The Imperative to Engage Youth to Meet Development Goals
Too often young people are told by adults that they are the hope and leaders of the future — effectively putting their energy and passion for being part of the solution today on hold.
International Youth Day on Aug. 12 reminds us that building strong youth leadership — targeting both young women and men — is a critical international development priority.
Prior to becoming USAID’s youth coordinator, I spent many years working with youth in some of the most violence-affected communities in Latin America. Throughout these experiences, I have often been in awe of young heroes, such as Esteban Escobar, who defy this notion that young people have to wait to make their impact.
Against the backdrop of increasing violence in his native Guatemala, Esteban has proven how youth are influencing local, national and global change and how their engagement is vital to reaching the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Growing up in Guatemala City, Esteban started to take community action at age 14 as part of his local church youth group. In 2009, Esteban and a few of his friends became frustrated by the rampant level of gang violence in their communities and the perceived ineffectiveness of government efforts.
Realizing the country needed not just young dreamers, but activists, the group combined their energy, technological savvy, and networks to establish the USAID-funded Youth Against Violence (YAV) Movement in Central America. The youth-led project addresses how young people can unite to raise their voices on needed policies and carry out practical interventions to build more peaceful and secure communities.
Currently operating in seven countries, the YAV movement has organized national dialogues with youth and presented policy recommendations to all presidents in Central America. It has also developed innovative cultural and sports projects that focus on violence prevention as well as social marketing campaigns to build broad awareness of effective citizen security efforts.
Youth Can Stimulate Development and Stability
While Esteban is an example of a young influential leader, around the world young people still struggle to participate in community development projects. When adults don’t provide opportunities, youth often prefer to create their own youth-led organizations.
There are currently 1.8 billion adolescents worldwide — the largest demographic youth bulge in history. With 70 percent of the population under the age of 30 in many countries where USAID works, this group represents key drivers of future prosperity, security and democracy. Nine out of 10 youth live in developing countries and are disproportionately affected by poverty, conflict, violence, unemployment and exclusion.
However, evidence shows that if countries invest effectively in youth’s development and engage them as partners, this generation can stimulate greater economic growth, democracy and stability — and reach the Sustainable Development Goals.
A total of 5 million new jobs are needed globally each month just to keep youth unemployment at its current rate — which is three times the adult unemployment rate. Engaging youth in a meaningful way as partners in development is not simply something nice to do. It is a strategic imperative to building stable, prosperous and democratic communities.
“Young men and women are not passive beneficiaries, but equal and effective partners.”
Adolescence is a period where youth long for a sense of purpose, voice, belonging and fairness. It is clear that gangs and violent extremist groups prey on these unmet desires in their explicit recruitment strategies.
USAID’s Work With Youth
USAID launched its seminal Youth In Development Policy in 2012 to engage young people and ensure their needs are met in health, education, economic opportunity, participation and security.
While we have learned a lot about working with youth via life skills development, adolescent health, civic participation, and youth violence reduction, we still have a number of gaps in our programming. New research on the adolescent brain and childhood exposure to violence is improving our understanding of how to best work with youth and families to address trauma. We are also working to understand the drivers of gang involvement and violent extremism to determine possible youth interventions.
USAID also launched its YouthPower initiative in 2015, a $447 million flagship program to support cross-sectoral programming that includes increasing youth participation.
“Young men and women are not passive beneficiaries, but equal and effective partners,” said U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki Moon in an official statement on International Youth Day in 2012. “Their aspirations extend far beyond jobs; youth also want a seat at the table — a real voice in shaping the policies that shape their lives. We need to listen to and engage with young people and establish more mechanisms for youth participation.”
As the new Agency youth coordinator, my goal is to increase youth voices through effective leaders like Esteban, which will allow us to include the insights, energy and effort needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
Read more about how youth are taking action to implement the 2030 United Nations Agenda.
Learn more about events, publications and resources for International Youth Day.
About the Author
Michael McCabe is USAID’s Youth Coordinator. Follow him @michaelmccabe63.
