Who we are
The Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre
works with young people aged between 10 to 24,
from different backgrounds and from all regions
in Jordan. The Centre’s vision is to empower
young people to use their voices, participate
more actively in their communities, and think
creatively and critically about themselves and
their roles in society.
A defining characteristic of Jordan’s population is the
youth sector, constituting more than 31% between the
ages of 15-29. The latter represents both a great human
resource asset as well as a pressing challenge. While
the youthful population provide the human capabilities
on which future economic and social development
count on, it also places demands on scarce resources.
Young people require access to health and education
services if they are to reach their full potentials as
adults.
Our Core Commitments
• Rights based approach to human development
• Expanding choices and opportunities
• Enhancing participation and social inclusion
• Promoting sustainable livelihood strategies
•Promoting effective youth participation, where young
people advocate for positive social change
Challenges with regard to youth civic
participation and rights entitlements
• Lack of political awareness
• Youth in local communities are more interested in social, cultural
and economic rights and find it difficult to access them.
• Young people are perceived as naive and not interested in social
issues and therefore are not taken seriously
• Misuse of power by decision makers and authorities
• Lack of awareness on resources available in the country that can
help them
•Lack of social skills to convince decision makers and elders
• Lack of accessible affordable transportation
•Lack of clear applications of rights in reality – leading young people
to feel de-motivated
Challenges with regard to gender and rights
with a focus on young women
• The widening gap between policies that exist and legal frameworks
and the reality of daily life as experiences by women and young women
• Son favoring – higher value is placed on boys than girls within
families.
• From an early age girls are socialized into defined and restricted
gender roles
• Rights to education are not seen as a priority for girls.
• Physical distance to schools, poor transportation and restricted
mobility on girls. This causes their parents to not allow them to go to
schools.
• Early marriage and the pressure to get married for girls
Youth Participation
Basic Life Skills – Provide young people with the skills,
knowledge and information that are needed to partake in a
knowledge based economy.
Encourage young people to implement youth led initiatives in their
respective communities
• Youth Advocates – Karak, Madaba and Maan - Encourage
young people in implementing, designing and planning youth led
initiatives, which in turn would enhance their active participation in
their local communities.