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UNICEF appoints 60 youth for local advisory council

By Mina Mohit - Nov 01,2017 - Last updated at Nov 01,2017

Members of the Youth Advisory Council pose for a group photo at UNICEF Jordan’s premises, on Saturday(Photo courtesy of UNICEF Jordan)

AMMAN — Girls and boys from across the Kingdom on Saturday gathered at UNICEF Jordan to sign a five-year volunteer contract that aims at activating youth engagement in different governorates.  

The Youth Advisory Council was established to advise UNICEF on its various youth initiatives, and consists of 60 members between the ages of 10 and 24 from different demographics, including Syrian refugees, people with disabilities, as well as rural Jordanians.   

“The idea was to address young people’s concerns about our programmes and increase youth involvement in our initiatives,” said UNICEF Jordan’s Youth and Adolescent Development Officer Besan Abdel Qader, stressing that “young people need to be partners and not beneficiaries”. 

The organisation also launched a Youth Advisory Board consisting of eight appointed members to represent and voice the issues of a specific community that includes Syrian refugees, those living in Palestinian camps, out of school adolescents and unemployed youth, among others. 

“Their role is to advise UNICEF on how to strategically tackle issues affecting youth in different parts of society. They will be researchers, peer educators, consultants who will suggest areas of improvement,” Abdel Qader told The Jordan Times in a phone interview. 

The council members were selected through a two-step process: first by securing a place in a previously-implemented UNICEF programme, such as the Child Municipal Council, Jeel 962 and Innovation Lab, and later by an election ran by their peers.

Saturday’s event witnessed the participation of over 50 youth who were briefed on their roles, objectives and responsibilities for the next five years. “The themes of ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ were repeated over and over again,” Abdel Qader noted. 

She said that the creation of the council was based on a two-fold approach: addressing issues affecting youth in different communities and increasing the youth’s sense of confidence and their leadership skills. 

“You feel committed and responsible,” said council member Ghassan Hilow, adding “many people my age haven’t had the chance to sign a contract, let alone advise [an organisation] on what projects to launch or which initiatives to take.” 

The 24-year-old, who has been volunteering with UNICEF for the past four years, said he looks forward to their upcoming plans. 

“We will be meeting on a regular basis to exchange ideas and expertise in the field of volunteerism. We want to help increase youth participation in different governorates, not just in quantity but also in quality. We want people to work hard in their communities and be effective agents of change,” he added. 

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