Jordan – October 2, 2025
PeakED Regional Youth Camp: Workshop 4 “Innovation & Sustainable Solutions Workshop”
Amman – October 2, 2025
The fourth PeakED Regional Youth Camp workshop focused on empowering Jordanian youth to innovate for sustainable mountain futures.
Building on previous sessions, participants explored how creativity, entrepreneurship, and circular thinking can address Jordan's pressing environmental and socio-economic challenges. Through hands-on design thinking activities and case studies, the youth learned to transform local problems into scalable, sustainable solutions that support mountain livelihoods and ecosystems.
Discussions began with a reminder of why mountains matter — as vital sources of freshwater, biodiversity, and tourism income. Yet, as one participant noted, “We cannot take mountains for granted—they are our lifeline.” Participants then explored why innovation is essential for a country facing water scarcity, unemployment, and environmental pressures. Trainer Dana emphasized, “Innovation is not about waiting for perfect conditions—it is about finding ways forward with what we have.”
The workshop showcased local success stories of youth-led entrepreneurship, including olive waste repurposed into incense in Ma’an, rooftop agriculture in Amman, food forest projects and hydroponic farming in Jerash. Facilitators also introduced the circular economy model, encouraging participants to rethink consumption and waste through examples like transforming olive residues into cosmetics or recycling tires and plastics into new materials.
Using design thinking, youth teams developed creative prototypes tackling issues such as waste management, water conservation, sustainable farming, and renewable energy. Proposed ideas included mobile apps for waste collection, rooftop water-saving systems, and community composting initiatives.
Concluding the session, facilitator Sara highlighted the spirit of the camp: “Sustainability starts with small, creative steps. Each idea we test brings us closer to resilient communities.”
The outcomes of this workshop will feed into the camp’s final workshop, “From Learning to Action & Transnational Dialogue,” where participants will refine their prototypes and collaborate on cross-border sustainability projects.
