On November 7, 2018, the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings hosted the Girls’ Education Research and Policy Symposium. The symposium held a series of thematic conversations that explored approaches to creating systems change for the most marginalized girls.
In the symposium, Ms. Mayyada Abu-Jaber  participated in the session entitle “engaging local champions to create systematic change” clarified how when she went back to Jordan after her residency, she began to look for like-minded people to join a common journey towards transforming belief system with regards to Womenomics and co-creating a contextualized local solutions to women employment. She explains that the first entry point was the media, local media and then mass media. She explained her journey towards setting up JoWomenomics and the resistance faced as well as the lucky breaks. Ms. Abu Jaber believes that collective action both locally, such as the Women As Partners in Progress movement in the MENA region, and globally, such as being part of the Echidna Alumni Leaders in Girls Education network, help women progress and in specific in the MENA region and eases the transition into public life and the workforce.