Amman Youth Hub to offer safe space for innovation, networking

A youth clubhouse is expected to open next month in the capital, with the aim of fostering learning and networking opportunities for youth, under the title “Amman Youth Hub”.

Established as a collaboration between social enterprise Tammey for Human Development and ActionAid Jordan, the “Amman Youth Hub” will provide a “physical location inside Amman that offers a safe, convening, inclusive and free space for youth-led innovation, creative activism and new [alternative] visions”, stated Bara’ah Bataineh, coordinator of the Hub at Tammey.

The space, which will focus on facilitating learning, networking and self/group organising, will target youth between 15 and 35 years old, with a special focus on young women, enabling them to claim an active part in their community and in the social change process, Bataineh explained.

During the recent street protests that led to a governmental change in June, youth stood at the forefront of the contestation, asking for the right to be heard and to acquire a “visible presence in the government, the Parliament, and the decision-making process in general”, according to activist and blogger Noor Abu Goush.

“We hope the time has come when the youth can finally have a visible presence in the government, the Parliament, and the decision-making process in general,” she told The Jordan Times recently.

With the Amman Youth Hub, young Jordanians will be given a physical, safe space to learn how to organise and formulate their needs and concerns.

"We believe that young people are an opportunity in shaping local and national development processes and prospects. But, in many cases, they are untapped assets with huge potential and capabilities that require fostering, care and a fertile environment to realise their maximum potentials and roles," said Rana Taher, Tammey's founder and projects manager.

"Tammey” (“silt” in Arabic) is a local social enterprise that seeks to cultivate divergent thinking processes with, for and by youth, as well as to catalyse, motivate and cultivate creative alternatives and solutions to their issues, according to its website.

"Inspired by the Egyptian proverb 'silt is alike yet harvests different crops', Tammey see youth as an entire generation capable of generating their alternatives and mastering their paths of life, which is why we support enhancing a supportive and safe environment to ensure better youth development and allow informed choices," Taher continued.

The hub is scheduled to be inaugurated on August 18.

“We have been working for the past four months on developing a deeper understanding of the concept of youth spaces, and their management and services, so as to build constructive lessons on previous experiences,” Bataineh noted, stressing: “it is important for us to make sure we monitor and foresee the challenges and difficulties such spaces may face to ensure we beget the best practices in the field”.

"For me, being part of the co-creation team that will take part in the opening of this youth club house is a real honour. Brainstorming about youth empowerment, I saw the optimistic future ahead of us that will encourage these dynamic young people to start their own initiatives," 18-year-old Saif Dabbas concluded.