Young Jordanians share success stories with peers in Brussels

AMMAN — Two young Jordanians recently “inspired their peers” at a UNESCO event in Brussels when they presented their social development initiatives for Jordan.

The event, “Networks of Mediterranean (NET-MED) Youth: Leading the Change”, gathered scores of young people on November 19 who were part of UNESCO’S NET-MED Youth project. The four-year regional project, which is funded by the European Union, was implemented in partnership with youth organisations, institutions and partners, according to a UNESCO representative. 

In Jordan, the NET-MED Youth project worked towards contributing to the effective participation of youth in developing and implementing national strategies and policies affecting young people.

Aya Aghabi, a 26-year-old who presented her initiative at the event, launched “AccessibleJordan.com”, a platform that aims to raise awareness of accessibility for people with disabilities in the Kingdom.

The online platform, which lists all the accessibility-friendly spots across Jordan, including banks, embassies, restaurants and tourist sites, gathers detailed information on the level of accessibility of each location to make it easier for people with disabilities to enjoy their daily lives, according to Aghabi.

It is not just beneficial for people with disabilities, but also those with mobility constraints including the elderly and caretakers, or parents with strollers.

“Several participants from other Middle Eastern and north African countries asked us to share the details of our initiative so they could implement similar ones in their countries,” the young woman told The Jordan Times, adding: “I was truly happy with the increased awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities.”

She noted that her initiative also cooperates with other NGOs and governmental bodies such as the Ministry of Tourism to carry out construction in locations across the Kingdom and increase accessibility for people with disabilities. 

Another young innovator, Anas Al Rawashdeh, co-founded “Drabzeen for Human Development”, which is a youth-led NGO that aims at supporting youth, gender and community initiatives.

“Our NGO is like a handrail for youth, as the organisation conducts several programmes including promoting good governance, human rights and the rehabilitation of the Jordanian labour market; in addition to implementing initiatives that support women leadership, entrepreneurship and fundraising for small economic projects,” Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times.

He noted that the main strength of Drabzeen was networking and connecting with other partners across Jordan to reach youth around the Kingdom.

UNESCO Jordan project officer, Dania Dirani, who was accompanying the two young Jordanians, said that the initiatives were well-received by the audience, especially AccessibleJordan.com, which they called for implementing on a regional level.

“Among the 1 million persons with disabilities in Jordan, many of them are marginalised and unable to obtain their rights to education, employment and even entertainment due to the lack of accessible locations. So the initiative was key to realising their rights,” Dirani told The Jordan Times.