RYSE: Resilient Youth, Socially and Economically Empowered

Jordan hosts the second-largest number of refugees per capita in the world, and 70% of the Jordanian population is under 30 years of age. 84% of Syrian youth in Jordan are unemployed. This combination of factors puts huge pressure on the local economy.

The project will improve the possibility for young people to take active part in their community, better their opportunities for meaningful employment in Jordan, and through this improve their future.

Our studies show that opportunities for youth do exist in several sectors in Jordan. However, the youth often do not possess the skills required to take up available jobs. Moreover, there is a significant investment gap for start-ups and SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises). This lack of appropriate skills and continuing investment gap limit the ability of the Jordanian private sector to support displaced people and host communities.

The Syrian crisis, in general, has negatively impacted Jordan, which has seen a rise in unemployment rates, a drop in average wages, a decrease in foreign investments, overburdened infrastructure and strained social services such as healthcare and education, rising child labour, and an expansion of the informal labour market, all of which increase public frustration among marginalized Jordanians.

Young people’s leadership abilities, knowledge, skills, and creativity are often left untapped in humanitarian responses that do not specifically address youth’s unique needs. Young women, who have the potential to have a lasting impact on the economic growth and development of their communities, remain particularly at risk in displacement. With RYSE we wish to change this.