“We must fulfill our obligations to youth. The World Programme of Action for Youth asks Governments to consider the contributions of young persons on all policies affecting them”. Inspired by the words above, the ‘Youth Participation in Development: A Guide for Development Agencies and Policy Makers’ was designed to assist development partners in their efforts to translate such powerful rhetoric into much needed reality. Find out more here…
“We must fulfil our obligations to youth. The World Programme of Action for Youth asks Governments to consider the contributions of young persons on all policies affecting them. Governments must honour this commitment. They must also increase the financial, education and technical support made available to young people…It is high time that we stopped viewing our young people as part of the problem and started cultivating their promise and potential.” - (Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, International Youth Day 2007)
“We must fulfil our obligations to youth. The World Programme of Action for Youth asks Governments to consider the contributions of young persons on all policies affecting them. Governments must honour this commitment. They must also increase the financial, education and technical support made available to young people…It is high time that we stopped viewing our young people as part of the problem and started cultivating their promise and potential.”
- (Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, International Youth Day 2007)
Inspired by the words above, the ‘Youth Participation in Development: A Guide for Development Agencies and Policy Makers’ was designed to assist development partners in their efforts to translate such powerful rhetoric into much needed reality.
The guide champion a Three-Lens Approach to Youth Participation, explaining the multiple benefits associated with “working with and for youth towards effective development”. In summary the three lenses can be described as:
Too often development programmes fail to progress beyond considering youth as a target group, reducing youth agency, failing to unlock the potential of engaging youth as development partners and leaders, and missing out on a myriad of multiplier effects related to effective participation (e.g. empowerment, ownership, sustainability etc.).
Many development thinkers have long considered the engagement of youth as equal partners/subjects of their own development (rather than as objects of imposed interventions) as a moral imperative. However, this guide move beyond such arguments, presenting hard data in support of its conclusion that “young people are an opportunity; an investment.” Quite aside from being morally right, youth participation is shown to be highly effective.
Case study material, drawn from examples across the globe, backs up the claim that Youth participation in development:
Overall, the document provides an excellent resource, showcasing a balance of both theory and practice. It is essential reading for all involved in development.
In addition to the full guide, a summary publication ‘Youth Participation in Development: Summary Guidelines for Development Partners’ is also available. Readers interested to know more about the issues, case studies and tools referenced in the summary are encouraged to read the full guide.
The 2010 publication ‘Youth Participation in Development - A Guide for Development Agencies and Policy Makers’ was developed by the DFID-CSO Youth Working Group coordinated by Restless Development, working in partnership with DFID, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA and other donor agencies, with contributions from a wide range of civil society partners, all listed in the full publication.
The summary document was produced by Restless Development and the United Nations (UN) Programme on Youth.
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Links
Summary Document, ‘Youth Participation in Development: Summary Guidelines for Development Partners’: http://www.restlessdevelopment.org/file/youth-participation-in-development-un-year-of-youth-pdf
Original Publication, ‘Youth Participation in Development: A Guide for Development Agencies and Policy Makers’:
http://www.restlessdevelopment.org/file/youth-participation-in-development-pdf