In Jordan, Volunteering Teaches Self-Confidence
Read All Posts“I gained a lot of self confidence, and I want to do more,” says Wafaa, a 23-year-old Jordanian woman who worked with a group of youth volunteers to fix up the local school in Mallaha, a small town in the Jordan River Valley. Volunteer projects like the one were some of the first activities supported by Youth:Work Jordan (YWJ), an initiative of the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in cooperation with Jordan’s Ministry of Social Development that works closely with four leading Jordanian NGOs to implement the program on the ground.
With funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), this five year, community-based initiative aims to promote marketable job skills, improve social services, and expand civic engagement opportunities among at-risk youth in twelve underserved communities across Jordan.
As part of this initial community service project, Wafaa and her peers painted the interior and exterior of the school, installed new flooring in the classrooms, and cleaned up the front yard. “We went to school here and one day our children will go to school here,” said one of the youth volunteers. “We wanted to improve conditions and make it beautiful.”
YWJ was officially launched in February 2010 in Amman, under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah. The program offers a comprehensive, holistic approach to youth development. “We want to provide marginalized youth with opportunities through training and education … and work with the private sector to match ready youth with suitable jobs,” says Jordan’s USAID Mission Director Jay Knott. Youth engagement is a parallel focus. “We aim to invest in the positive attitudes and hidden capabilities of the youth,” explains Her Excellency Hala Lattouf, the Minister of Social Development.