This blog post originally appeared on the USAID 2030 Medium.
By Michael McCabe, Agency Youth Coordinator, USAID
USAID celebrates the role of young people as partners in development and, in particular, creating spaces for youth to thrive in families, schools and communities. The 1.8 billion young people worldwide — the largest youth bulge in history — can be key drivers of prosperity, security and democracy. USAID believes that engaging these young people at local, national and global levels is critical to mitigate conflict, promote innovative solutions, ensure poverty eradication and achieve sustainable development.
In Ethiopia, USAID connects youth to enterprise development centers. Across Central America, we have supported over 250 youth outreach centers providing mentoring, life skills and technology skills in communities ravaged by gang violence. And in the West Bank, we have provided safe places for youth to develop technology and media skills as well as civic engagement opportunities. Many of our education programs have integrated components on improving safe access to school by girls, as well as anti-bullying campaigns — a leading cause of adolescent mental health issues.
Below are four photos that capture how USAID is committed to ensuring youth are developing, running and accessing safe public spaces. To find out more on safe public space strategies visit www.YouthPower.org.
Bridging Local Opportunities in Guatemala
Amadeo Chun, who is in his early 20s, has an active imagination and a drive for business. After completing lower secondary school in Guatemala’s Western Highlands, he became involved with one of the 60 USAID-supported Youth Encounter Spaces after several unsuccessful attempts to migrate to the United States. Supported by local authorities and families, these spaces have hosted 1,176 youth-led trainings. Amadeo is an example on how empowerment, an enabling environment and skills building translates into an entrepreneurial spirit. In 2017, Amadeo, along with other youth, put their new knowledge and skills to work and opened Café Berlín in their hometown. Worldwide, USAID funds hundreds of youth outreach centers that give youth a place to learn and thrive during non-school hours. Generally these centers are located in easy to access areas, developed based on the expressed needs of the local youth, managed by local groups and have diverse income generation.
Building the Potential of Youth in Ethiopia
After noting a surplus of stones in his village, Belayneh Blaze, 25, decided to take advantage of the services of his local USAID-supported Youth Economic Strengthening Center. Along with his friends, he took entrepreneurship training, and then obtained a loan through a local microfinance institution and enlisted in a technical skills course at a local technical vocational education training college. Through this holistic package of assistance, Belayneh and his friends started a viable business making gravel to pave roads for both private and business properties. He also provided more than 40 employment opportunities for other youth in the community via a stone crushing center operated and managed by the youth. In Ethiopia, USAID is helping the Ministry of Youth convert 28 of the nearly 2,000 youth centers established by the government into employment and entrepreneurship centers. Each day more than 170 youth access transferable life skills and entrepreneurship training, group and individual coaching, career guidance, job placement and market data for the first time — and many return regularly to access these services.
Girls Access Safe Learning Spaces in Niger
InZinder, Niger, 58 percent of girls are married before they turn 15. The USAID-supported Sawki Program, globally one of the first development food aid programs, is targeting adolescent girls ages 10 to 18 to increase food security by decreasing child marriage and early pregnancy, and to combat high maternal and child mortality. Bringing together groups of adolescent girls for weekly meetings with a mentor, the program encourages girls to marry later and delay having their first child. The groups provide a protected place for girls to be together, but they also offer them something that’s hard to find anywhere else — a sense of empowerment. In these meetings, girls are shown that it is possible for them to build a life for themselves. They are encouraged to stay in school, to discover their own talents and abilities, and to not feel the need to rush into marriage and start having children.
A Commitment to Education in Guatemala
LaEstanzuela is a small community in one of the poorest departments of Guatemala. It is part of the municipality of Joyabaj, which means “jewels between rocks” in Ki’ché, one of the two Mayan languages spoken by Juan Carlos Meletz — a 23-year-old whose life has been full of challenges. Like many youth in Guatemala, he faced threats of violence, robberies and extortion threats — and is part of the thousands of young people who migrated to work in the Bocacosta in Western Guatemala. Today, due to the USAID-supported Read and Learn project, Juan Carlos was able to continue his education, and is now able to dream of a safer community with more opportunities. He is also part of the Proyecto Acción Transformadora Youth Advisory Committee. “I hope these educational opportunities benefit young people in their growth as individuals and as citizens of my municipality,” he said.