National Center for Culture and Arts

The National Center for Culture and Arts utilizes the performing arts to promote social development, human rights, and cross-cultural understanding through capacity building and exchange programs.

Recognizing that culture is one of the main pillars of human development, the Noor Al Hussein Foundation pioneered a Theater-in Education Program in 1987, which introduced the use of performing arts as a medium to promote awareness of critical issues, including women's rights, conservation, conflict resolution, and tolerance. The program evolved into the National Center for Culture & Arts (NCCA) which continues to innovatively use the transformative power of the performing arts to nurture informed societies and creativity, by providing safe spaces for expression and dialogue.

Interactive Theater

Advocacy campaigns utilize theater-in-education to raise awareness and bring about new perspectives for social change by inviting audiences to ask questions and reflect on the dramatic scenes through a facilitator. Family members of all ages, in rural and urban communities and refugee camps, are provided with a rare entertainment experience that encourages discussion and enables informed decisions.

A repertoire of over 60 interactive plays has been developed addressing thematic issues such as youth civic engagement, gender-based violence, reproductive health, and combating extremism.

NCCA regularly conducts capacity building workshops for teachers, artists, and cultural institutions both locally and regionally. The center also provides professional training courses for children and youth in theater and ballet- accredited by the Royal Academy of Dance – UK, in addition to contemporary and folk dance.

Educators learn the practical applications of drama strategies such role-playing, improvisation, creative writing, and movement in teaching. Subjects like the languages and civic education begin to come alive, intrinsically motivating, and engaging students in creative critical thinking, leading to a better understanding of the complexity of human behavior, while promoting self-expression and confidence.

To date, NCCA has implemented training workshops in Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Bahrain, and Bulgaria as well as capacity-building programs in cultural management and performing arts programs in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, among others. The center has also conducted an exchange with professional dancers in Denmark. Additionally, NCCA is the host of the Y-Peer International Center for Youth Development.

Creativity in the Classroom

Since 2018, the NCCA has been conducting Drama-in-Education training to public school teachers, including Syrian assistant-teachers working in Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps, 300 schoolteachers were enabled to implement innovative and creative activities in the classroom. Through theater-based techniques students are encouraged to become active participants on their lifelong learning journey.

Cultural Exchange

NCCA is actively engaged in promoting cross-cultural understanding by conducting comprehensive cultural exchange programs, co-productions in theater and dance, and hosting the International Arab Youth Congress (IAYC).

International Arab Youth Congress

Established by Queen Noor in 1980 following the Arab Summit meeting in Amman, the IAYC is an annual meeting of young people that promotes understanding, tolerance, and solidarity, communicating recommendations to policymakers and international agencies on a range of regional and global challenges. Until 2020, the IAYC was the longest uninterrupted Arab cultural gathering of youth, now the IAYC participants and organizers are anxiously awaiting to reconvene the congress.