During the first week of July, our Jordan project, EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development (EU-JDID) held a series of online workshops for youth in Amman Governorate.
In total, some 47 youth (22 women and 25 men) participated in the discussions that ttook place everyday from 12pm to 2pm. Each day witnessed the participation of an MP from the Jordanian House of Representatives, including MP Omar Qaraqish, MP Khair Abu Sai'lik, MP Qais Ziadin, MP Andre Hawari.
Discussions revolved around various youth related topics, including the obstacles hindering youth's political participation, and the economic situation, notably poverty and unemployment. Overall, the youth mentioned the weaknesses and the uncertainty of the agendas of the political parties, which lead to the inefficient involvement of the youth. They also expressed fear that the rates of unemployment would increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his session, MP Qaraqish emphasised the importance of avoiding stereotypes and encouraged youth to create innovative investment projects. For his part, MP Hawari mentioned the need to boost youth's political participation in universities and political parties.
The discussions were organised within the framework of the EU-JDID programme and moderated by Mr Eyas Ghreiz.
Organised by the Component 1 - Parliamentary Assistance in collaboration with the Jordanian House of Representatives, the workshops were the final of a series of activities targeting youth throughout the 12 governorates of the country. The main objective of these activities is to:
- Support youth engagement in parliamentary work;
- Raise their political awareness;
- Build youth capacities
- Give them a platform to meet their elected representative in the House of Representatives.
During these seminars, youth share challenges they face and raise concerns to seek possible support from MPs and the government, especially in terms of unemployment, poverty reduction and limited life opportunities.
All sessions can be watched again on ECES Youtube Channel and EU JDID Facebook page
