Global Youth Coalition Member Feature: Sana’a Khasawneh

Meet Global Youth Coalition Member, Sana’a Khasawneh! Sana’a is from Jordan. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and a Master’s Degree in Road Safety Management from the Universite Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth – USJ. This the only program dedicated to road safety management in the Middle East. 

Her passion for road safety started in 2018 when she was looking for a program related to road safety for her Master’s. Her Mater’s in road safety is a scholarship awarded by Foundation Renault.

She wanted to help raise awareness on the dangers of road crashes, focusing on the road users in Jordan. She was made aware that road crashes are not taken as seriously as it was supposed to. 

“Whenever I talk about road safety, people always assume that road crashes only happen to others and this makes me feel frustrated because everyone can be affected. We need to be concerned with others and ourselves because we are all exposed to the dangers of the road. We need to do something about this.
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— Sana’a Khasawneh

As a result, Sanaa started an awareness initiative by creating حملة رادِع which means deterrent. The initiative raises awareness of road safety through social media. It uses science mixed with human stories to make road safety information digestible and relatable. 

“I am targeting all road users so I want the information to be digestible so that it gets easier for people to understand the issue and connect with people who are also passionate about the cause.” 

Sana’a commends the Coalition because it is an effective mechanism that gets youth more involved with road safety and sustainable mobility. She notes how engaging activities were in keeping youth connected and giving them a platform to share and discuss ideas on road safety from different perspectives. 

Sana’a notes the importance of the tools, platforms, and opportunities the Coalition provides to help youth learn and engage more on issues surrounding road safety. 

“It’s okay if youth don’t immediately get seated at the decision-making table – the time will come. For now, it is enough that we are taking significant steps toward addressing the road crash problem. We can start in small scales and build up to bigger things.”