AMMAN (October 11) – Today, a total of 327 student from 18 Jordanian universities celebrated  their graduation from the youth leadership program, Usharek+. Students gathered at Ras Al Ein Gallery in downtown Amman, and exhibited their campaigns to more than 200 guests and attendees from different organizations and universities.

Usharek+ is conducted by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented in 25 universities across Jordan. Through the program, students receive training on advocacy, campaign planning, communication skills, message development, social media skills, and event coordination.

After participating in the trainings, students work together to build their campaigns and reach out to various decision makers and members of parliament to advocate and build support for their campaigns. They also partner with stakeholders to build coalitions and to spread their message to as many people as possible.

Before launching their campaigns, Students conduct intensive research to collect as much information as possible on their subject of choice. Since 2012, more than 1,300 students have graduated from the Usharek+ program.

Before the graduation ceremony, guests had an opportunity to tour the exhibitions and discuss campaigns with the students.  At the end of the ceremony, USAID Technical   Director Sean Osner presented certificates to graduates and congratulated them on their achievements.

“The campaigns being celebrated today prove that when young people are given meaningful opportunities to engage, they contribute to resolving issues and promote positive change in their communities,” he noted in his remarks.

Students weren’t the only group celebrating their success; participants from the Ras Al Ein gallery took part in the graduation after receiving training from Usharek+ before launching their campaign on traffic awareness.