This guide aims to assist donor agencies and policy advisors working with and for youth. It emphasises three issues that are critical to young people: 1) governance, voice and accountability; 2) post-conflict transitions and livelihoods; and 3) sexual and reproductive health and rights. Evidence from case studies demonstrates that effective youth participation leads to better results and greater awareness of young people’s needs, capacities and aspirations.
The transition to adulthood is often constrained; young people are increasingly unable to attain the social and economic status of adults. Young people are more than 3.3 times more likely than adults to be unemployed. In many post-conflict countries the majority of ex-combatants are young people. In addition, nearly half of all new HIV infections are among people aged under 25, and young women are particularly vulnerable.
The guide was developed in consultation with young people and demonstrates how young people can positively contribute to development in four operational areas: organisational development, policy and planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. It draws on the experience of Sharing and Learning Networks in two focus countries – Nepal and Uganda. The guide adopts a ‘three lens’ approach to working with youth: development aid should work for the benefit of youth, with youth as partners, and be shaped by youth as leaders.
The one billion young people living in developing countries should be seen as an opportunity. Youth participation strengthens young people’s ability to meet their own subsistence needs and promotes ownership and sustainability of interventions. Young people must be involved as advisors, colleagues and stakeholders if development policies are to be effective and genuinely representative. Young peoples’ participation should be an ongoing process – it is not enough to rely on one-off consultations. Donors may have to support young people to overcome obstacles such as inequality, a lack of training, and weak infrastructure.
Donors should make it a priority to increase the diversity of young people involved in decision-making. Accountability mechanisms should be improved to ensure that donor interventions are responsible to young people in developing countries. Donors can protect young people from conflict by building the capacity of civil society to ensure their participation and development. The country case studies generate a number of lessons for donor practice in the area of youth participation:
- Young people can effectively advocate for greater respect for their rights, as demonstrated by work in relation to early marriage, working conditions and education.
- Young people consistently state that acquisition of skills provides greater self-confidence, esteem and better awareness of their rights.
- Parents state that youth participation leads to better relations with local communities.
- Young researchers can build better rapport with research participants, allowing them to uncover issues that adult researchers might miss.
