Amman, 22 July 2012 - The King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) concluded phase one of the 2012-2013 Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP), organized in collaboration with the Inspirational Development Group (IDG) which is based in the United Kingdom. Phase one wrapped-up on Wednesday 18th July, 2012, at King's Academy, with the graduation of 60 students from 33 public and private schools across the Kingdom.
The graduation ceremony was attended by His Excellency Nasser Lozi, Chairman of The KAFD Board of Trustees, Major General Arthur Denaro, IDG Consultant, former Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the British Ambassador to Jordan. During the ceremony, a short film about the YLDP was screened and certificates were handed out to participating students and volunteering mentors and assessors.
The Youth Leadership Development Program targets 10th grade students from public and private schools across the Kingdom. It aims to provide them with the opportunity to develop their leadership qualities before enrolling in universities and empowers them to contribute to building a better future for Jordan.
Running in two phases, phase one of the Program which commenced in May and continued until 18th July, 2012, was divided into three parts. The first part was the Mentors and Assessors Training where 40 middle managers from private, public and civil society organizations volunteered to participate in the Program. The volunteers received training conducted by IDG, on how to assess and deal with students, and focused on the most efficient method to transfer their own experiences.
The second part, entitled the Assessment Center, comprised of an assessment of 120 students over the course of a three-day camp. Students were assessed on their performance during a number of activities at the camp, and on the final day one-on-one interviews were conducted with each of them. 60 top-performing students were then selected to participate in the third part of phase one; the Leadership Development Program at King's Academy. This intensive three-week Program focused on developing specific leadership skills such as critical thinking, time management and teamwork, as well as presentation and problem solving skills.
"His Majesty King Abdullah II sought to create a leadership training program in Jordan that is run and executed by a strong pool of Jordanian professionals and supervised by IDG. Through this program, he hoped to provide young ambitious students from private and public schools across the Kingdom with the opportunity to develop their leadership and entrepreneurial skills and work together to make a significant contribution to their country," stated Major General Denaro.
Participating student Ayah Khirfan, commented, "This Program has taught us the importance of team-work and how to effectively communicate with one another."
During phase two of the Program, which will run next year, the same group of students will attend a more advanced one-week leadership training course. At the end of this course, they will be asked to design and implement an entrepreneurial team project that is aimed at positively contributing to the development of their local communities and Jordan as a whole.
About The King Abdullah II Fund for Development
The King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) was established by a Royal Decree in 2001 as a non-governmental organization working to provide all segments of the Jordanian community, particularly the underprivileged, with new and innovative economic opportunities that alleviate their socioeconomic conditions in a manner that responds to their needs, priorities and overall socioeconomic situation. KAFD works to achieve specific developmental goals within all governorates, elevate the standards of living and provide talents with opportunities to excel. KAFD seeks to justly distribute the gains of sustainable development among governorates by establishing pioneering projects and encouraging creativity, through true partnerships with private sector and civil society institutions. The overall goal of KAFD is to raise citizens' standards of living and improve their living conditions as part of a nation-wide fight against poverty and unemployment.
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© Press Release 2012
