Aimed at preparing young leaders to offer guidance and build the capacities of Jordan's youth

Amman, 26 March 2013 - The Youth for the Future (Y4F) program announced that it has launched a first-of-its-kind Youth Leaders Program (YLP) in Jordan and the region, in collaboration with the Higher Youth Council.  The YLP is geared towards preparing a generation of leading supervisors and youth workers who are capable of guiding and building the capacities of youth, in order to help provide them with a strong sense of responsibility, as well as the ability to make informed decisions and chart a course to a productive future. Y4F established the YLP in partnership with the Higher Youth Council's Youth Leadership Centers. The YLP will deliver training courses to the Council's personnel who are directly involved with youth, including its senior employees and the Centre's supervisors.   

Y4F is a program of the International Youth Foundation (IYF) carried out in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Jordan. It provides disadvantaged youth - aged between 15 and 24 - who have dropped-out of school, are unemployed or lack financial and social opportunities, with access to essential skills training, career development and the chance for a new future. Working in collaboration with public, private, and civil society organizations, Y4F aims to improve the quality of services offered to these young vulnerable individuals.

Dr. Rashad Al Zubi, Secretary General of the Higher Council of Youth, stressed the significance of the program and its key role in developing mechanisms geared towards building the capacities of youth workers in youth centers and enhancing their technical capabilities. Dr. Al Zubi also stressed the importance of the Council's partnership with the International Youth Foundation, under which the Youth Leaders Program was established.

Commencing on 24th March and continuing until 4th July, 2013, the YLP comprises a total of 15 training sessions, one every two weeks. Upon completing the Program's theoretical and practical divisions, the 30 trainees will receive Youth Leader certificates, marking their success in attaining essential planning, implementation and management skills in the area of youth initiatives and projects, in addition to administrative and financial skills. Upon graduation, the certified trainees will develop related initiatives which will later be adopted by the Higher Council of Youth, hence ensuring the Program's sustainability.  

The training courses focus on leadership, team building, effective communication, how to attract partners and connect with targeted youth, as well as model citizenship and sustainable development. Training topics also include strategic planning, project management, volunteer and youth work, youth-related and parent integration services, alongside follow-up and evaluation.

"The Youth Leaders Program was established to hone young individuals' skills and enable them to become influential future leaders with the help of expert supervisors that can effectively understand and interact with youth causes and needs. The Program seeks to offer training opportunities to staff of Youth Leadership Centers in order to allow them to enhance the level of services provided, with the overall aim of empowering youth at large," commented IYF Jordan Country Director Rana Al Turk.

"This Program offers young individuals the chance to engage and collaborate with pioneers from public, private, non-profit and civil society organizations, garnering top community resources to better serve youth. It also seeks to elevate the performance standards of young leaders and encourages creative thinking among supervisory leaders," added Al Turk.

About Youth for the Future
Youth for the Future - formerly known as Youth:Work Jordan (YWJ) - is a five-year program of the International Youth Foundation (IYF) carried out in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Jordan. Working in collaboration with public, private and civil society organizations, the program aims to create an enabling environment for vulnerable youth - aged between 15 and 24 - by improving the quality of services offered to young individuals who have dropped-out of school, are unemployed or lack opportunity.   

This press release has been distributed by Bidaya Corporate Communications on behalf of the International Youth Foundation (IYF).  

For more information or assistance, please contact us at:
Tel: +962 6 5692008/9
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Amman 11193, Jordan
Email: media@bidayacorp.com

© Press Release 2013