Press release available in Arabic here.
Over half of former students in Jordan would be prepared to support students at their old school, new research and polling has shown.
On the United Nations’ (UN) International Human Rights Day, international charity Future First Global, which commissioned the research, is calling on schools and alumni to work together to help young Jordanians realize their rights to education and to work.
Polling by Ipsos MORI of over 1,000 Jordanian adults nationwide revealed that over half were willing to give back to their old school, but that less than 5% had already done so.
In new data released in Jordan to mark Human Rights Day, Future First Global says the potential benefits to schools and students offered by alumni communities are significant, with former students able to help young Jordanians realize their rights to education and to work.
The research, conducted with the support of The Open Society Foundations, looked at the potential for public schools to build alumni communities in Jordan, one of six countries examined around the world.
“Our research exposed a strong desire among alumni to go back as role models and mentors, careers advisors and work experience providers for students at their old schools,” said Jake Hayman, author of the report and founder of Future First Global.
When you extrapolate the response rates, the potential revealed is vast: more than 1.3 million Jordanian adults would be willing to mentor or e-mentor students at their old schools.
“With young people in Jordan facing among the highest levels of youth unemployment in the world, especially young women, tapping into this significant resource should be a priority for schools,” he added.
Young people in Jordan also confirmed their desire to engage with alumni, with 85% suggesting that the Future First model would be helpful to them and girls twice as likely to find the model helpful than boys.
Additional data from the polling and research findings in Jordan are available in the report: Every school a community: the role of alumni in supporting the transition from school to work.
The full set of polling data is also available to download online from Future First Global.
For more information contact: info(at)futurefirstglobal.org / +44(0)2072398214