Amman - Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Dr. Ma'awiya Al-Radaydeh, the silver-level youth camp launched by SOS Children's Villages Jordan concluded on Friday. The camp involved the participation of 42 participants from its three villages in Amman, Irbid, and Aqaba, in addition to participants from Mabarrat Um Al Hussein and the local community.
The concluding ceremony, held at the Olive Branch Hotel in Jerash, was attended by Minister of Interior Mazen Al-Faraya, Mr. Ayman Al-Mufleh, Director of the Al-Hassan Award, Mrs. Rana AlZoubi, National Director of SOS Children's Villages Jordan, and Dr. Zaina Al-Karki, General Manager of Mabarrat Um Al Hussein. Participants delivered speeches in which they shared their unique camp experience, highlighting its significant role in building new skills and boosting their self-confidence.
Mrs. Rana AlZoubi, National Director of the Association, explained that SOS Children's Villages Jordan organized the youth camp for the second consecutive year, focusing this year on the theme of the environment. The goal was to enhance the scientific knowledge and practical experience of young participants, develop positive values, and emphasize their role in global environmental preservation. AlZoubi added that the camp brought together youth from SOS Children's Villages, Mabarrat Um Al Hussein, and the local community. She expressed her delight at the positive interaction among all participants and their acceptance of each other, contributing to social integration among these different groups.
It's worth noting that the youth camp, implemented in partnership with the Al-Hassan Award for Youth, the Crown Prince Foundation, The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Amman Municipality, and the Royal Department for Environmental Protection, lasted for 5 days. It included informative lectures about first aid by Civil Defense, awareness sessions about endangered species and environmental pollution by the RSCN, training in map reading skills, compass use, and orienteering, as well as a long hike, teamwork and camouflage skills, mountain descent exercises, dialog sessions with officials and media representatives, kite-making workshops, t-shirt printing transformed into creative products, and educational movement activities in collaboration with Tarabot Project, a project of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) to serve the community and enhance manual skills for individuals.
SOS Children's Villages Jordan provides alternative care for children and youth who lack parental care or are at risk of losing it, and supports youth till the age of 24 helping them reach independence. What distinguishes its care model is providing integrated care for children and youth, by covering all their needs including care, accommodation, education & skills, protection & social inclusion, food security, physical health, livelihood, and social & emotional wellbeing. The association is guided by the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care for Children and the Convention on the Rights of the Child issued by the United Nations. The Association also aligns its efforts with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, where the goals of the United Nations for sustainable development come within the focus of the its work and strategy.