Abu dhabi: In a landmark step advancing joint Arab youth action, the Arab Youth Centre (AYC), in partnership with the Crown Prince Foundation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has announced the opening of the Arab Youth Centre in Jordan, the first permanent institutional application of its model outside the UAE. The new Centre will connect young people in Jordan with the skills, expertise, partnerships and opportunities needed to shape their futures and contribute to the region's development.
According to Emirates News Agency, the opening marks a major expansion of the Arab Youth Centre's regional model. For the first time, the experience it has developed through programmes and partnerships across the Arab world will operate through a permanent institutional presence outside the UAE, combining national leadership in Jordan with access to a wider Arab network of experts, institutions and opportunities.
For young people in Jordan, the centre creates a dedicated pathway to develop their capabilities, build projects and entrepreneurial ventures, and connect with opportunities across the region. Its programmes will focus on leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, youth research, sustainability and future skills.
The centre will combine training and mentorship with applied laboratories, business incubation and collaborative spaces where young people can experiment, develop ideas and turn them into viable initiatives and enterprises. It will be led and managed locally by the Crown Prince Foundation through a long-term strategic partnership with the Arab Youth Center, which will contribute the programmes, methodologies, expertise and regional networks developed through its work from Abu Dhabi.
H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs and Chairman of the Arab Youth Centre, expressed that the opening of the Arab Youth Center in Jordan marks a new phase in joint Arab youth action. He emphasized that empowering young people is a shared Arab responsibility, requiring sustainable institutions capable of transforming ambition into capability, ideas into viable projects, and talent into a development resource.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Ajman Municipality and Planning Department and Vice Chairman of the Arab Youth Center, highlighted the model's strength in building an ecosystem where young people are partners in identifying needs, designing and implementing initiatives, and assessing their impact. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with government entities, the private sector, universities, and civil society organisations to translate programmes into tangible outcomes.
Dr Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Arab Youth Centre, highlighted the need to prepare young people for rapidly changing economies, industries and career paths. He underscored the importance of entrepreneurship as a capability and encouraged young people to create opportunities and turn ideas into meaningful impact.
The Arab Youth Centre in Jordan has been designed to make young people active partners in its development, rather than simply recipients of its programmes. Participants will help identify priorities, develop initiatives and evaluate their impact. The centre will also connect young people with institutions, experts and opportunities while building specialized communities around shared interests and emerging fields.
Adey Salamin, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Crown Prince Foundation, expressed pride in Jordan being the first destination for the Arab Youth Center's regional expansion. He emphasized the importance of the longstanding partnership between the Crown Prince Foundation and AYC, and the opening coinciding with the Crown Prince Foundation's tenth anniversary.
The new centre builds on cooperation between the Arab Youth Centre and the Crown Prince Foundation dating back to 2017. The partnership progressed with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in October 2019. The opening transforms that cooperation into a permanent platform with the capacity to serve successive generations of young people.
Located within King Abdullah II Gardens in the Al Muqabalain area of eastern Amman, the centre occupies a 4,340-square-metre site, with a total built-up area of 3,268 square metres. Its facilities include innovation and digital fabrication laboratories, business incubators, interactive and creative spaces, and areas for learning and collaborative work. The building incorporates sustainable local materials and has been designed to support experimentation, project development and innovation.
The opening ceremony brought together officials and youth-sector leaders from the UAE and Jordan, alongside representatives of government, business, academia and civil society, young people, entrepreneurs and initiative founders. Dr Sultan Al Neyadi also toured the centre's laboratories, facilities and creative spaces and met its team, young people, initiative founders and partners. He later joined a youth circle organised by the Federal Youth Authority exploring how dedicated youth spaces can help young people develop their capabilities and turn ideas into actionable initiatives.