where I come from. You can be whatever you want and wear whatever you like without caring what others would say. I guess I am saying this now because of 1001 Nights stories”, says Lynn Zein, a 12 years old Palestinian student at the Women’s Programs Association (WPA) Beddawi – Tripoli. Lynn is one of the students enrolled in the 1001 Nights program which is implemented by INITIATE and produced by BIG BAD BOO studios.
“I used to criticize and judge everyone and everything including myself. If mom did something that I didn’t like I would criticize her, or if my friends are not saying what I want to hear, I wouldn’t accept it. But during the lessons, and after discussing with my teachers the morals behind the stories, I realized that it’s okay to be different and it’s okay for people to say their opinion as long as it’s within boundaries. The lessons we learned from 1001 Nights are priceless because they make us realize that life is not always black or white, grey can be a beautiful color sometimes”, says Lynn, adding “I wish one day I will be the princess of the story and my journey will help others determine what they want in life”.
The 1001 Nights program is funded by the European Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP II) for Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, which is supported by the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Ireland, and Switzerland.
