The Road Ahead for Jordanian Youth

By Amjad Saqer al-Kremeen

Young people in any nation represent the real opportunity for change in their societies and often aspire to make a difference for their communities and push their nation to compete in a fast moving and highly competitive world

Jordan is a young country. Jordanian youth, like any other young population around the world possess great creativity always comes from them because their minds are burning and their hearts do not know fear but are filled with enthusiasm and spirit of adventure.

Youth in any society play a great role, whether they are young men or women. Developed countries in Europe and other places always attach great importance to young people by preparing them for leadership roles in society and government positions.

In developed nations, where political systems are matured and more democratic, young people receive the best opportunities in education training and development. This because they are considered the future of the nation and the leaders of the next generation of business managers, society leaders and political leaders.

Jordans King Abdullah II at UN Sept. 25, 2018. Photo courtesy of the United Nations

As such, the welfare of societies and nations depends on how this category of society is treated before they enter the job market. Should young people get neglected or corrupted, it goes without saying that society will inevitably be corrupted and a nation is weakened.

In Jordan, the greatest thing we can offer to young people is to allow them to assume leadership positions because by this would allow them the ability to innovate and be creative.

The youth’s energies are very high and they should not be wasted in years of unemployment and aimless abyss.

Should we go that route, we might be destroying one of the important pillars of our society and undermining our values and moral fabric of our communities.

Leaving the youth empty and unemployed without hope or real opportunities, would cause them to drift away and feel great frustration which would reflect on the society as a whole.

A young country like Jordan where 63% of its population is under the age group of 30 years it’s critical to pay attention to the needs of our youth and develop a strategic vision based on economic and political empowerment.

The growth of this group of young people and their entry into the labor market represents a unique opportunity for Jordan, but it is not without challenges.

Perhaps this conflict between the elite and the youth is the most widespread and complex, as it hardly settles at a common point, and there is still controversy over this first question: Are the youth ready for democracy or not?

Jordan’s King Abdullah II in following up and paying attention to the results of the Royal Committee for the Modernization of the Political System, which set a road map for grading and reaching the Jordanian democratic model to move through time stages in developing legislation institutional structures and practices to reach democratic maturity. This would be based on the royal message and royal discussion papers

(Amjad al-Kremeen is a Jordanian journalist and youth activist based in Amman. Email him at [email protected])