Jordan Times
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Arab students present Queen
with a message to world youth
AMMAN (JT) — A group of Arab students on Tuesday presented Her Majesty Queen
Rania with a message to relay to young people all over the world.
The message, drafted by participants at a regional INJAZ workshop, seeks to
highlight the common human values that bind us as a “global family.”
“Dear young people of the world; we are the young people of the Arab world; we
want to extend the bridges among us, East and West, young and old. We want us
all to feel that we are part of this big family, `The Global Family.' We share
these values that always connect us, so let us celebrate our diversity,” the
message says.
The participants from Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait and the United Arab
Emirates briefed Queen Rania on their discussions during the two-day event which
highlighted the common values that youth share, not only in the region but also
across the world. The students shared their personal experiences and thoughts on
the importance of values, community and global outreach and dialogue with the
Queen, who is INJAZ regional ambassador.
Commending the students' efforts, Queen Rania noted that their energy and
commitment is a source of inspiration for all. The Queen underlined the
importance of human values and their role in personal growth and achievement. In
addition, she highlighted the need to keep an open mind to change, in what is
now a rapidly evolving world.
Referring to the widening gap between cultures and communities around the world
and the impact of terrorism on the image of Islam, the Queen said, “the majority
must not be silent.”
She added that it is our responsibility as Arabs to speak up and communicate the
true values of our culture and Islam to the rest of the world.
Her Majesty also emphasised the importance of youth networks such as INJAZ in
building bridges of understanding with youth around the world.
“Our commonalities outweigh our differences,” the Queen said, expressing her
confidence in the ability of youth to effect change. “You are the tools of
change, and change must start from within.”
INJAZ for the Creation of Economic Opportunities for Jordanian Youth, a USAID-funded
project, was launched by Save the Children in 1999.
With Jordan as a model, Egypt and Lebanon launched INJAZ in 2003, followed in
late 2004 by Bahrain, the first Gulf Cooperation Council country to participate.
Meanwhile, the programme was launched this year in the West Bank, Kuwait, Oman
and the UAE and it will be introduced to the rest of the Arab world over the
next two years.