Karak — At a time when local communities increasingly need targeted efforts to meet citizens’ daily needs, grassroots youth initiatives are emerging as a key pillar in supporting public services and improving the appearance of local areas. This comes amid growing calls to expand funding and support to ensure these initiatives remain sustainable and achieve a tangible development impact on the ground.
اضافة اعلان
Driven by necessity and a deep understanding of the importance of social responsibility and volunteer work, a youth development initiative called “Bunyan” was launched in Shehabiyah, southwest of Karak. Founded by eight young men and women, the initiative has become a prominent example of volunteer and youth-led work across Karak Governorate and Jordan.
Field efforts to improve public services
The initiative takes on added importance given Shehabiyah’s geographical setting. The mountainous town in Wadi Karak was hit by mudslides and heavy flooding during the previous rainy season, which swept into homes and orchards and repeatedly cut off main roads. The floods left behind erosion damage and accumulated soil, requiring intensive efforts to clear debris and rehabilitate public facilities.
The dozens of volunteer activities carried out by the Bunyan team have included cleaning streets, repairing potholes, maintaining and painting sidewalks, planting trees, removing waste and soil left by floods, and beautifying the municipal street and the town’s main entrances. These efforts aim to give the town a more attractive, orderly appearance befitting its standing.
Those behind the initiative say it was established in response to the growing need to improve public services and the overall appearance of the town, without the complications and administrative red tape often associated with official procedures. Although its work overlaps with that of other youth groups in the area, the initiative stands out because it is led by students from Jordanian universities and colleges who use their free time and official holidays to plan and carry out service and beautification projects, relying on available local resources and support from partner institutions.
Hassan Al-Shamayleh, a University of Jordan student and activist who supervises the initiative, said it was launched by eight young men and women from Shehabiyah and Karak Governorate, alongside a group of local volunteers.
He explained that the initiative aims to implement programs that serve the local community and improve various facilities through volunteer work that can be carried out with limited resources, away from conventional official procedures.
Activities include cleaning streets, repairing some potholes, maintaining and painting sidewalks, planting trees, and creating artistic murals in schools.
Al-Shamayleh added that the initiative seeks to strengthen residents’ connection to serving their community and raise awareness of the importance of volunteer work in improving local services. He said the team has also provided training for its members and volunteers and developed their skills through self-development courses designed to strengthen their abilities and personal skills, build self-confidence, and improve communication and planning to achieve goals.
He noted that partnerships with civil society institutions are a fundamental pillar and a genuine guarantee of the success and sustainability of youth initiatives. Such partnerships help turn individual ideas and young people’s energy into development projects with a tangible and lasting impact.
“Through coordination with local associations and institutions, we have been able to overcome funding obstacles and the shortage of logistical resources,” he said, adding that the Shehabiyah Charitable Society is the initiative’s main partner and has provided funding and support for its various activities.
Al-Shamayleh said the involvement of supporting organizations helps volunteers direct their efforts toward the community’s most pressing priorities. It also reinforces a model of social solidarity based on distributing responsibilities and combining institutional experience with youthful enthusiasm.
He added that this support enables initiative members to carry out various community service activities while strengthening solidarity among young men and women in the area and deepening their connection to their community.
The initiative’s main activities include artistic and beautification projects, such as painting murals that reflect residents’ sense of belonging to the town. It also organizes community activities focused on awareness and development programs that address local needs and enable young people to participate actively.
The team has also worked to improve the town’s entrances by cleaning sites, removing rubbish and debris, and carrying out painting and beautification work. These efforts promote cleanliness and give the entrances a more orderly and attractive appearance. Other activities address residents’ daily needs, particularly efforts to improve road conditions.
Activists: From individual efforts to sustainable projects
Several Shehabiyah residents believe that change in a community begins with small steps taken by young people themselves. They say young people are best placed to understand the area’s concerns and identify simple, innovative ways to address service and beautification challenges rather than waiting for ready-made solutions.
Residents stress, however, that enthusiasm alone is not enough to ensure these initiatives continue. Genuine partnerships with civil society institutions and the private sector are needed to provide sustained support and transform temporary individual efforts into development projects with a lasting impact.
Resident Mohammad Al-Mahadin said the real impact of such initiatives extends beyond the services they provide to the community to include the personal development of the volunteers themselves. Fieldwork, he noted, helps volunteers acquire leadership and communication skills while reinforcing active citizenship and a sense of responsibility toward the places where they live. He described participation in volunteer work as a social duty and a direct response to the needs of the surrounding environment.
He added that the success of any initiative depends primarily on combining young people’s energy and diverse skills.
“When residents see the men and women of their community working together, a sense of social solidarity emerges, and everyone becomes a supporter and participant,” he said.
Al-Mahadin stressed that the town urgently needs further efforts to improve local conditions, particularly its streets and sidewalks and the removal of large amounts of accumulated soil, in addition to other public service needs.
He said the initiative launched by the town’s young people deserved
appreciation, respect, and encouragement to continue because it contributes, even partially, to providing services to residents, beautifying the area, and improving its overall appearance.
He also pointed to limited funding and a shortage of logistical resources as major challenges facing youth initiatives and threatening their continuity. He emphasized the importance of coordination and teamwork, calling on all residents to support the initiative in any way possible to help ensure its continuation.
Meanwhile, Maan Al-Shamayleh, chairman of the Shehabiyah Charitable Society and head of the Union of Charitable Societies in Karak, stressed the need to provide the necessary support for the initiative’s leading role among young people. He said the society was making all its resources available to support these young volunteers.
He noted that social solidarity and genuine partnerships are essential to the success of any local development effort, reaffirming the society’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with the initiative and ensuring its impact continues.
The Bunyan initiative has established a presence in Jordan’s volunteer and youth-work sector as an active effort to harness young people’s energy and individual capabilities in service of local communities. It highlights the importance of volunteer work and community partnerships in supporting local development and ensuring its sustainability.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
