Seminars aim to increase students’ political awareness ahead of polls

AMMAN — Out of a belief in the ability of young people to effect change, Al Hayat Centre for Civil Society Development is working to raise students’ political awareness ahead of the upcoming elections.

Talal Oleimat, the centre’s programme coordinator, said the “Rased” programme aims to boost political activities by holding discussions at Jordanian universities ahead of the September 20 parliamentary vote. 

Launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Rased seeks to engage citizens in decision making and election monitoring, Oleimat told The Jordan Times on Tuesday. 

“Youths build the future. We believe that activities like this promote the political engagement of young Jordanians who can vote in this parliamentary round,” he said. 

The campaign held its first discussion at Tafileh Technical University on July 20, according to Oleimat, who said the centre aims to expand the campaign’s activities to 24 universities across the Kingdom by August 18.

Seminars have also been held at the University of Jordan and Yarmouk University over the past week.

The sessions include information on the voting procedure, the “correct” voting methods and the qualifications required to stand for election, Oleimat said.

“Many young citizens are reluctant to vote due to the history of elections and previous parliaments in Jordan, in addition to the fact that many of them do not have enough information on how and who to elect,” he added.

Oleimat said some of the seminars organised at universities “brought back hope and faith in the future of politics” in the country.

“Campaigns always have some kind of effect on the targeted audience; we aim to increase their awareness on the correct methods and the process of voting in the upcoming elections,” he continued.

He added that around 12,000 brochures were distributed to General Secondary Education Certificate Examination students on the last day of the summer session.

Citizens who complete 17 years 90 days before election day or earlier are eligible to vote.