JMP: PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION FOR A VIBRANT AND PROFESSIONAL POLITICAL LIFE King’s Academy alumni and faculty members reflect on the origins, growth, values and future of the Jordan Model Parliament (JMP), one of the school’s — and the kingdom’s — most unique forums. BY MOHAMMAD ABU HAWWASH ’15
A
t face value, the Jordan Model Parliament (JMP) might seem like just another rendition of the Model United Nations (MUN) style of conferences. But a deeper look yields some surprising and inspiring revelations as this conference is setting an ideal version of what political life in Jordan should look like. 66
BEYOND KING’S
A noble royal vision, an empowered group of teachers, and an enthusiastic collective of students came together in 2013 in the first rendition of JMP. At the time, JMP was an experimental forum on the sidelines of a King’s Academy Model United Nations conference. Head of the Department of World Languages Shaden Al-Salman, who was involved in the creation of JMP,
noted that this initiative came about following a meeting between His Majesty King Abdullah II and former King’s Academy Head of School John Austin. During the meeting, King Abdullah outlined his vision of a democratic Jordanian society where informed public discourse is the norm. To realize that vision, more opportunities had to