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Working with youth
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JOHUD strongly supports
the future of Jordan:
the nation's youth. In every CDC, we encourage the full participation of young
people in all relevant areas of activity and also in the management of the
centres. Many of our CDCs are located in relatively remote areas, where young
people have little access to leisure facilities, so the CDC is a focal point in
their lives.
Providing access to
information and skills
JOHUD believes that youth
should have access to up-to-date information, and that they should develop
life-long learning skills that will equip them for a rapidly changing
environment, so that they can reach their full potential as adults. Through the
CDCs, young people are able to attend workshops where they gain the skills and
confidence to be productive, whether through employment, enterprise or
community work.
We encourage youth to take on roles of responsibility; Young people are
encouraged to plan and manage their own activities through membership of the
youth committees. They are given the opportunity to transfer their skills to
others, and to invest their energy in community projects where they help their
neighbours and develop their potential. Young people play a valuable role in
the implementation of many of our projects.
Youth Committees in the CDC network
In addition, the CDC Youth Committees give young
people the chance to develop the confidence and skills that enable them to
participate more effectively in their family, at school, university and the
community and provides opportunities for the young to engage in activities that
include responsibility in guiding others. Youth Committees encourage young
people to make informed decisions; young people who exercise their rights
responsibly gain a sense of self esteem and are better prepared for adult.
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The Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre: PBYRC
Strategic guidance for
JOHUD's work with young people is provided by the Princess Basma Youth Resource
Centre (PBYRC) which is located at ZENID in Hashemi Shamali. PBYRC was
established in 2002 as a youth-led centre that promotes the active role of
youth in society to enhance their participation in the development process.
PBYRC provides the opportunity, support and freedom for youth aged 14 to 24
across Jordan
to voice their needs and shape new realities for their future.
Speaking the language of youth
In all its programs, PBYRC works through young people. The centre's volunteers
- mostly students - train interested young people to act as peer educators.
They in turn reach out into their own communities and schools. Young people
teaching other young people from their own community enjoy great legitimacy.
This enables PBYRC to address even sensitive subjects such as gender roles,
women's rights, adolescent and reproductive health, domestic violence and
abuse, child labour and exploitation.
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Facts & figures
2006 and 2007
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With JOHUD support
7,000 young people
participated in JOHUD project activities
5,000 took part in CDC
core activities
700 youth were active
members of CDC Youth Committees
1,500 youth attended Basic Life Skills training
2,500 youth attended
workshops at the CDCs
150 youth became peer
advocates for Democracy and Good Governance across the kingdom
In CDCs youith attended employability centres and learnt new skills 
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The youth programs build bonds between young people across the world.  |
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"When I was younger,
nobody helped me think about my future, develop dreams and make my own
decisions. I love to give young people that possibility. You can see the
appreciation in their eyes."
Hazem: PBYRC volunteer
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Youth Strategic Participation
The youth of Jordan have been given the green light to play an active role in Jordan - supported above all by HM King Abdullah II and HM Queen Rania. And across Jordan, young people are responding positively, speaking out, voicing their concerns, helping respond to challenges.
PBYRC is part of this process, though the Youth Strategic Participation program, which guides young people in planning, designing and implementing youth-led initiatives. So far, in three cities, 75 youth volunteers have participated in training young people in basic life skills, gender and rights, communication and negotiation. Empowered with these skills, the young people then work closely with local leaders - like the Mayor, the Governor, the Municipal council - to identify particular community problems that affect young people. They then work together to find ways that youth services can be improved. All sides play an active role. The leaders agree to consider the needs of young people when they make budget decisions. The young people also take full responsibility to raise extra resources and to implement projects themselves.
Projects under way currently include: improving transport options between their town and the nearest university, developing a newspaper and providing extra English classes for young people. This model of collaboration between young people and local decision-makers is teaching democracy in action. Young people who have gained confidence to speak out in public meetings say that this helps them influence decisions in the family.
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Youth influencing decision-makers
"At first the local decision maker was skeptical about meeting with these youth. After the meeting, he was deeply impressed and decided to implement several of their suggestions. Now he keeps calling me to organize more meetings with the young team."
Mohammad (PBYRC staff)
"At a workshop organized by the Red Crescent about how to deal with natural disasters, a group of young from the project represented our city. All others were older. Not only did we come up with many suggestions, but we got them to use techniques we had learned such as role play."
Rania (program participant)
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Basic life skills
The flagship program at PBYRC is 'Basic Life Skills', which aims to encourage youth to be self-aware, self-reliant and to make effective life decisions. "Basic Life Skills" focuses on communication skills, problem solving, dealing with diversity, and healthy lifestyles. It aims to help young people achieve their full potential and play an active role in their family, community and nation.
The curriculum for "Basic Life Skills" was developed by young people themselves, guided by PBYRC staff supported by UNICEF and the Higher Council for Youth. Program. In 2000, when the programme was designed, this youth-led approach was unique in Jordan. The resounding success of the pilot phase won over even the most skeptical critics. Since then, over 1,000 youth from 200 schools and youth associations have been trained to lead their peers, and in this way, the program has reached some 30,000 young Jordanians. The program has been delivered to youth in conflict with the law., and to refugees displaced by recent regional conflict.
Testimony from participants indicates that this program helps young deal effectively with the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
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The context for our work
Selected analysis from NHDR 2004
" The youthful population necessitates the investment of significant resources in education and health services.
"At the same time, Jordan's young and educated population also represents one of the country's main assets, provided their energies and skills can be harnessed towards social and economic development.
"A major challenge will be the creation of employment opportunities to cope with approximately 40,000 additional new entrants to the labour market each year as well as providing jobs for the 194,000 existing unemployed.
Source: NHDR 2004
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