Funded by: Federal Foreign Office of Germany and implemented in partnership with Al-Thoria Center for Studies, Consultancies, and Training.
Term: December 2021 – December 2024 (Phase II).
Objective:
Search for Common Ground (Search) is implementing a 36-month initiative with the overall goal of strengthening youth-centered participatory approaches to local governance and political participation in Jordan. Three specific objectives inform this goal: 1) Mobilize the skills and competencies of local and (sub-)national authorities and youth to effectively, durably, and inclusively engage their communities in local governance; 2) Enable a shared vision among local and (sub-)national authorities and youth to sustain participatory approaches and strategic communication to address local communities’ governance demands, and 3) Strengthen constructive and inclusive political dialogue representative of young men and women.
Working with civil society, youth, and women, we forge trust and empathy with local communities, authorities, and key decision-makers to ensure responsive governance that meets the needs of every citizen. This model ultimately fosters positive relations between youth and local authorities, while providing a non-violent channel through which youth can collaboratively address their grievances.
Theory of Change:
Theory of Change: IF members of local, municipal, governorate, and executive councils in target governorates experience the benefits of implementing youth-centered participatory approaches to local governance, IF local male and female youth leaders’ behavior shifts to prioritize constructive and meaningful long-term engagement with local and (sub-)national authorities, IF the two groups are supported to jointly address shared community needs, and IF youth participation in local governance is leveraged to support political dialogue engaging historically marginalized groups THEN local governance and political dialogue will better reflect and address the needs and perspectives of youth and their wider communities BECAUSE local and (sub-)national authorities, political party representatives, and youth will better understand how to engage, and collaborate with each other and with their wider communities and will recognize the value of these collaborative relationships and interactions.
Expected Outcome:
Search will achieve the expected outcomes and outputs through a programmatic approach which:
- Supports local authorities to take on additional responsibilities in line with the decentralization process and be more effective and accountable actors engaging local communities;
- Leverages our experience supporting youth leaders to expand and deepen youth-government collaboration to ensure local communities’ needs and grievances are addressed in an inclusive and participatory way; and
- Supports this process by reflecting on entry points related to the electoral cycle and political practice and norms.
Approach & Methodology:
Search will equip authorities at the local and national levels with the tools and opportunities to build their capacities, develop strategic communication, and increase and sustain youth and community participation while ensuring the sustainable engagement of Local Youth Leadership Platforms (LYLPs). Search will target the following governorates: Amman, Madaba, Balqaa’, Zarqa, Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash, Aqaba, Ma’an, and Tafileh.
The first 20 months of the initiative focused on piloting a creative and sustainable approach to strengthen collaboration between youth and local authorities. During the next 16 months, Search will replicate approaches for youth participation across wider geographical locations and work towards encouraging an inclusive and constructive political dialogue in advance of the 2024 elections. To assess progress towards the achievement of objectives and the efficacy of methodologies used, Search conducted a mid-term evaluation, in partnership with an external evaluator. The evaluation analyzes data collected through various methods, measuring the effectiveness of youth-participatory approaches in bridging gaps between youth and local authorities. It also studies potential areas of enduring impact, where the project can ensure sustainability and adaptability over time. You can review the full report of the mid-term evaluation here.
