--- title: "“I feel more confident now”: Creating new opportunities for youth in Jordan" description: "In Al-Hashmi Al-Shamali, a bustling neighbourhood in east Amman, 35-year-old Lubna has created an art-filled home, adorned with colourful handmade flowers crafted from plaster and chandeliers woven from wool threads." url: "https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2026/i-feel-more-confident-now-creating-new-opportunities-for-youth-in-jordan" language: "en" published: "2026-10-26T08:55:34Z" modified: "2026-10-26T08:55:34Z" --- # “I feel more confident now”: Creating new opportunities for youth in Jordan Lubna proudly shows her products. Photo: Samer Adnan/NRC In Al-Hashmi Al-Shamali, a bustling neighbourhood in east Amman, 35-year-old Lubna has created an art-filled home, adorned with colourful handmade flowers crafted from plaster and chandeliers woven from wool threads. Published 26. Oct 2026 [Jordan](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=71) Lubna’s creative journey began with crafting handmade decorations for her family. "Every day I’d wait until my mother slept, then I’d take out my threads and materials, create something new, and surprise her the next morning,” she says. Today, Lubna and her family run an online handicraft business selling handmade home decor. The growth of the business – now six years old - has been steered by customer feedback. "We learned from our customers," Lubna explains. "Whenever someone asked for something we didn't know how to make, we learned it. Their requests opened the door for us to expand." But Lubna soon realised that growing the business required more than producing high-quality products, and she needed to learn new skills. "I didn't know how to price my products or calculate costs," she says. "I didn't know how to market myself or even explain my work professionally. I managed our Instagram page, but I didn't know how to reach the right audience." Lubna began searching for opportunities to strengthen her entrepreneurial skills, and learned about the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) career guidance training, provided under the *Najahna* (our success) programme. "I was always looking through Facebook and WhatsApp groups for training opportunities," she says. "When I saw a post about NRC's training, I registered immediately and shared it with people I knew." Lubna holding one of her handcrafted products. Photo: Samer Adnan/NRC Through the *Najahna* programme, funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, NRC provides tailored career coaching, employability training and on-the-job training opportunities to Jordanian and Syrian refugee youth, helping them overcome barriers to employment and build sustainable livelihoods. For Lubna, the impact was immediate. "The support I received encouraged me to develop myself and work towards a better future,” she says. “I learned how to talk about myself, write formal emails, understand customers better and market my business more effectively." The programme also provides cash assistance, which Lubna used to buy materials and run targeted marketing campaigns on social media. After the training, Lubna licensed her business and successfully applied for several funding opportunities that helped her grow the business. "Before the training, I didn't have the confidence to apply for scholarships or funding opportunities because I didn't even have a CV," Lubna says. "Now, I recognise an opportunity as soon as I see it, and I'm much more confident about putting myself forward." One day, Lubna hopes to open her own store, and reach customers around the world. "I feel more confident now," she says. "The knowledge and skills I gained gave me a strong foundation for the future." As well as supporting entrepreneurs, NRC also supports young Jordanians and Syrians to find jobs, a challenging prospect in a country with 46 per cent youth unemployment. Through *Najahna*, NRC provides training in communication, CV writing, job search strategies and workers' rights. The training helped 22-year-old Ahmad overcome a long struggle with unemployment and find a position as a career guidance trainer. Photo: Mohammad Dallal/NRC ## Transforming the job search In a small town in northern Jordan, close to the border with Syria, law graduate Ahmad signed up for the training after struggling to find a job after university. "I felt confused, like every new graduate,” Ahmad explains. “I didn't have the tools or the awareness needed to enter the labour market. I remember one day I submitted so many applications on LinkedIn that my account was temporarily blocked – I’d applied to more than 1,000 jobs." Through NRC’s training, Ahmad learned technical job-search skills, including how to develop a CV, prepare for interviews, write professional emails, use job-search platforms effectively and build professional networks. The training encouraged Ahmad to identify career opportunities beyond his university specialisation. "Before the training, I felt fear mixed with frustration because I was unemployed. After the training, I felt enthusiasm, ambition, motivation, and a desire to apply everything we learned." Ahmad transformed the way he approached his job search and his persistence paid off when he secured a position as a Career Guidance Trainer with COOPI. Today, Ahmad delivers training on employability skills, CV writing, and life skills, helping other job seekers build the confidence and practical knowledge they need to access job opportunities and develop their careers. Ahmad has also become active in advocacy initiatives to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labour market, drawing on both his legal background and personal experience of living with visual impairment. "I realised that I've always loved work that has an impact on society, and I love being an active person in the humanitarian field," he explains. Ahmad has also become active in initiatives to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market, drawing on both his legal background and personal experience of living with visual impairment. Photo: Mohammad Dallal/NRC ## Creating pathways for youth Ahmad and Lubna’s journeys reflect the impact that career coaching can have on young people facing barriers to entering the workforce. For Ahmad, the programme opened doors to new opportunities, and the knowledge he gained is creating a ripple effect as he helps others discover their own pathways to employment. "This programme gave me practical tools that changed how I approach my career," Ahmad says. "The skills I gained helped me find a job and also helped me to support others as they build their own career paths." *Sign up to our newsletter to read more stories from around the world.* [Sign up to newsletter](https://www.nrc.no/sign-up-to-newsletter) ## More on [#Livelihoods and food security](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=149)