Minister of Youth announces institutionalization of the Maharati programme in Ministry of Youth

AMMAN, 6 October 2022 – The Minister of Youth, Mohammad Al Nabulsi announced the institutionalization of the Maharati (‘My Skills’ in Arabic) , which has been implemented over the past five years in partnership UNICEF and Generations for Peace (GFP) as part of the Ministry of Youth's executive plan.

Nabulsi said during the institutionalization was announced today in Al Hussein Youth City in the presence of Princess Ayesha Bint Faisal, UNICEF Acting Representation Shairose Mawji and Generations for Peace President Dr Mohanned Arabiat and the stakeholders, “The institutionalization of the Maharati programme follows the success of the programme in enabling 135,000 youth with life skills since its launch five years ago and all that the programme has achieved, including quality outcomes to build the capacity of youth capacity and invest in their talents and which has seen youth launch their own initiatives, educate peers and serve their local communities.”

Nabulsi added, “The Maharati programme was selected to be part of the matrix of youth programmes to be integrated into the work of all youth centres, as proposed by young people themselves in the development phase of the youth programme and as part of the plan for activating youth centres.”

Nabulsi shared his appreciation for the partnership with UNICEF and Generations for Peace, and all the supporting parties in implementing the programme, assuring of the Ministry’s commitment to continue the programme to empower young people to lead positive change in their local communities and to empower youth workers, field facilitators and volunteers.

Shairose Mawji, Acting Representative, UNICEF Jordan, said, “UNICEF believes in supporting the most vulnerable adolescent and youth in Jordan to raise their voices, meaningfully engage in their communities, develop their future-ready skills, and to participate in the growth of a prosperous and peaceful society. We are proud to handover the Maharati programme to the Ministry of Youth, knowing that it will only increase its reach and impact for youth, and we remain a committed partner to ensure its continued success.”

Dr Mohanned Arabiat, President, Generations for Peace (GFP) commented, "We are all proud of the achievements of the Maharati Programme, which contributed to developing the skills of the MoY team while at the same time leaving an impact on the lives of young people and future leaders. We believe that building the skills of this generation is achieved through the efforts and dedication of those who directly work with them, providing the MoY team with the tools is necessary to transfer their knowledge and experiences to them.”

The agenda of the ceremony, which was attended by partners and donors and participating youth, trainers and facilitators, included a video which showcased the journey of the programme since 2017.  and highlighted some of the key achievements such as the 14,000 training sessions focused on building and developing youth skills in life skills, citizenship and civic engagement and the nearly 25,000 initiatives designed and implemented by young people to help different areas of life.

The event also included showcasing of success stories of a group of youth participants, as well as featuring some of the youth workers. Two hundred youth workers and staff have received training to design and train youth in life skills development programmes, including financial literacy, social innovation and Sports and Life Skills for Peace, in addition to technical skills.  

The Maharati programme is generously supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the Prospects partnership and the United States Government. Since its establishment, it has also received support from KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of Ireland and the Government of Japan.