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08 Aug 2017
9 Aug 2017<br />
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Amman -- The first training program titled "Media and Local Democracy" has started at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI). The program is within the project "Building the Capacities of Local Communities in Participation and Accountability." Four civil society organizations in the governorates of Maan, Irbid, Mafraq, and Ajloun are taking part. The aim is to have oversight of public policy through digital media. This is part of the project of the EU support to civil society in Jordan, managed by the National Center for Human Rights and funded by the EU. <br />
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The training program is part of the activities of the project, which aims at strengthening democracy in Jordan through increasing the effectiveness of citizens in public and political life, with the participation of youth from the Alwan Cultural Forum in Ajloun Governorate, Al-Karamah Society in Irbid Governorate, Bothorona in Mafraq Governorate, and Bayt Al Anbat in Maan Governorate.<br />
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JMI Dean Dr. Basim Tweissi, who opened the activities of the program, said that the program coincides with the start of elections of local councils and the creation of governorate councils. He noted that true democracy begins from local councils (grassroots), represented by municipalities and governorate councils.<br />
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He added that it is time to pay greater attention to local democracy in Jordan in view of its importance in serving the general good and achieving the daily needs of people. He indicated that the traditional model of democracy in developing nations has turned into a formal model without making achievements for people on the ground because it neglected local entities. <br />
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He said: We are seeking to raise national awareness, on the part of youth in the governorates, of the importance of the change that Jordan has embraced toward decentralization. Its importance stems from the fact that it is time for the people of the governorates to take part in identifying their development priorities and the needed budgets and projects for their governorates.<br />
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He said that the role of the media in this is key and positive by developing our awareness toward the general good and public interest through oversight of the performance of these councils and their ability to draft a real development agenda that responds to the priorities of citizens and achieves sustainable development. <br />
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Mohammed Smadi, head of the Alwan Cultural Forum, stressed the importance of the program, designed by the JMI, in strengthening public knowledge about democracy and basic skills of media work to apply them to accountability of the people we elect to parliamentary, municipal, and governorate (decentralization) councils. <br />
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According to project director Sandra Zawaideh, the training program aims at educating the participants about the basic concepts of local democracy and development and their relationship with the media and the basic skills that help build their capacities to conduct oversight of the performance of the institutions of local democracy in their governorates, besides using the tools of modern media for the purpose of monitoring, media coverage, documentation, and accountability.<br />
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The program also aims at raising the awareness of the target youth and giving them general knowledge about the importance of local democracy and its fields of operation, media literacy, understanding modern media and its mechanisms, how to handle media, developing critical thinking of media content, and building basic media skills in creating media content and developing participation through the media.<br />
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The program includes a number of themes, such as media and local democracy, introduction to media and information literacy, the role and functions of municipalities, the Municipalities Law, parliament and local democracy, the concept of decentralization and its functions and importance, the Decentralization Law, introduction to news, writing press reports on the affairs of public services, and video journalism.<br />
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Similar training programs will be carried out for the three remaining governorates in the coming weeks. The project team will publish a report every three months under the title "Local Democracy Report." Also, the work carried out by youth will be posted on the website of the project, in addition to an electronic application called "Democracy Meter." <br />