USAID Cooperative Agreement No. 278-A-00-09-00306-00: YOUTH:WORK JORDAN Quarterly Report April 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010

Major milestones included the selection of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to support comprehensive training programs for youth within the program's first three component areas, and the competitive selection of service providers to deliver core employability skills and youth engagement training. The program's capacity was increased with the hiring of three new staff members by International Youth Foundation (IYF) in consultation with USAID, and the transition of a senior staff member from the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) to the Youth:Work Jordan Program Management Unit (PMU). This move aimed to bolster the program's ability to strengthen grantees' effectiveness in technical areas, operational capacity, grants management, and monitoring and evaluation. Fifty-three qualifying CBOs submitted grant applications, and IYF, MoSD, and the Coordination NGOs (CNGOs) reviewed and finalized the shortlisted candidates under the process outlined by the Youth:Work Jordan grants manual. Twenty-five out of the 53 CBO grant applications from five communities were selected, and it is expected that grant agreements for these activities will be signed on a rolling basis during the current quarter. Service providers were identified to provide training alongside the first group of CBO grants in the following cross-cutting technical areas: life skills and career preparedness training, IT training, Business English training, and youth engagement training. The grants for each of the CNGOs were amended to allow for the implementation of these activities, and as of the writing of this report, life skills and IT training in East Amman, Zarqa, and Jordan Valley have begun. A team building workshop was held in April for MoSD seconded staff, field directors, and liaison officers, along with representatives from each of the CNGOs and IYF/Amman staff to discuss how Youth:Work Jordan's key stakeholders can work closer together as an integrated team and improve lines of communication. Significant efforts were undertaken during the quarter to develop Youth:Work Jordan strategies for programmatic and operational capacity building for the CNGOs. Development of these plans was based on a number of field evaluations that took place during the quarter by IYF and MoSD examining the success of initial youth projects, CNGO activities to engage community and youth members in target communities, and adherence to Youth:Work Jordan operational and compliance requirements. Based on these findings, an operational and compliance capacity building plan has been finalized and initial trainings to build capacity in these areas are underway. Youth-led small-scale initiatives and activities continued, with youth in several communities completing the projects they began in the previous quarter and initiating others. Youth in the program also began to participate in larger events such as the Jordan Job Fair. Initial evaluations have been conducted on these first projects to better understand areas for increased support as new youth-led initiatives are commenced in the coming quarter. The program made significant outreach to key policy stakeholders during the quarter, resulting in over 25 meetings. Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) are under development with four government ministries, and joint interventions are being evaluated in several Youth:Work Jordan communities to build greater synergy and support stronger policy coordination among key actors working with youth. The Youth:Work Jordan Communications Plan was finalized and approved by USAID early this quarter, including the main messages of the program, the products envisioned, and a revised branding and marking plan. The Youth:Work Jordan Monitoring and Evaluation Plan was also finalized and approved by USAID this quarter, along with key forms required for the startup of activities. USAID field visits to Youth:Work Jordan activities took place in late May, with Jay Knott, current USAID Mission Director, and Anne Arnes, Deputy Assistant Director and former USAID/Jordan Mission Director, meeting with Youth:Work Jordan youth and community leaders from East Amman/Khreibet Al Souq to learn more about the program's current and future activities.