Minister of Youth Mohammad Al Nabulsi and United States Agency for International Development  (USAID) Mission Director Sherry F. Carlin on Thursday launched the Virtual Youth Centre "Shabab.jo”. 

USAID and the Ministry of Youth collaborated to develop Shabab.jo, which is the ministry’s flagship online platform that offers a safe space for youth to learn, engage and network to achieve their full potential, according to a USAID statement.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of several governmental institutions, youth organisations, community leaders and online and offline media outlets. 

They were briefed about the objectives and functionalities of the portal through a short interactive video, given live demonstrations of the platform and entertained by young musicians. 

Nabulsi commented on the portal’s launch saying: "The Ministry of Youth believes in the importance of investing in technology, which has become the main and driving force worldwide to educate young people. This youth virtual centre represents a quantum leap forward in youth’s access to high-quality education and training programmes. 

"This approach will contribute to shortening distances, breaking barriers and overcoming many difficulties and obstacles faced by youth, especially in remote areas that lack youth centres or sports clubs.”

Carlin praised the collaboration with the Ministry of Youth.

"This centre, with ongoing support from the Ministry of Youth, will help youth have virtual access to skills development and networks that will lead to promising educational and economic prospects needed to make their dreams a reality,” she said.

Shabab.jo was conceptualised and developed using a youth-led participatory approach that was gender sensitive, accessible and inclusive of youth with disabilities, the statement said.

To realise its vision, Shabab.jo was designed around three main components that meet the needs of youth in Jordan: Learn, Engage and Network. 

Through these interrelated components, Shabab.jo provides youth across Jordan a virtual space that offers information on training, health issues, transport and volunteer opportunities, the statement said.

Shabab.jo also engages youth in the private sector through job and internship opportunities and enables productive cross-community communication and constructive dialogue.

Considering that a large portion of the target audience might not have access to high-speed Internet, Shabab.jo uses technologies that allow for slow loading time, works with all browsers and devices, and has features to make it accessible for youth with disabilities.

USAID and the Ministry of Youth envision that Shabab.jo will act as the main instrument to address youth issues in Jordan, the statement said. 

The responsibility for sustaining the portal falls on private and public organizations across the Kingdom to support the ministry in providing youth a safe platform for dialogue, to network and explore opportunities for work placement and further education, read the statement.

The platform will also provide investment opportunities for youth-designed social innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives.