Restless Development & UNESCO Youth Programme Report: Private Sector Toolkit for Working with Youth

Over 85% of the world’s youth live in developing countries. It is the position of this toolkit that young people are both disproportionately vulnerable to challenges such as un/under-employment and also often ignored as a key actor in development. Written in the context of the International Year of Youth (2011), this document is an exploration of the potential for cooperation between youth and private sector actors, both in theory and practice.

Over 85 per cent of the world’s youth live in developing countries. It is the position of this toolkit that young people are both disproportionately vulnerable to challenges such as un/under-employment and also too often ignored as a key actor in development.

Written in the context of the International Year of Youth (2011), this document exists as an exploration of the potential for cooperation between youth and private sector actors, both in theory and practice. Its guiding aims are to:

• Highlight the role of youth as social actors, and increase general understanding of young people’s great potential as development partners;
• Inspire the private sector to partner with youth by showcasing several case studies and demonstrating the economic advantage of investing in youth, in contrast to the cost of underinvestment; and
• Provide initial guidance on facilitating private sector engagement with young people, and the formation of meaningful partnerships, to better influence development processes worldwide.

This technical paper was produced jointly by Restless Development and the United Nations Programme on Youth of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

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Full Toolkit Link:

http://www.restlessdevelopment.org/file/privatesectorkit-pdf