Coca-Cola Supports the "Jordan River Foundation" Youth Summer Volunteer Program (For Empowered Generations)
Amman, Jordan
The Coca-Cola Foundation announced that it will support the annual Youth Summer Volunteer Program "For Empowered Generations" organized by the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), during a press conference held at the JRF headquarters on July 6.
A budget of $75,000 has been allocated by The Coca-Cola Foundation to serve the needs identified by Youth leader Groups in Al Nasr District which is to improve Al Rabwah and Prince Hassan neighborhoods. These districts house more than 200,000 people and suffer from deteriorating infrastructural and environmental conditions.
"Our support for this effective program stems from our deep belief in the importance of young people’s role in bringing about positive change in society, which is what Coca-Cola has always contributed towards achieving through its support of effective initiatives and encouragement of youth groups", commented Antoine Tayyar, Public Affairs and Communications Director Coca Cola Middle East.
He added “In addition to the allocated budget we have decided to participate physically in the volunteer work and a team of 12 employees from the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Jordan headed by the General Manager will participate in the different tasks as part of the corporate volunteerism which we strongly believe in and share this belief with our bottler partners in Jordan and in the other 206 countries where we are operate”.
In turn, Samia Bishara, Director of a Child Safety Program at JRF, said: "We are excited about this collaboration with Coca-Cola, which represents a model of coordination and integration between the private sector companies and active social organizations".
"The spirit of this program is embodied in integrating the youth of local communities in voluntary social work and encourage them to contribute in improving living and environmental conditions surrounding their communities, as well as raising awareness and developing their sense of belonging and responsibility to their communities and their country. Their participation in building their communities aims at increasing their self-esteem, self-confidence, and the level of awareness, and thus helps them to protect themselves and play a positive role in creating a safe and healthy environment around them", added Bishara.
25 students from various Jordanian universities have been trained in the areas of strategic planning, communication skills and others to lead the program this year, as 250 volunteers aged between 15-19 years will be divided into eight groups working to serve certain neighborhoods in Al-Nasr District.
In 2008, 170 volunteers participated in the program and 270 volunteers in 2009. They came from different areas and schools (private and government) in Amman and ranging from diverse social and economic classes. The role of leaders also included attracting volunteers and developing action plans, in addition to the direct supervision and assessment of volunteer groups during the period of work.
