Amman, Dec. 11 (Petra) -- Jordan delivered a standout performance on the international stage at the 2025 Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Conference, held in Lagos, Nigeria, showcasing the strength and maturity of its national youth development model through the Al-Hassan Youth Award.

The Jordanian delegation’s participation underscored international confidence in Jordan’s approach to youth empowerment, skill-building, and leadership development, an approach that now places the Al-Hassan Youth Award among the most influential national programs within a global network spanning nearly 50 countries.

Director of the Award, Dr. Khawla Al-Hassan, said the conference represented a strategic opportunity to highlight Jordan’s advanced role in youth development through its permanent youth camp, exploratory journeys, and community service programs. She noted that Jordan’s model attracted significant interest from representatives of other national awards, enhancing the Kingdom’s visibility on the global youth-development map.

Throughout the International Gold Event (IGE), Jordan’s representative, Salma Alayan, who has completed all levels of the Award played a central role in presenting the Jordanian experience and engaging in professional exchanges with peers from around the world. Her participation helped strengthen Jordan’s international network and reflect the high level of capability and confidence achieved by Jordanian youth within the Award’s framework.

Al-Hassan explained that the Lagos conference addressed four core themes: global development of the Award’s three-section structure, strengthening the quality of expeditions as a key component of youth character-building, sharing best practices across national awards, and highlighting success stories.

These themes, she said, align closely with the vision of the Al-Hassan Youth Award, which continues to enhance training quality, expand program innovation, and reinforce values of discipline, adventure, volunteerism, and national belonging among young people.

She added that international engagement enables the Award to access cutting-edge global practices in training, evaluation, and youth leadership, helping build stronger partnerships and improve program standards within Jordan. These insights, she noted, are directly integrated into the Award’s future operational plans to broaden impact and raise program quality.

The conference also generated international interest in Jordan’s experience in managing its permanent youth camp and organizing exploratory expeditions, opening new opportunities for joint training, expert exchange, and hosting youth delegations for adventure-based learning in Jordan.

New initiatives presented at the conference included projects on environmental sustainability, social responsibility, technology integration, and virtual training, opportunities that support the modernization of youth development systems globally.

The Jordanian delegation also observed advanced practices in expedition quality management, digital tracking of participant progress, innovative volunteerism models, and private-sector engagement in youth programs.

Aligned with its strategic plans, the Al-Hassan Youth Award aims to expand Jordan’s presence in international forums through stronger partnerships, improved nomination processes, and specialized training programs that strengthen leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.

The Award is also working to align its strategy with the global Duke of Edinburgh framework for 2023–2030 to ensure full coherence with international progress.

Locally, the Award seeks to broaden its reach across governorates covering cities, villages, and rural areas while expanding partnerships with the Ministries of Education and Youth, universities, and youth organizations. It is also enhancing the role of its permanent camp and strengthening program evaluation tools to ensure higher-quality outcomes.

Jordanian representative Salma Alayan described the Lagos conference as a transformative experience that brought together youth from around the world to share ideas, challenges, and future aspirations. She said the cultural diversity and human connection she witnessed demonstrated the Award’s ability to unite young people regardless of nationality or background.

Driven by her commitment to representing Jordan and inspired by her journey with the Award since 2017, Alayan said the experience broadened her understanding of leadership, innovation, and global youth perspectives. She highlighted the importance of deep listening, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving skills she gained through the conference’s workshops and dialogues.

Alayan added that the event expanded her international network and introduced her to inspiring youth models, including Egypt’s "Life Makers" Foundation.

She revealed that she is now working on developing a national initiative focused on non-formal education, inspired by global experiences she encountered in Lagos, noting the potential of this approach to empower young people and strengthen their practical life skills.

"The world is full of opportunities that broaden perspectives," she said. "Leadership programs open doors for youth to strengthen their abilities and contribute meaningfully to building a stronger society. Investing in young people is a direct investment in the future of Jordan."

//Petra// RZ

11/12/2025 12:52:12