An opportunity for young men and women to participate in the activities of the “Tawasul” project: “Towards Equitable Political Participation for Rural Youth.”

The Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development announces the opening of the call for expressions of interest and registration to participate in the “Tawasol: Towards Equitable Political Participation for Rural Youth” project, which is being launched in the governorates of Ajloun and Jerash at a political moment in which Jordan is undergoing important transformations in its political party and electoral system, with a declared direction toward expanding the role of political parties and enhancing youth participation in public life. However, for us, the issue is not only about the presence of youth within laws, lists, or party structures, but rather the deeper question: Have young people, particularly rural youth and youth in the governorates, gained a genuine ability to influence political decision-making, shape priorities, and hold those seeking to represent them accountable?

“Tawasol” is based on the conviction that political participation is a right, not a grant, and that the presence of young people in the political scene is not enough if their influence remains limited. Participation does not mean that a young person is merely a number in a membership, a name on a list, or a seat in a hall; rather, it means having the ability to question, criticize, and disagree, to discuss programs and positions, express the issues of their community, participate in shaping demands and priorities, and be able to return later and ask: What happened to what we discussed? And what actually changed? Accountability is not a conflict with institutions, and criticism is not a hostile stance toward politics; rather, they are an essential part of any serious political life capable of development.