This report examines how Jordanian youth understand, experience, and navigate social change, focusing on their aspirations, perceived roles, and the structures that enable or constrain meaningful transformation. It is the third study produced under the New Generation – GenG program and builds on four years of research, policy engagement, and youth-led advocacy.
The GenG program aims to foster gender-just and violence-free societies through youth leadership, civic engagement, and policy influence.
Drawing on mixed qualitative and quantitative methods—including surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, desk reviews, and Policy Labs—the research explores:
- Youth aspirations for a better future in Jordan
- The role young people see for themselves in driving social change
- The institutional, social, and economic structures shaping youth agency
The findings highlight three core areas youth identify as critical for change: education reform, economic justice, and meaningful political participation. While young people strongly value collective action, the study reveals a persistent gap between awareness-raising and structural engagement, driven by economic disenfranchisement, institutional mistrust, and shrinking civic space.
The report concludes with actionable recommendations directed at government institutions, political parties, civil society organizations, and community leaders. These recommendations emphasize bridging education and labor market needs, strengthening youth-inclusive governance, fostering intergenerational dialogue, enhancing digital and media literacy, and developing long-term, non-exploitative partnerships with youth.
This research contributes to a growing evidence base positioning youth not as passive beneficiaries, but as strategic actors navigating complex realities in pursuit of inclusive and sustainable social change.
