Over 100 students from Salt Secondary School, Manja School, Khalda School, King Abdullah II School of Excellence, UNRWA Al-Jofeh School, Al Assriya School and King’s Academy took part in King’s first annual all-Arabic Jordan Model Parliament (JMP) conference which kicked off on April 2.

For two days, delegates participated in eight simulated forums, five of which dealt with specific aspects of Jordanian society (human rights, environment, education, judiciary and economy) in addition to three Model United Nations (MUN) conference staples (Arab League, Security Council and the Crisis Committee) – all conducted in Modern Standard Arabic (or fus-ha). In lieu of countries, students represented the 12 governorates in Jordan, and debated hard-hitting topics before laboring over solutions to pertinent issues in Jordan, including tribal conflicts, the Tawjihi system and threats from the Islamic State (IS).  

Delegates prepared for the event months in advance with the help of King’s students, who collaborated with them on campus during intense, weekly training sessions that began in January. In an effort to encourage leadership and responsibility, the conference was led and run chiefly by students, with Abdulrahman Jamjoom ’15, Wasan Al-Dalabeeh ’16, Sun Woo Kim ’15 and Laila Mowafi ’15 at the forefront.

Jordanian Foreign Minister His Excellency Nasser Judeh brought the conference to a close on Saturday with an inspiring speech on the importance of maintaining a culture of dialogue in Jordan, a country whose heritage is built on diplomacy.

Teaching Fellow Ghassan Gammoh, who served as one of the four conference supervisors in addition to Shaden Al-Salman, Lina Shaheen and Rula Al-Hindi, described the event as a learning experience for everyone involved, and that the vision of JMP is in unison with that of King’s Academy – to create independent, creative thinkers who will one day lead the region.

“JMP is a platform for dialogue and civic engagement, and it allows for equality of voices and respect amongst men and women regardless of their socio-economic background,” said Gammoh. “It’s been amazing to see this symbiosis of young, bright minds that are excited about changing and improving the future of Jordan.”