His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday voiced his confidence in young Jordanians and their ability to effect positive change, take part in charting political reform and provide solutions for current challenges.

“For me, you are the source of hope and determination as you face life with a positive spirit and the ability to counter challenges,” the King said, addressing students during a visit to Yarmouk University in Irbid on Monday.

“It is true that you are still at university, but you have a responsibility and there are many opportunities before you to positively affect our national drive for reform and development,” the King told his young audience during the meeting, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein and several officials.

Voicing confidence in youths’ ability to support political reform, His Majesty said: “Our country is facing several challenges and we must work together to find solutions through constructive dialogue”. The King added that national dialogue should constitute a launchpad for young Jordanians’ participation in political life on the basis of political party programmes.

In his address, he stressed the importance of students’ active participation in elections both on and off campus, especially this year as he said the country is working hard to realise political reform, which involves parliamentary and municipal elections under new laws.

On the economy, His Majesty highlighted the need to transform creative ideas into productive projects, citing the example of Jordanian entrepreneur Salah Oqbi whose small chalk enterprise has become the world’s second largest chalk factory and a major exporter in a matter of years. “You can be the ones who create jobs, and not the ones who look for jobs,” he told the students.

Highlighting their potentials, the King urged students to embrace Jordanian noble values such as tolerance, love, solidarity and respect and to distance themselves from negative patterns of behaviour, in an apparent reference to violent incidents witnessed at universities over the past two years.

In an address during the meeting, Yarmouk University President Abdullah Musa said campus violence is a “worrying phenomenon” that could negatively impact higher education, adding that universities and other stakeholders must work together to fight this trend.

Laith Rajibi, president of Yarmouk University’s student union, pledged cooperation with the university administration to eliminate campus violence and take preventive measures to avoid its occurrence.

At the end of the visit, the King toured an exhibition showcasing eight projects designed by students from the Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, and he listened to the students who briefed him on their designs. Among the featured projects, two students equipped a car with a wireless camera to transmit audio and video signals to a device that can be connected to a computer. The project can be upgraded for military purposes, including scanning minefields and other areas of potential danger to humans.