Lecture on Volunteerism by Robert Jenkins

Dr. Robert Jenkins, the UNICEF Jordan country representative, delivered a lecture titled: “Volunteerism Empowering Youth in Jordan for Better Opportunities for Employment” on October 8th, 2018 at The Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II School of International Studies.

The youth nowadays face various barriers in relation to education and employment. Many of them are not enrolled in educational institutions or workplaces, which may curb their progressing process. Thus, Dr. Jenkins emphasized the importance of acquiring soft skills in particular in order for the youth to engage in the community.   

He also highlighted that education and employment must be blended, where education alone is not sufficient. For example, Tatawa3, an application for voluntary work, provides the youth with volunteering opportunities to enhance their skills that the workplaces require of job seekers.

Towards the end of the lecture, Dr. Jenkins threw the following question at the audience: “Is it a helpful thing to provide the youth with these volunteering opportunities?” The majority of the respondents agreed that volunteering is critical for the youth. However, they mentioned some obstacles that may hinder gaining such opportunities such as the lack of internet access. He also engaged the audience in thinking about another issue, which is: “Why women are highly engaged in education, but their engagement in employment does not amount to the same level?”

By:   Nada Abu Sbeih


Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II School of Political Science and International Studies
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