Last Saturday marked the fifth electoral cycle of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development’s (JOHUD) Youth Committee leaders.  

Elections, which were launched 10 years ago, took place again across the country at JOHUD’s network of 51 Princess Basma Community Development Centres (CDCs), according to a JOHUD statement. 

These elections simulate the experience of parliamentary, municipal, and local council elections. 

It allows youth aged 14-25 to become committee members and vote for their leaders, and gives the opportunity to those whose age range is from 18-25 to run for the elections.

JOHUD’s youth committees currently have over 4000 volunteer members, more than half of whom are females. Of these, 106 members nominated themselves for the position of committee leaders in their communities, after running electoral campaigns that outlined their proposed action plans and priorities.

Elections were held from 9am to 1pm under the supervision of specially appointed electoral teams in all centres, insuring transparency, fairness, and positivity between candidates and voters, the statement said.

JOHUD’s youth committees throughout the country are “a dynamic and positive force for collective action”, often tackling social, environmental and economic concerns and bringing about change that benefits their communities.  Increasingly, youth committees participate in the planning and management of JOHUD’s CDCs, and a vital part of the organisation’s governance and participatory approach. 

“At a time when JOHUD seeks to energise its partnerships with various national institutions, civil society and the private sector, its national network of community centres offers a unique platform for civil engagement through which young people and communities can voice their opinions and work towards solutions to challenges,” read the statement.  

CDCs act as incubators for Jordanian youth to develop leadership and management skills, while reaching their potential and finding career paths. 

Numerous youth volunteers have gone on to become public servants, municipal leaders, or have set up their own initiatives and found employment in the development sector, including becoming managers in JOHUD itself. 

JOHUD’s youth committees have played an active role for over twenty years, and elections were launched in 2012 in the first Youth Forum held at the Dead Sea, under the patronage of HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal, Chairperson of JOHUD’s Board of Trustees.

This year marks JOHUD’s 45th year anniversary, and young people represent a crucial part of its vision for the future, concluded the statement.