Group of Youth in Jamaica

By Cassandra Jessee, Director and Senior Advisor, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

As the COVID-19 vaccine slowly makes its way across the world and we begin seeing a little light on the horizon, we need to think carefully about how we are going to emerge from these challenging times. This global event has slowed the world down, making it impossible for us to ignore the fractures and chasms in our systems, especially when it comes to the 1.2 billion youth in the world that have lost ground in their development.

We will be going through a global reset and we should use this opportunity to engage youth as partners in rebuilding. It is time to not just hear their voices about the challenges they are facing, but also create an enabling environment for their leadership and contribution. 

Unfortunately, we know that, in many low- and middle-income countries, youth are not as engaged as we would hope. The efforts to involve youth often result in tokenism. Youth are brought in after the fact to give a ceremonial blessing of a plan that was decided upon without them. 

We heard words to this effect repeatedly from approximately 10,000 youth between 2015-2020. During this period, USAID’s YouthPower Learning and YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation conducted 17 country and regional assessments, identifying opportunities to advance youth development so that youth can effectively contribute to development objectives. We found that, while it was something youth wanted, they seldom had a true opportunity to meaningfully engage. As an Ethiopian youth participant in a focus group discussion put it, “We are usually called by the government official to listen to what they have already decided, and [they] simply consider our participation a decoration.” 

What Did the Youth Say?

The assessments found youth felt there was a good deal of lip service about engaging youth and addressing their needs, but little action. Young people in every country expressed frustration that their voices were not heard by adults and society writ large. They also acknowledged they had few opportunities to develop leadership skills and be in leadership roles.

Across the board, the youth assessments found national policies to be well-written or well-intentioned, but not effectively implemented in practice. Consistently, there was a distrust for the government’s youth engagement efforts. One participant in Somalia said, “Al-Shabab recruiters may be the only people who approach and ‘value’ youth.”

The specific discontentment varied depending on the country context. Youth in countries afflicted by high crime rates or gangs, such as Honduras and the Dominican Republic, were greatly concerned about their own personal safety. While youth in conflict or post-conflict environments, such as Somalia, Mauritania, and Liberia, tended to have strong opinions about their government’s peace and security efforts, focusing on violent extremism and societal instability.  One youth in Liberia said, “Our leaders here do nothing for us, we protect our own community.”

This general mistrust carried over to civic engagement as well. They expressed disillusionment with government. They felt exploited by politicians or ignored by what they deemed to be corrupt, ill-performing governments, leading them to feel excluded from politics and decision-making. In Honduras, youth felt shut out of political participation and decision-making spaces because of the political polarization and the corruption of local institutions.  

Another source of stress that came through across contexts was the gender disparities when it came to safety.  Young men acknowledged the challenges young women faced and, in many cases, wanted to be part of changing that reality. A young man in Mauritania contributed about a rape survivor, “Her family won’t support her ... They will consider that she has lost her honor, which complicates things. Society, friends, family—instead of supporting the victim, they make her suffer psychologically. They consider the girl to be the guilty one.”

We heard many youth talk about how living in the reality of threats to their safety leads to an overwhelming feeling of despair. One young Ethiopian woman said, “Suicide is one way to escape the abuses and restrictions we face and the hopelessness we regularly feel.”

How Do We Reset?

While it is difficult to hear we are not helping youth to the degree we would like, it is also important to remember that youth are resilient, resourceful, and full of promise. In almost every discussion during the assessments, they shared the opportunities where they believed things could improve.

Youth in Somalia, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Ethiopia expressed a strong desire to engage in their society (e.g., awareness raising for social and justice issues, political decision making) and to strengthen the foundation for peaceful transformation. They are trying hard to be active, positive contributors to social, economic, and political life, so we must ensure our programming opens doors allowing them to participate.

Youth in the Dominican Republic were very motivated to participate in movements promoting human rights, social activism, and racial and ethnic equality. They were also interested in environmental activism and were often inspired by what they read on social media about global movements for climate change, reduction of pollution, and water conservation. We must ensure our programming allows them opportunities to lead in these global movements.

Throughout the discussion groups, youth noted opportunities in the creation of safe spaces, (e.g., mosques, churches, and other faith-based places; schools, specifically created youth centers) and outlets for self-expression (e.g., sports groups, art hubs). We must create spaces that enable emotional growth and confidence building, foster communication skills, and teach conflict resolution. 

There is also an opportunity to more strategically engage youth and strengthen capacity in the design and delivery of services, policies, and programs in countries where there are a growing and connected network of youth associations, youth-led NGOs, and young leaders, like Guinea, Madagascar, and the Dominican Republic. 

The assessments highlighted the importance of building trust between young people, public institutions, and other community stakeholders. Multi-stakeholder engagement that brings in governments, the private sector, and youth-led networks is key in promoting youth development that effectively addresses the concerns and priorities of young people, creating an environment where they can thrive. 

Overall, the assessments highlighted not only the frustrations youth had, but also bright spots, priorities, and opportunities for youth. Each assessment presented recommendations aimed to shape USAID's and other stakeholders' strategies and programs. Based on the assessment findings, missions in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Mauritania have launched new or updated existing activities to more holistically address the enabling environment and issues that impact youth’s ability to positively contribute to their own development.  

These changes are a start, but, as we reset post-COVID-19, we now have the opportunity to make this change at a global level.  Let’s give youth the room to contribute, lead, and light the way forward.

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