Who We Are

Playmaker LLC is a consulting company based in Brussels, Belgium, specializing in community mobilization and strategic planning for development projects operating in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) and eventually Europe.

We bring to play the multidisciplinary expertise required to analyze complex problems, to develop work plans, to mobilize resources, to lobby for support, to implement projects, and to ensure their sustainability.

We have been involved in some of the most progressive urban development projects in the Middle East. And we served a wide variety of clients such as GIZ, UNDP, ESCWA, ISMF, EU, ATO, SEBC, UNRWA, Agha Khan and Cities Alliance, Syria Trust for Development, Mobaderoon Network and local Municipalities in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

We are a virtual team that bring together independent professionals specializing in:

  • Strategic & creative thinking
  • Conceptualization & Approach Building
  • Communication
  • Decentralization & good governance
  • Urban spatial development
  • Local Economic Development
  • Urban Environment
  • Urban Service Delivery & Disaster Management
  • Heritage Management (Preservation & Development)
  • Child & Youth Issues
  • Community initiatives
  • NGOs advocacy
  • Capacity Development
  • Peace Building & Conflict resolution
  • Active citizenship & Leadership in community development
  • Networking
  • Moderation & Facilitation

We are small but we play with heart!

What Are We Active In

  • Urban development.
  • Urban management.
  • Heritage management and rehabilitation.
  • Community development vehicles.
  • Community Development and Peace building.
  • Community Development based on Heritage.
  • Cultural planning.
  • NGO capacity building and advocacy.
  • Capacity development for volunteering networks.
  • Moderation and facilitation.

What We Do

  • Preparing assessments and concepts.
  • Identifying and mobilizing players.
  • Mobilizing resources.
  • Managing the formulation of collective visions, approaches, and action plans.
  • Advocating and lobbying for visions, plans, and projects.
  • Managing projects’ implementation.
  • Managing development of professional mapping solutions.

Samples of Our Work

Syrian National Museums & Cultural Heritage Sites Program

Field

Community Development

Service

Community Mobilization

Date

1/10/2011 - 30/11/2012

Client

Jozour Syrian Cultural NGO and Ministry of Culture in Syria.

Description

Our services included:

  • Building a model for community development based on Heritage.
  • Building a concept for portals of development based on Heritage and testing it in different geographical, social and economic contexts (tested in the cities of Aleppo, Qamishli, Latakia, Damascus and Tartous)
  • Desgining a toolbox to approach the local communities in Syria and testing it (global café, active citizenship, leadership in community, play with site, participated rapid assessment, round tables, Aflatoun and Aflateen for children and youth, Business improvement district).
  • Moblizing and connecting donors and communities -through portals- to support local communities initiatives.

Mobaderoon Network

Field

Community Development

Service

Mobilization

Date

1/5/2011 - present

Client

Mobaderoon Network, Syria and Lebanon.

Description

Mobaderoon is a Syrian network of community leaders and activists. it plays an important role in community development and peace building, through better understanding of diversity, supporting and empowering sustainable development, approaching leaders in local communities and empowering them towards social positive change and advocacy.

Our services included:

  • Building the network strategy, capacity development, tools, fund raising, coalition, national and international cooperation.
  • Arbitrated the trainee’s initiatives based on criteria that fits development mapping in Syria. (in cooperation with British Council and SEBC).
  • Quality control for all used tools in capacity development and workshops.

Aleppo City Development Strategy (Madinatuna)

Field

City Development Strategy

Service

Strategic Planning & Project Management

Date

1/9/2008 - 20/10/2010

Client

GIZ, Cities Alliance, Municipality of Aleppo, Syria.

Description

The Aleppo City Development Strategy (Madinatuna in Arabic) is an undertaking in which public, private and civil society actors in the city work together on finding a shared vision for a better future of the city. Madinatuna was the first attempt in Syria aimed at integrating volunteerism into city scale development programing.

Our services included:

  • Desgined the institutional process of building the city development strategy.
  • Developing a flexible working framework among the stakeholders in Aleppo City.
  • Mobilized stakeholders and volunteers.
  • Managed workshops, forums, exercises, and focus groups.
  • Supervising campaigns.
  • Managed initiatives and projects.
  • Supervise the formulation of the shared vision and strategic options for the future of the city.

The Rehabilitation Project of the Old City of Aleppo

Field

Urban Rehabilitation

Service

Strategic Planning & Professional Mapping

Date

3/1998 - 12/2007

Client

GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation). Aleppo, Syria.

Description

The project for the rehabilitation of the Old City of Aleppo is a joint project between the German Government (BMZ/GTZ) and the City of Aleppo. The Project pursued a balanced and careful policy in rehabilitating and revitalizing the Old City. Rehabilitation measures focused on the technical infrastructure, housing, environmental conditions and social services.

Our services included:

  • Serving on the evaluation mission of the phase 4 of the Project.
  • Participated in the preparation of the Development Plan for the Old City of Aleppo. The plan covered analysis and urban management strategies for the old city.
  • Lead the GIS department for the Project. services included: setting up a corporate enterprise system for the department, supervision of the system analysis for each section, preparing pilot GIS projects, training personnel, and network administration.
  • Participated in the preparation of an Action Plan for periphery of the old city of Aleppo.
  • Supervised the preparation of the Land Base Map for the Old City of Aleppo and the conversion of paper cadastral Maps into digital format ready to use for GIS.
  • Prepared a GIS project for monitoring and providing information to establish a historic conservation strategy and urban planning for 2 Action Areas; the first is the surroundings of the citadel of Aleppo, and the second is the surroundings of the Umayyad Mosque and the souks in the Old City of Aleppo.
  • Prepared a GIS project for infrastructure networks for Bab Qinisrin; a 7 hectares historic area.
  • Prepared a GIS NOISE MAP for the western side of the Old City (area 175 hectares).
  • Developed an Access based software to analyze social and economic surveys for a mixed use area being planned in the city.

Moderation and Facilitation

Field

Urban Development

Service

Strategic Planning

Date

1/5/2003 - present

Client

International and Regional organizations. Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan.

Description

We facilitated and moderated local, national and regional meetings and workshops, including developing impact chains, log frames, planning Matrixes, monitoring and evaluation, as well as brainstorming and debates.

Sample Publications

  • "Madinatuna: Aleppo City Development Strategy 2025, participation and the role of Syrian civil society in the local urban development" Hivos and Amsterdam University, Amsterdam – Netherland 2010.

  • "Rapid Profiles of all informal settlements in Aleppo". Syrian-German Technical Cooperation Program for Sustainable Urban Development. Aleppo, Syria 2009.

  • “The Syrian City” under the National Agenda for the future of Syria, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ESCWA, Beirut – Lebanon 2012.

  • City Development Strategy presentation at American University of Beirut, Nov. 2012, Beirut - Lebanon.

  • The Arab Group for Christian – Muslim dialogue, the conflict in the Arab World “Establishing peace and reconciliation bridges” Syrian Case, May 2013, Beirut – Lebanon.

Contact Us

Address
204 Chaussée d'Ixelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.

Phone