2. Outline of the Policy
I. Introduction: Youth In Development; Who
are Youth
II. Challenges and Opportunity: A Global
Snapshot
III. Goals and Objectives; Applying Selectivity
IV. Achieving Objective 1: Framework and
Principles
V. Achieving Objective 2: Tactics to
Mainstream and Integrate
VI. Agency Roles and Coordination
VII.Conclusion and Annexes
3. Challenges and Opportunities in Youth
• Realizing a Demographic Dividend
• Youth Economic Opportunity
• Youth Learning
• Youth Health
• Youth and Peace and Security
4. Policy Goal
USAID will improve the capacities and
enable the aspirations of youth so that
they can contribute to and benefit from
more stable, democratic, and
prosperous communities and nations.
5. Policy objectives
1. Strengthen youth programming,
participation and partnership in support
of Agency development objectives.
2. Mainstream and integrate youth issues
and engage young people across
Agency initiatives and operations.
6. Outcomes among Youth
• Youth are better able to access economic and
social opportunities, share in economic growth,
live healthy lives, and contribute to household,
community, and national well-being.
• Youth are empowered to participate in building
peaceful and democratic societies and are less
involved in youth gangs, criminal networks, and
insurgent organizations.
• Youth have a stronger voice in, and are better
served by, local and national institutions, with
more robust and youth-friendly policies.
7. Achieving Objective One:
Conceptual Framework
Support Meeting basic youth developmental needs and valuing
their contributions
Protect Preventing and responding to violence, exploitation,
abuse and neglect; and ensuring young people are
safe and cared for
Prepare Building youth competencies and skills needed to
become informed, healthy and productive citizens
Engage Creating channels for dialogue and participation to
enable youth to contribute to their own and their
communities’ development
8. • Recognize youth participation as vital
• Invest in assets and resilience
• Account for differences and commonalities
• Create second chances
• Involve and support mentors, family, and
communities
• Pursue gender equality
• Embrace youth innovation and technology
Achieving Objective One:
Guiding Principles
9. Achieving Objective Two
•Mainstream youth into core initiatives
•Integrate youth issues and participation throughout
the design and development of programs
•Expand support for local youth-led and youth-
serving organizations
•Strengthen the capacity of local governments and
ministries to address youth
•Improving monitoring, research and evaluation
•Agency Roles and Coordination
Introduction makes the case that youth in development are both youth who are transitioning through the developmental stages outlined in the 2007 World Bank report as well as actors in the development of their communities and countries. Better understanding of and attention to biological, cultural and social dimensions of youth will improve youth outcomes as well as the achievement of development objectives. We also define youth as those young people from 10 – 29 to draw attention to the critical years of early adolescence, and recognizing that some countries define youth as up to (and in some cases beyond) age 35. It is an attempt to recognize the continuum of adolescent and youth development, especially in light of new research on brain development, and the phase of emerging adulthood (ages 25 – 29) where investments in employment, family formation and civic participation are also important.
The Policy makes the case why it is critically important for USAID to address the challenges facing youth– but more importantly to capitalize on the opportunity of youth as innovators, entrepreneurs, professionals and advocates to help many of the countries where USAID works to set the stage for the demographic dividend by addressing youth under and unemployment, and improving youth employability skills, addressing gender gaps in education, reaching hard-to reach youth and improving the quality of education; addressing the fact that while child mortality has declined by 80% in the past 50 years, adolescent mortality has flatlined so there is a better need to more broadly understand and address adolescent morbidity and mortality and finally recognize and address the impact of physical insecurity and violence on young people as well as the fact that engaging young people in creating safe environments – homes, schools, neighborhoods and jobs and better engaging youth in the political process can have tremendous payoff.
M& E : age disaggregated data and youth indicators, for example Agency coordination– an Agency Coordinator or advisor, point persons within bureaus, offices and missions, better coordination/collaboration in the development of tools, resources, action plans, and policy implementation, collaboration among other USG agencies, and youth participation and engagement across agency