YOUTH > JORDAN
Learning (by doing) to become youth leaders and agents of positive change
They want to help their peers deal www.enpi-info.eu with unemployment, social justice, gender discrimination, the environment and to avoid negative political attitudes. These Jordanian youth workers are on the way to evolving into youth leaders. Their participation in a workshop organised by the Euro-Med Youth Programme in Amman is an important step in their path to becoming multipliers for the programme within their society. By sharing their own experiences and good practices, they can motivate, empower and support other young people and youth workers to use the EuroMed Youth Programme IV as an effective tool in their own activities. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist attended the seminar and has the details. Text by: Mohammad Ben Hussein Pictures by: AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre AMMAN – “I have learned things about myself I wasn’t even aware of,” says Mamoun al-Rufou, a 28-year-old youth advocate from Tafilah, a town 180 kilometres west of Amman. Coming from an impoverished, neglected community, Mamoun had a burning desire to help young men deal with the impact of economic challenges and the recent Arab revolutions on their future. However, he lacked the composure, skills and technical knowledge to drum up support for his cause. Mamoun wanted to help his peers tackle the social problems that affect their lives, such as unemployment and social violence. That is why he joined the ‘Youth Work Training Seminar for Multipliers’, organised by the Euro-Med Youth IV ProThis publication does gramme in Jordan. not represent the official view of the EC Attractive training methods or the EU institutions. EU Neighbourhood Info Centre "Young men can be at the heart of social unrest. If they are unemThe EC accepts no Feature no. 96 ployed, unmotivated, angry and disillusioned, they need guidance to responsibility or This is a series of features on projects become positive powers in society" says Mamoun, speaking on the liability whatsoever funded by the EU, prepared by sidelines of the event, designed to train programme multipliers to unwith regard to its journalists and photographers on the content. derstand the concepts of active citizenship. ground or the EU Neighbourhood Since joining the seminar, Mamoun says he is a different person. The Info Centre. once timid and soft-spoken man exudes confidence as he speaks in © 2013 EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre public about the Euro-Med Youth Programme to an audience of
Learning (by doing) to become youth leaders and agents of positive change
p.2
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Feature no. 96
n Since 2008 thousands of young people from all over the Middle East, North Africa and Europe have been touched by the Euromed Youth programme
youth workers playing the role of officials, general public and press. The participants are encouraged to express themselves freely and with confidence as they are given roles to play, just like actors. "I acted as a lecturer during today's session. This is the first time in my life that I do a power point presentation. I never knew how it works," explains Mamoun. “The method used for this training comes in to answer the political, economic and cultural changes of modern societies that have affected the learning ability of young people,” says Bernard Abrignani, Head of the Programme's Technical Assistance. The programme aims at stimulating and encouraging a mutual understanding among young people in the region, fighting stereotypes and prejudices and enhancing the sense of solidarity among them by promoting active citizenship. It also seeks to contribute to the development of youth organisations and policies in the Mediterranean Partner Countries. The aim of the seminar is to give the participants the opportunity to develop certain skills in order to work within the youth field, using appealing training methodologies. Learning slowly but surely "The concept we apply in the seminar is learning by doing. It is exactly the opposite of the old academic approach, which depends on a professor directing information down to listening students. Here they do, I sit here only to observe and to guide," says Abrignani. "The idea is to let participants express themselves, and they learn slowly, but surely. Quality is here. Our job is to let this quality express itself.” Participants also deal with communication skills, and through exposure to universal values like tolerance and respectfulness they are being shown the way to increase solidarity with their surroundings. An innovative training methodology has been introduced by the EU experts with the hope of expanding the programme’s outreach to the largest possible portion of the population. Rufou is one of 40 representatives of local youth Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), whose mission is now to act as ambassadors of the Euro Med Youth Programme and to become the ‘seeds of knowledge’ within local communities. Exchanging knowledge and building contacts Organisers hail the programme – currently in its fourth phase – as a success story, arguing that the return for investment has been high, bringing together hundreds of NGOs from across the Euro-Med region to exchange knowledge and build contacts. The programme’s geographical scope comprises 35 countries, the 27 EU Member States and the 8 Mediterranean partner countries, signatories of the Barcelona Declaration: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Israel. "Since 2008 we have touched thousands of people from all over the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Despite all the difficulties, this result is very encouraging," says Abrignani. “We know so little about each other” Sana al Imam, from the Arab Women Media Centre, believes this kind of youth programme helps unearth the potential of young Jordanians. Imam says that the workshop has opened her eyes to a new type of training and has allowed her to express herself with confidence. She believes the Euro-Med Youth Programme represents a perfect tool to bridge the gap between people from both shores of the Mediterranean and amongst neighbouring countries.
“Young men can be at the heart of social unrest. If they are unemployed, unmotivated, angry and disillusioned, they need guidance to become positive powers in society”
"Participants at this workshop will become multipliers, meaning they will provide orientation, training and help for the volunteers who have desire to get involved in youth work," says Ahmed Ajarmeh, head of Euro-Med Youth Unit at the ministry of Political Development.
n Shahrazad Abu Tayeh during the training
Learning (by doing) to become youth leaders and agents of positive change
p.3
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Feature no. 96
“Despite all the available information and the close distance between us, people around the Mediterranean do not know enough about each other. We live on the other side of the same sea, or next to another country that speaks our language and yet we know so little about each other”
"Despite all the available information and the close distance between us, people around the Mediterranean do not know enough about each other. We live on the other side of the same sea, or next to another country that speaks our language and yet we know so little about each other… " says Sana. Jordanian officials hope that the trained youth will become successful ambassadors for the project all over the Jordanian governorates. The programme has allocated n Bernard Abrignani addresses the audience during the Youth Work Training seminar €460,000 for the implementation of phase IV in the Kingdom. A top up of €800,000 has recently been granted by the EU and will allow the approval of more projects of Jordanian youth organisations. This increase is a cause for real excitement among Jordanian officials involved in youth work.
EuroMed Youth IV http://www.euromedyouth.net/ Supports and strengthens the participation and contribution of youth organisations and youth from the Euro-Mediterranean region to the development of society and democracy, and promotes dialogue and understanding. Participating countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia
Timeframe: 2010 – 2013 Budget: €5 Million
Objectives The programme aims at stimulating and encouraging a mutual comprehension among youth in the Euro-Mediterranean region, fighting stereotypes and prejudices and enhancing the sense of solidarity among youth by promoting active citizenship. It also seeks to contribute to the development of youth policies in the Mediterranean Partner Countries. To find out more EUROMED YOUTH programme website http://euromedyouth.net/#top EUROMED YOUTH project fiche by EU Neighbourhood Info Centre http://www.enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id=307&id_type=10 SALTO YOUTH page on JORDAN http://www.salto-youth.net/rc/euromed/tceuromed/tceuromed2013/youthworkjordan/ EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic portal: YOUTH http://www.enpi-info.eu/thememed.php?subject=13
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre An ENPI project The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.
www.enpi-info.eu