A few days ago, the activities and events of the New Horizon project came to a close. This pioneering and strategic program was launched by the Institute of Politics and Society nearly two years ago (with the support of the United Nations Democracy Fund and in cooperation with the Institute’s partners, including Naya Community Development Foundation in Zarqa). Approximately 90 young women and men from several governorates (Irbid, Mafraq, Madaba, Zarqa, Tafilah, and Karak) participated in the project. It included many essential and impactful training programs aimed at building youth capacities. More importantly, it enabled young people to enter the public sphere, engage with local communities, and hold numerous meetings addressing issues of economic, political, and administrative inclusion of youth and women in six main governorates. The participants ultimately produced well-developed, realistic policy papers on a range of critical topics.

 

What the young participants demonstrated during the closing ceremony was remarkable: an impressive performance in presenting their policy papers and discussing the skills and knowledge they had acquired over the past two years. Most significant, however, was the confidence and competence they had developed—skills that are valuable both in life, work, and professional careers on one hand, and in public, political, and voluntary engagement on the other. Perhaps the most important aspect of the project was its focus on two main dimensions: first, personal development, and second, fostering belief in public and voluntary work and contributing to addressing the problems faced by local communities and working toward solutions.

 

This project represents a continuation of other initiatives undertaken by the Institute in partnership with civil society organizations. These include a previous project involving a large group of youth from governorates and peripheral areas (The Sustainability Lab, which links the Sustainable Development Goals with youth action in the governorates), as well as an ongoing project engaging nearly 100 young men and women from ten public and private universities. This current initiative also aims to enhance their skills, empower them with tools for change, improve the quality of student engagement, and strengthen the performance of student unions in Jordanian universities. Additionally, the Institute has launched the Jeel Platform as a space for dialogue and communication for a significant segment of youth who are committed to and interested in participation in public life.

 

Despite the difficult economic conditions facing a large proportion of Jordanian youth, and despite rising unemployment rates that have become a looming specter over the new generation—often referred to in international institutional literature as the “waiting generation”—there remains clear enthusiasm, engagement, activity, and readiness among Jordanian youth to develop, advance, and integrate into public life. This is particularly evident among young men and women in the governorates, who continue to hold on to hope that they can play a genuine role in society in the coming phase. It is neither exaggerated nor merely rhetorical to state that Jordanian youth possess distinctive qualities in education, skills, and development compared to many other societies and countries. A broad social segment among them also has high ambition and elevated expectations—an extremely positive trait. Yet it can be dangerous if not handled wisely, invested in properly, and supported through a nurturing environment.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, let us not fail this generation. Let us stand by them, support them, and reinforce their orientation toward participation in public life and engagement in modernization projects. The most dangerous outcome—after all this discourse on youth, women, and modernization—would be for this generation to fall into frustration and disappointment, or to feel that we have turned our backs on them and that nothing tangible has resulted from all this talk and rhetoric. Such a setback would be disastrous for everyone.

 

I address in particular a group of politicians who, with every gust of wind, call for retreating from the modernization project and abandoning it, without reflecting on the seriousness of such calls for a generation of Jordanian youth that has been mobilized over the past four years through media and political discourse centered on the importance of engagement in public and political life. The doubts raised by these voices lead only to negative and dangerous outcomes for youth’s relationship with the state, its credibility, and its political capital. This is the very generation that we should be preparing for the next phase—not creating a state of confusion and contradiction over whether the state is committed to this path or another.