Celebrate International Youth Day 2022 with USAID and partners.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
About this event
On Thursday, August 11, 2022, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation (YP2LE), and Youth Excel joined youth from around the world to celebrate International Youth Day. The event followed key themes outlined by the UN surrounding intergenerational solidarity. Youth and adult speakers highlighted the importance of building strong foundations for international solidarity through inclusive safe spaces, supporting mental well-being, and addressing power differentials.
During this event, we heard from young and seasoned professionals from all over the world, including remarks from USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator, an intergenerational dialogue on inclusion, protection, and mental well-being; young professionals, and young leaders currently involved in USAID programming; and important announcements from Youth Excel and YP2LE.
- Learn more about the updated USAID Youth in Development Policy.
- Understand more about how to approach youth-adult power differentials, ageism, and accountability mechanisms.
- Explore the importance of meaningful youth-led development/inclusion, mental health considerations, and fully inclusive/safe environments.
ABOUT YOUTHPOWER2: LEARNING AND EVALUATION (YP2LE):
YP2LE is a USAID-funded activity focused on building and disseminating evidence on Positive Youth Development (PYD). YP2LE’s goal is to give program implementers, researchers, and young changemakers the information, tools, and resources they need to develop high-quality, impactful, and sustainable youth programs.
ABOUT YOUTH EXCEL:
Youth Excel is implemented by IREX and its global “Our Knowledge, Leading Change” consortium. Youth Excel is a global program that empowers young people and youth organizations to use implementation research to strengthen local, national, and global development solutions.
ABOUT USAID YOUTH IN DEVELOPMENT POLICY:
Over the past decade, USAID significantly expanded youth programming and youth integration across sectors. The Agency created a network of staff focused on youth issues and provided professional development training to better integrate youth programming both at USAID Missions and headquarters. Agency-wide youth teams stood up new global funding mechanisms to complement Mission youth programming such as YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation (YP2LE), Youth Excel, and others that allow for Mission activity design. USAID invested in building a robust evidence base on Positive Youth Development (PYD) through a knowledge learning platform (YouthPower.org) and virtual networking platform to engage young leaders (YouthLead.org).
Despite these advancements, the world is a vastly different place for young people today than it was in 2012, when USAID became the first bilateral donor to develop a policy on youth in development. The mounting effects of climate change, increasing global economic and political fragility, and the stark reality of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced us to adapt our priorities to a changing world. The Agency’s Youth in Development Policy affirms the reality that young people are our strongest partners in confronting the long-term effects of these interrelated challenges. This approach, and the principles articulated in the Policy, will guide the Agency’s youth programs.
Implementing the new Policy vision will require a collective effort from USAID staff, international partners, country governments, and civil-society organizers. Most importantly, this vision necessitates a change in the power relationship with young people, as USAID actively transfers decision-making power to youth in addressing the most pressing priorities of the coming decade.