Lynn established Wasel for Awareness & Education in 2018 as a non-governmental organisation working on economic empowerment, social empowerment, and civic engagement in Jordan. The project began as a school programme with a focus on bringing young people of different backgrounds together to break stereotypes. Motivated by the youth unemployment rate in Jordan, which stands at around 40.3%, Lynn pivoted to creating entrepreneurship programmes and training to help facilitate the growth of the social enterprise sector in the country. Lynn is also the founder of Mehnaty, a company working to accelerate people’s career development through mentorship services.
Lynn attended the One Young World Summit in London, 2019, on an Enterprise for Peace Scholarship. She was motivated by the Delegate Speakers and their stories to think outside of the box, reach out to other Ambassadors, and learn how she could use those connections further down the line for collaborations. Lynn has maintained connections with the One Young World Community in Jordan.
Wasel for Awareness & Education has three main programmes. Shabbek wa Bader, their school programme, has impacted 462 students in 21 schools across 360 sessions, and has been instrumental in the launch of 15 social initiatives. It involves partnering students from private and public schools once a week to learn about Wasel’s methodology on community organising and project management. Shabbek wa Ibtaker, their entrepreneurship programme for young people, has so far held nine rounds spanning 366 sessions, and has resulted in 79 young people receiving grants or incubation opportunities to date. Wasel’s citizenship engagement programme has reached 1,401 participants and taught them about human rights, labour laws, and the Jordanian constitution, and has resulted in five policy papers written and published. These policy papers have been shared and discussed by policymakers within the country.
“The Summit impacted me because I got to meet many people that were extremely different to myself, it inspired me to think about the box. I’ve stayed in touch with many fellow Ambassadors with the possibility of collaborating and learning from each other, we have even tried applying for funding as a consortium.”
