Aspirations vs Realities: Pathways to Youth Empowerment and Self-Reliance in Jordan

This 18-month research project by DRC Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Durable Solutions Platform (DSP), and Jordan River Foundation (JRF) will explore the educational and livelihood aspirations of displacement-affected youth and the reality of the choices that are available to them.

Creating a link between education and jobs

With no immediate prospect of returning to Syria, significant numbers of Syrian refugees will likely remain in Jordan for the foreseeable future and may choose to stay – should they have the option to remain permanently in the country. Enabling Syrian refugee and vulnerable Jordanian youth to live full and productive lives, through investments in building linkages between education and livelihoods will not only allow them to fulfill their potential and achieve self-reliance, but also promises wider benefits to Jordan’s economy and society. Looking forward – if and when safe and voluntary return becomes possible – such investments will help to secure the future stability of Syria, by building and sustaining the people that will be key to its renewal as a society.

From aspirations to realities

This project aims to identify how displacement-affected youth's aspirations surrounding education and livelihoods can become choices available to them in practice. Overall, the project aims to generate and disseminate learning about the experiences and needs of displacement-affected youth in a way that on one hand enables displacement-affected youth to shape the research and discussions about their own futures, and on the other hand enables youth experiences of education and livelihoods pathways to be incorporated into advocacy, policy and programme responses in Jordan.