Prime Implementer
Global Communities
Implementing Partners
Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD)
The Kaizen Company
Partners for Good
Project Timeline
March 2017 – March 2022
Project Goals
USAID YouthPower - Jordan will empower youth to act as engaged citizens and productive members of society with the agency to advocate for themselves and to shape services designed to better prepare them to enter higher education, vocational training and the workforce. USAID YouthPower – Jordan partners with youth ages 10-29 from all backgrounds, and with national and local service providers to leave behind sustainable, community-based resources and avenues for civic engagement for youth in targeted partner communities.
Brief Background
Youth from Jordan come from diverse backgrounds marked by tribal identities, citizenship status (refugee/citizen), gender, and urban/rural differences—all of which bring unique stressors and assets. One of the major stressors is Jordan’s population of 9.5 million is hosting a new wave of refugees from Syria. According to UNHCR statistics, Jordan has absorbed 1.4 million Syrians with approximately 80% living in host communities. Yet, across these different divides – Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinian and Iraq – youth are connected by common concerns: how to improve themselves, secure good employment and contribute to society.
To better understand the context for youth in Jordan, Global Communities’ partners PfG and JOHUD, held focus groups with youth aged 18-29 from 11 governorates to ask about their hopes, ambitions and concerns. The results from these focus groups mirror issues identified by the Ministry of Youth’s (MOY) recent survey of youth and fall under four main categories: 1) finding meaningful activities outside of school hours; 2) addressing radicalism; 3) reducing tensions and violence in communities; and 4) acquiring skills leading to employment.
USAID YouthPower seeks to address these issues by integrating the evidenced-based framework is the 5Cs of PYD, developed by 4-H and studied by Tufts University (1) into our activities:
- Competencies - the ability to act effectively in school, in social situations, and at work
- Confidence - a sense of self-worth and mastery; having a sense of self-efficacy (belief in one's capacity to succeed)
- Character - taking responsibility; a sense of independence and individuality; connection to principles and values
- Caring – a sense of sympathy and empathy for others; commitment to social justice
- Connection - a sense of safety, structure, and belonging; positive bonds with people and social institutions
- Leading to the final outcome and sixth “c”, Contribution - active participation and leadership in a variety of settings; making a difference.
Through funding from USAID/Jordan, USAID YouthPower will develop community resources for disadvantaged youth. The project builds key competencies in youth to identify assets, increase their confidence to design and manage solutions; connect them to each other and to youth-serving organizations, community and government leaders and resources to support their success; and foster character and caring by encouraging dialogue, and exploration and problem-solving.
Overview of Activities
To improve opportunity, well-being, and civic engagement for youth, USAID YouthPower will work with youth as partners, empowering them to act as engaged citizens and productive members of society with the agency to advocate for themselves and to shape services designed to better prepare them to enter higher education, vocational training and the workforce.
In order to achieve this goal, USAID YouthPower utilizes a three-pronged approach designed to improve the capacity of youth to engage as productive members of their communities, improve the quality of services available to them, and influence stakeholders in improving the overall enabling environment for youth engagement.
- Improve the capacity of youth to engage as productive members of their communities. USAID YouthPower mobilizes youth in 60 targeted communities to build their capacity to identify, prioritize, and participate in the development of youth-focused activities. Utilizing Youth Community Asset Mapping (YCAM) supported by a training program tailored to ages 10-14, 15-18, and 19-29, USAID YouthPower builds the capacity of youth to identify assets and resources available in their communities that can be leveraged for sustainable results. When forming youth mapping teams, particular attention is paid to the inclusion of gender, youth with disabilities, Palestinian and Syrian youth, as well as at risk youth and youth at risk of violence[1]. The results of YCAM feed into the design of Innovation Fund Grants, while the training program helps build a pool of trained youth mappers and facilitators capable of carrying on activities beyond the life of the project.
- Improve the quality of available youth-targeted services. USAID YouthPower works with youth and service providers to design and monitor the implementation of community-level grants implemented through USAID YouthPower’s Innovation Fund. Innovation Fund activities are designed to achieve the goals of the program by increasing youth preparedness to: 1) enter higher education; 2) enter the workforce and vocational training; and, 3) increase youth access to positive civic engagement and local development opportunities[2]. Through these grants, USAID YouthPower demonstrates tangible results in its partner communities and collects lessons learned and data necessary for the improvement of identified services and avenues of engagement.
- Improving the overall enabling environment for engagement of youth. USAID YouthPower will work design, development, and roll-out of the Jordan Youth Network (JYN), a web-based portal designed to facilitate two-way communication between youth, policy makers, and service providers. The JYN will house data collected by youth through their asset mapping activities, as well as data and lessons learned collected during the implementation of grants. The portal, connected to a practical application, will serve as an efficient mechanism to strengthen both horizontal and vertical linkages among youth-related stakeholders and inform decision-making. To ensure the sustainability of the portal, USAID YouthPower will: 1) build the capacity of youth to utilize the portal and enter relevant content; 2) secure the necessary financial and human resources commitments from the MOY or other local entity and build the capacity of relevant staff to maintain the portal; 3) support peer-to-peer youth exchanges and networking activities.
USAID YouthPower is managed in a transparent and inclusive manner, placing youth and stakeholders front and center. To ensure the program maintains a youth-focused approach, USAID YouthPower relies on the YAC to provide input on program direction, annual work plans, and Innovation Fund activities. The YAC is modeled after the Ambassador’s Youth Advisory Committee and is an avenue for young leaders to directly engage in USAID YouthPower’s development by providing input to the programmatic approach and implementation.
Expected Results
- 80% of youth benefiting from USAID YouthPower report preparedness to enter higher education, vocational training and/or workforce;
- 10,000 youth engaged in local development;
- 188 avenues for positive youth engagement;
- 20,000 youth report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/program
Contact
For more information contact Nancy McDonald: nmcdonald@globalcommunities.org