On this occasion, KAS held a closing reception on the 29th of October at the King Hussein Club in Amman, to thank all the participants for their efforts and to distribute certificates to those who attended two consecutive years of training. The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Youth, H.E. Dr. Hussein Jbour, deputized the Minister of Youth, H.E. Mr. Mohammad al-Nabulsi, under whose patronage the event was held. Also present were participants from Al al-Bayt University in Mafraq, and Dr. Sanaa al-Zyoud, Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Al al-Bayt, who initiated the pilot project.

The Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Jordan Office, Dr. Edmund Ratka, opened the event by welcoming the guests and participants. He outlined the work of KAS in Jordan and assured the youth that KAS would continue to stand by their side moving forward. Simon Engelkes, Desk Officer in the Middle East Department at KAS in Berlin, who was on a work visit to Jordan, also welcomed the participants and praised Jordanian youth for their hard work and dedication. Mona al-Alami, the Director of the Jordanian Centre for Civic Education, gave an overview of the projects and called on three participants to talk about their experiences over the two years of training. H.E. Dr. Hussein Jbour focused on the importance of involving the youth in political and development programs that encourage them to engage in political work and raise their awareness of their rights and responsibilities. He added that the Ministry aims to reinforce the role of youth in decision-making positions and widen their participation in political work. Dr. Jbour presented KAS-JCCE certificates of participation to the youth who attended the workshops consecutively in 2021 and 2022.

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Jordan Office, in cooperation with its partner the Jordanian Centre for Civic Education (JCCE), implemented the “Youth Academy” project for the seventh year running. Eighteen young men and women aged 18-30, including youth activists, political party members and university students, participated in five 2-day training workshops. The aim of the project is for the youth to acquire and sharpen their skills in political and civic participation, as well as improve their practical experience in advocacy and problem-solving. This year, the workshops focused on, (1) the elections and local administration; (2) the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System, constitutional amendments, the National Security Council, youth empowerment and the promotion of political and civic participation; (3) political party law, the election law, non-violent communication and effective dialogue; (4) citizenship and initiatives that serve the local communities; and, (5) social change leadership, building positive relationships with society, teamwork and youth participation in elections and political parties.

Now in its second year, the "Women's Voices" project is a series of five two-day workshops that aims to empower groups of young women aged between 18 and 30 from underprivileged areas of Jordan, to become active members in their communities, learn about their legal rights and responsibilities and acquire advocacy skills. The five 2-day training workshops concentrated on, (1) women’s political participation; (2) self-awareness and the leadership of change; (3) youth awareness of human rights and defense mechanisms against inequality; (4) women’s participation in the labor market; and, (5) identity, pluralism and tolerance. The participants came from a variety of backgrounds and education levels, including university students and graduates, volunteers in civil society organizations and youth activists, as well as private sector employees.

With the aim of expanding the scope of the “Women’s Voices” project to reach more women in the governorates, the KAS Jordan Office, in cooperation with JCCE, implemented a pilot project in Mafraq, Jordan. Two 2-day workshops were held in Mafraq and Amman, respectively, in collaboration with the Women’s Studies Center at Al al-Bayt University in Mafraq. Twenty young women from the university and the local community in Mafraq and its suburbs were trained on such basic life skills as positive thinking, time management and creative thinking, as well as more specific training in human rights, women’s rights, active citizenship and tolerance.

These projects are in line with one of the principal objectives of KAS Jordan Office, namely, Civic Education aiming to reach the political party and civil society actors in order to achieve more political and societal participation. A questionnaire distributed among the participants showed a very positive response regarding the topics, trainers, practical exercises and administration of the workshops. “Youth Academy” participants’ recommendations for future workshops included: implementing workshops on the premises of decision-making institutions, such as ministries and political party headquarters; holding advanced training workshops on the elections; and increasing the number of topics and training workshops. The “Women’s Voices” participants, on the other hand, recommended hosting a larger number of experts and influencers to speak at the workshops; and, increasing leadership training to raise the youth’s chances to reach decision-making positions.