A joint venture between the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development and Urban Think Tank (UTT), aims to catalyse a process of urban transformation through the delivery of permanent youth facilities in low-income neighbourhoods. It showcases how an innovative urban development intervention can be designed to create a structure within which Jordanian youth can build confidence, interact at scale and take ownership of their own development.
A joint venture between the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development and Urban Think Tank (UTT), this project aims to catalyse a process of urban transformation through the delivery of permanent youth facilities in low income neighbourhoods.
Throughout Amman-Rusaifah, an urban zone of over 2.6 million people, there presently exists a dearth of high quality youth facilities for all ages. This project aims to resolve this condition, creating an ‘ongoing value-adding movement based on education and skill-building’.
A fundamental driver of the program is to encourage youth engagement in sports, agricultural production, arts and media, and computer skills with UTT conceptualising these elements as hooks capable of bringing young people into the global conversation about those key ‘practical, intellectual, cultural, and ecological questions’ that face our ever urbanizing world.
Overall the project sits at the heart of a scheme to build social density within the cities growing youth population. The vision conceptualises the centre as a key incubator unit, one which connects and empowers other community based organizations, and allows young people to strengthen their sense of place and belonging within the city.
Moreover, the life time of learning commitment charts a progression for youth alumni of the centre to transfer their acquired momentum into engaging the next generation of youth - sponsoring a culture of youth-led leadership.
Cities exist as the physical manifestation of those systems within which they reside. As such, in creating space for meaningful, participatory dialogue and development, such urban interventions represent a powerful statement for systemic reinvention.
More information:
Urban Think Tank Link 1
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