‘Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum’ and ‘Sindyan’ Organize Panel Session on ‘Civil Participation of Youth’

AMMAN - Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum (TAG-KF), a member of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global (TAG.Global), organized a digital panel session entitled ‘Civil Participation of Youth and the Importance of Volunteering’ in cooperation with the Sindyan Entrepreneurship & Development Organization. 

The session was organized on the sidelines of the virtual opening ceremony of Sindyan Forum for Volunteering that was broadcast on social media platforms with the participation of a host of institutions concerned with community, youth and volunteering service.

The session, moderated by Mr. Fadi Daoud, executive director of TAG-KF and secretary-general of the Sindyan Entrepreneurship & Development, was attended by a number of speakers including: Ms. Deema Bibi, CEO of INJAZ, Mr. Abdel Rahim Al Zawahreh, general manager at All Jordan Youth Committee (AJYC), Mr. Imran Al Hmoud, director of Nahno; the platform for the National Youth Engagement and Volunteering Program, and Ms. Bisan Abdulkader, Youth and Adolescent Development Specialist – UNICEF Jordan. 

Ms. Bibi stressed that INJAZ, since its establishment, has always aimed at bridging the gap between the university education outcomes and labor market requirements by sharpening skills, leveling behaviors and improving knowledge relevant to labor market needs. 

She also stated that INJAZ focuses on entrepreneurship skills, financial culture and life skills in addition to digital skills through the implementation of more than 40 programs at schools, youth centers and professional training institutes along with the persons with special needs centers. 

For his part, Mr. Zawahreh affirmed that the AJYC was established with the royal support of His Majesty King Abdullah II in 2006 following an informative meeting of His Majesty with the youth to include 13 branches in all governorates around the Kingdom serving all districts and camps.

He added that the Committee works under the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), and its core mission is establishing partnerships with public and private sectors, affirming that the greatest impact of volunteering on youth is to improve their self-esteem and build their capacities, in addition to providing them with work opportunities. 

For her part, Ms. Abdulkader stated that UNICEF works in over 190 countries worldwide to save children's lives in particular, and has started in Jordan since 1952 with the aim of defending children’s rights. Since 2013, Abdulkader noted that the UNICEF has started addressing challenges that face Syrian children, youth and adolescents whether in camps or governorates. 

She also explained that the UNICEF's work is mainly based on working with the Jordan government to strengthen national regulations to promote justice, harmony and response to the rights of children and adolescents, noting that the impact of volunteering on young people contributes positively to refining and developing their personalities, helps them outline their future goals, and motivates them to take greater responsibility.

For his part, Mr. Al Hmoud stated that  “Nahno” (we) is the first platform of its kind that is specialized in volunteering by acting as the main meeting point between institutions that have volunteering opportunities and volunteers. He noted that the Platform was launched in 2019 in partnership between ‘Naua’; one of the Crown Prince Foundation initiatives, and UNICEF in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth, to encourage youth volunteering and to disseminate this kind of culture. 

He also revealed that the Platform currently includes 60,000 volunteers, 362 volunteering bodies, 19 partnerships with public universities and 175,000 volunteering opportunities, affirming that volunteering creates a positive role for youth in making a difference in their communities by offering them safe volunteering opportunities. 

Sindyan Entrepreneurship & Development Organization has organized the virtual forum for volunteering work (NAQDER) in cooperation with the strategic partner, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum (TAG-KF), under the auspices of HE Mr. ‘Mohammad Salameh’ Faris Al-Nabulsi, Minister of Youth. The virtual forum is considered the first-of-its-kind that aims at networking young volunteers with local and global bodies to learn more about their services, activities and volunteering development opportunities in several areas.

For his part, Daoud pointed out that the Sindyan forum is concerned with networking young volunteers with local and global bodies who offer volunteering development opportunities in various areas, adding that the forum was organized to emphasize the importance of volunteering and youth efforts in overcoming the current global crisis caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

“The difficulty of applying volunteering in its traditional aspects forced us to shift to virtual world in line with the current shift in world’s tendency toward working and volunteering remotely,” Daoud concluded.