Youth Career Initiative Graduates Meet with Queen Rania

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department- Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with a group of Youth Career Initiative (YCI) graduates today to listen to their success stories and the benefits they received by being part of the initiative.

YCI is a program implemented by the Jordan River Foundation through partnership with the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) since 2007. It entails an educational program that enables international hotels to provide five to six months training for both high school graduates and dropouts from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Initiative aims to give participants unique opportunities through professional education and experience. Through YCI, young people can enhance their potential, gain self-esteem and develop the ability to make better decisions concerning their future.

YCI has been active in Jordan for three years. In the first year the program hosted 13 participants in three five stars hotels in Amman. The following year included the same three hotels hosting 15 participants.

In the 2009- 2010 year YCI achieved several milestones including adding a fourth hotel and 20 participants including a female for the first time. The meeting, which was moderated by Laila Gharaibeh from JRF included 35 YCI graduates and current trainees, a five minute video about the Initiative and an open discussion with the graduates.

To date, YCI program has been implemented in 12 countries across the world including Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Thailand and Vietnam.