Young Jordanians, Danes discuss aspirations, educational values

AMMAN — Young Jordanians and Danes met in Amman on Tuesday to share knowledge and talk about their ambitions and opinions under the theme of education and globalisation. 

“The aim of the workshop was to create a platform for intercultural dialogue between youths from Denmark and Jordan,” said Christoffer Vedsted, the project assistant at the Danish Jordanian University Cooperation (DJUCO).

DJUCO and ActionAid organised the workshop, held at the Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of International Studies at the University of Jordan.

Thirteen Danish students and graduates between the ages of 18 and 38 sat with young Jordanians to discuss the values affecting their choices and their opinions about education.

Most participants cited the economy, personal interest and career ambitions as factors influencing their educational choices. 

The group also discussed the findings of the Arab Youth Survey 2016, which presents insights into the hopes, fears and aspirations of young people in the region, according to the survey’s website. 

The survey was compiled from 3,500 face-to-face interviews with young people from 16 Arab countries, and Vedsted said it was a good stepping stone to launch a dialogue at the workshop. 

“It offers the Jordanians an opportunity to discuss their own opinions and the opinions of their generation as a whole. At the same time, it offers Danes valuable insight into the ‘hearts and minds of Arab youth’ as the survey’s authors put it,” said Vedsted. 

After the workshop, the Danish participants said they had gained a better understanding of Middle Eastern issues.

The Jordanian students said they found it interesting to discuss the values that shape a young person’s choices with people from another culture.

DJUCO, funded by the Danish foreign ministry, regularly organises student workshops about challenges faced by university students and educational issues, Vedsted said. 

But the organisation expanded the scope of the workshop on Tuesday to include broader issues, he added. 

“We also wanted to challenge and break down assumptions that Westerners may have towards people from the Middle East, so we chose to also discuss more general values such as freedom, democracy and conflict,” Vedsted explained.