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Archives for Youth

Unlocking the Potential of Moroccan Youth

Posted by  on Friday, June 10th 2011     

I recently returned from a week-long trip to Morocco where USAID brought together the heads of our offices from across the Arab world to reflect on how we can and should adjust our work in response to the Arab Spring.

Among the many themes we discussed was the central role of youth in the recent demonstrations.  USAID has a strong record of engaging youth throughout the region, but we are always looking to doing more, and in creative ways.

Deputy Assistant Administrator, Hady Amr, discusses the future of Morocco with participants of the Morocco Civil Society and Advocacy project. Photo Credit: USAID/Morocco

While I was in Morocco, I took the opportunity to visit several USAID projects.  One of the most memorable visits was to the Morocco Civil Society and Advocacy project – also known as “SANAD” (meaning “support” in Arabic).  The purpose of this project is to help young Moroccans feel engaged with their government.  This is more important than ever because of political transformations that are under way in the country and throughout the Arab world.

Seeing the wave of protest spreading across the Arab world, on March 9th the King of Morocco announced the creation of a new commission called the Consultative Commission on Constitutional Reform (CCRC).  The CCRC has been tasked with proposing constitutional reforms to strengthen political participation and transparency by June.  A constitutional referendum is scheduled in early July and an elections in October.

USAID is supporting several youth groups by organizing regional and national debates with over 1000 participants from eight regions in Morocco.  The youth groups are also helping to produce two memorandums on reforms that will be officially submitted to the CCRC.

The Moroccan youth I met with talked about specific articles in the Moroccan constitution that they wanted to see changed, and how they wanted to see them changed. They spoke about the need for economic growth and had their own ideas about that. And they spoke about the future character of their nation.
What was clear to me through these meetings was that Moroccan youth, like their counterparts across the Arab world, can be tremendous resources to their own societies, if only their potential is unlocked.

Hady Amr is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East at USAID. Follow him on Twitter.

U.S. State Department and USAID Support Journalism Training in Southern Sudan

Posted by  on Thursday, June 2nd 2011     

In southern Sudan, Voice of America (VOA) journalist Shaka Ssali hosted training sessions from May 13 to 16 for journalism students and practicing journalists through the U.S. Department of State International Information Program (IIP) speaker program. More than 60 participants attended the training sessions coordinated by the U.S. Consulate in Juba and USAID.

In southern Sudan, journalists, students, and staff from USAID and the U.S. Department of State attended a journalism training workshop in May, 2011 as part of the Dialogue with Young African Leaders. Photo credit: USAID

Shaka Ssali, an American journalist born in Uganda and host of VOA’s “Straight Talk Africa,” was the first IIP speaker to visit southern Sudan. His visit was part of the Dialogue with Young African Leaders—a series of events held throughout Africa during the month of May to showcase the efforts of young African leaders, to engage with them in discussions about current challenges on the continent, and to help them discover ways to bring about positive change.

During the trainings, Ssali stressed the importance of accurate reporting, professionalism in journalism, and the critical role of free media in southern Sudan, which will become an independent nation July 9.

Television Show Energizes Malagasy Youth

Posted by  on Thursday, May 26th 2011     

By: Natasha Burley, Development Outreach and Communications Specialist for USAID/Madagascar

During the month of May, the United States Government, led by the State Department, will host youth engagement programs throughout Africa to showcase the efforts of young African leaders, to engage with them in discussions about current challenges on the continent, and to help them discover ways to bring about positive change.

Youth debate during the taping of the show. Photo Credit: USAID/Madagascar

The month of Dialogue is part of an ongoing engagement with young Africans stemming from the August 2010 President’s Forum with Young African Leaders and follow-on events, with future high-level youth engagement activities and programs on the continent planned.

To learn more about the dialogue, visit the State Department of African Affairs’ Facebook page, Twitter, and other social media platforms that allow young Africans and Americans, entrepreneurs and business leaders, to exchange ideas on an array of topics.

The following is a blog post that highlights USAID’s work with youth in Madagascar.

“Kozy Liberty” (which means to “talk liberty” in Malagasy) is a monthly TV show aimed at encouraging youth civic engagement and open dialogue. It is produced by RTA, one of Madagascar’s largest private television channels and the most popular amongst youth. The show, aired on a monthly basis, has a subject that impacts youth and that encourages them to debate.

This month’s debate was on volunteering and what it means to be a volunteer and to give of your time in today’s society. Peace Corps Volunteers came to speak in Malagasy about their work, and why they have volunteered to come for two years to Madagascar. In addition, community health volunteers from USAID-funded PSI health program came to discuss the importance of volunteering. PSI sent six experienced peer educators youth to participate in the debate. The filming was a huge success, with vibrant, animated debates.

Young people take a side to the argument and then debate the issue on the show, using creative methods to make their points:  incorporating music, dance, interviewing experts or people on the streets, etc. The show has a SMS component for youth to participate in the debate by texting in their opinions/arguments with the most impressive argument sent in via text winning a prize.

The debate highlighted what involved, committed and energetic Malagasy youth are doing through USAID programs. It was a great opportunity for Malagasy youth to discuss the issue of volunteerism – a concept quite foreign for most.

This is the first youth debate program to air on Malagasy television and the production costs are being entirely covered by the station.  Underlining the importance the station gave to the program, it was slotted into the most popular time slot on Malagasy TV, Saturday evenings.

Watch Kozy Liberty on YouTube.

Development, Diaspora and the Universal Language of Sports

Posted by  on Friday, May 20th 2011     

By: Mori Taheripour is Senior Advisor, Sport for Development at USAID

For diaspora communities across the globe, sport continues to be an integral connection to their native countries.  Sport is tightly woven into the lives and cultures of people globally and has an inherent and unique ability to connect people and provides the ability to transform some of the world’s least developed countries. While sport has historically played an important role in virtually every society globally, sport is still seen as an emerging, yet powerful tool to advance development globally.

Mori Taheripour is senior advisor for Sports for Development at USAID with Minnesota Vikings player Madieu Williams.

At this week’s Global Diaspora Forum, I had the privilege to lead a panel of notable players in the field of sport for development to discuss how sport plays an integral role in diaspora communities as a platform to better the lives of youth, families and communities.

The panelists included:

Madieu Williams, Safety with the Minnesota Vikings, who immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone at the age of 9.  While he had never heard of American football until he came to the US, the sense of community and belonging to a team that it provided him proved a winning path that led him to his career in the NFL.  But never forgetting where he came from, Madieu created his own foundation as an vehicle to give back to Sierra Leone, providing teacher training, uniforms and school supplies for the kids,  He has also partnered with Healing Hands, a US-based NGO, to travel to Sierra Leone and perform surgeries free of charge for many of the children, men and women too poor to have those services.  His efforts earned him the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2011, recognizing his contributions both on and off the field.

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Mark Feierstein Visits School in Rio de Janeiro

Posted by  on Thursday, May 5th 2011     

Submitted by USAID/Brazil

During his trip to Rio de Janeiro to participate in the World Economic Forum, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mark Feierstein, visited a school participating in the Enter Jovem Plus Program. Feierstein went to State School Tim Lopes, to closely observe the youth employability project. The school is located in Complexo do Alemão, one of the slum areas in Rio recently pacified by the police. USAID/Brazil‘s Mission Director, Lawrence Hardy, and HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, Nena Lentini, also participated in the visit.

Mark Feierstein surrounded by students in Rio de Janeiro Photo Credit: Instituto Empreender

The Enter Jovem Plus program is conducted in Rio de Janeiro by Instituto Empreender, in partnership with Chevron, Rio’s State Government, and USAID. In his conversation with the students participating in the program, Feierstein stressed the importance of offering young people finishing high school professional training with a focus on employability, information technology, and English language. “We work in various parts of the world to foster development. You are very lucky to be here at this school. Enjoy every moment, work hard and have fun,” he said.

The goal of Enter Jovem Plus for Rio de Janeiro in 2011 is to provide professional training for 1,000 students. So far, approximately 700 students from 23 schools are enrolled. In Rio de Janeiro, the program started in 2010 in 16 public schools, and certified 310 students with ages between 16 and 29 years. This year, the priority is the inclusion of schools located in pacified areas. Students receive training to develop social and professional skills, including notions of tourism, quality of service and entrepreneurship. The program also helps students finding job opportunities.

Chevron’s manager for institutional relations, Lia Blower, U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro’s Public Affairs Officer, Mark Pannell, and representatives of State Government accompanied Mark Feierstein’s visit.

To find out more about our programs in Brazil.

African Youth Forum Brings Together Inspiring Leaders

Posted by  on Wednesday, April 13th 2011     

By Erin Mazursky, Youth Advisor at USAID

Last week, I was honored to participate and present alongside colleagues from the State Department and the U.S. Mission to the African Union (USAU) at the African Youth Forum in Addis Ababa, where USAID sponsored the participation of ten African youth from all over the continent.  They were part of over one hundred youth participants in the event.  The Forum was held in partnership with the African Union Commission on Human Resources and Youth in advance of July’s annual African Union (AU) Summit, which will have a special focus on youth empowerment.

The Forum brought together young civil society leaders, members of national youth councils, youth members of parliament, and entrepreneurs.  They highlighted top priorities such as education and empowerment in addressing the challenges as well as the opportunities of African youth to contribute to the promotion of economic growth, eradication of poverty, and stronger, more transparent democracies.  On the last day, youth participants created a resolution that will be presented to African Heads of State at the July AU Summit that states how they can support these priorities.

Throughout the Forum, I conducted one-on-one interviews with participants, each with a unique and inspiring story and passion for how youth can positively contribute to development: a climate change activist from Kenya who has mobilized youth throughout the continent, a business entrepreneur from Zambia who sells affordable baby diapers to low-income women, an HIV/AIDS advocate from Cameroon who works in universities to make contraception more available, and a consultant from Tanzania who started her own firm to help youth build capacity in their work.

The young people encouraged the U.S. to continue the conversation we started with the President’s Forum for Young African Leaders in Washington last August to create a common vision for our development efforts.  An exchange of ideas, skills and capacity-building were among the top recommendations for how the U.S. could continue to support their work.

USAID, the State Department, and USAU participated in panel discussions, including the “Friends of Africa” panel, where U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, Michael Battle, emphasized the important role African youth play in shaping the present and future of Africa.  He reiterated President Obama’s promise that the U.S. is ready to stand by them every step of the way.  I was also happy to announce USAID’s effort to create its first-ever global Youth in Development Policy. The young participants thanked the U.S. government for their continued engagement with young people throughout the continent and for making youth a priority.

Forum participants urged the international community to focus on the assets and opportunities African youth have to build upon Africa’s progress.  Unemployment also ranked among their top priorities, and it was broadly recognized that the best way to create jobs was through entrepreneurship.  They saw themselves as future employers rather than employees.  Youth participation in all levels of society – from households to schools to politics – was also stressed.  The more youth can be productive members of their communities, the greater opportunity for youth to be a part of solutions.

USAID and USAU were proud to lead the response for African Union support at the Forum.  USAID’s presence at the event helped convey the priority we place on youth in underlying the success of our work.  Overall, our support proved minimal in relation to what we were able to gain in listening and learning from innovative and forward-thinking youth from across the continent.

Youth Academy Empowers Tomorrow’s Political Leaders in Rwanda

Posted by  on Wednesday, March 23rd 2011     

Appeared in The National Democratic Institute

By: Andrew Farrand, Program Officer, Central and West Africa, NDI

While young people under 25 comprise approximately two-thirds of Rwanda’s population, historically they have lacked meaningful opportunities to engage in politics. An older elite has traditionally made the country’s political decisions, and during the 1994 genocide, political leaders mobilized disaffected youth for violent ends. But today, many young Rwandans hope to channel their untapped power into productive and peaceful political expression.

U.S. Ambassador W. Stuart Symington greets a YPLA student at a reception following the Kigali academy's launch. Photo Credit: NDI

Since September 2008, NDI has helped Rwandan political parties organize and communicate with supporters. This includes training young activists who are joining parties in increasing numbers and who are often receptive to new ideas about party organizing, democracy and technology that can help parties reach new voters and win more support.

To provide Rwandan youth with practical political skills, NDI partnered with the Rwandan Consultative Forum of Political Organisations to create the Youth Party Leadership Academy (YPLA) in Kigali last year. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the academy included three months of intensive political training, as well as a study mission to Accra, Ghana, for the top-performing students. There participants learned firsthand from their Ghanaian counterparts how young people can participate actively in political parties — and support peaceful, democratic politics in the process.

This month, the Institute launched an expanded academy in two locations: the capital, Kigali, and the southern city of Butare. The academy brought together 80 under-35 activists from all 10 of Rwanda’s registered political parties for three seminars a week over 10 weeks. Sessions are led by international and local practitioners and academics, and address political party organizing, political communication, good governance, building a political career, ethical leadership, negotiation and conflict prevention, and using technology for political organizing, among numerous other topics.

NDI Resident Director Amy Pritchard has high hopes for the students. “They’re an incredibly dynamic and engaged group,” she said. “We are focusing on the role political parties play in Rwanda’s government, elections and civic life, and are working on teaching skills that will improve the students’ and their parties’ leadership abilities.”

Meanwhile, the 34 graduates from the first academy are putting their new skills to good use. Last year, the Social Democratic Party nominated YPLA graduate Theodomir Niyonsenga to serve as its second deputy general secretary. During last year’s presidential elections, graduates Claudette Mukabaseyba, Pie Nizeyimana, Telesphore Hakorimana and Sada Uwase were invited to join the forum’s national election observation mission, while others served as political party agents at polling stations, trained fellow party members in campaign skills, or helped to organize campaign rallies and get-out-the-vote efforts. Two YPLA graduates ran in last month’s local elections and one, Angélique Mukunde, was elected vice mayor for economic affairs in the capital’s Kicukiro district.

Presidential Trip to El Salvador Highlights Youth

Posted by  on Tuesday, March 22nd 2011     

By: Mark Feierstein, Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean

On his trip to Latin America, President Obama highlighted the theme of partnership and echoed President Kennedy’s challenge “to build a hemisphere where all people can hope for a sustainable, suitable standard of living, and all can live out their lives in dignity and in freedom.”

Students from a US public school in San Salvador, wait for the arrival of US President Barack Obama at the airport in the Salvadorean capital on March 22, 2011. US President Barack Obama arrived in El Salvador Tuesday on the last leg of a three-nation tour of Latin America. Photo Credit: Salvador Melendez

One of the modern challenges for Latin American countries like El Salvador is addressing the grip of gangs and criminal organization on local communities, especially on young people.  One of the ways that USAID works to address youth issues in Central America is by partnering with local organizations and governments to invest in crime and drug prevention programs.

To highlight the need to engage youth and harness their potential for positive development, First Lady Michelle Obama visited the site of a USAID project called ¡Supérate! in San Salvador.

Accompanied by USAID Administrator Raj Shah, the first lady helped 30 enthusiastic ¡Supérate! students complete their community service project by painting a mural to decorate the center’s health clinic, which is scheduled to open next month.

¡Supérate! (which means improve yourself!) is a three-year after-school program that provides English, computer and life skills training to underprivileged youth-at risk (ages 13-18) who have demonstrated high academic performance and a desire for self-improvement.  Students train two hours, six days a week before or after their regular school day.

Students involved in this enriching program develop the skills necessary for a successful transition to higher education and or future jobs. With the help of Microsoft, youth involved in iSupérate! have access to computers and other technologies that allow them to further their education and compete in the modern job market.  More than 300 ¡Supérate! graduates have obtained university scholarships and/or permanent employment.

The program was launched in 2004 by the Sagrera Palomo Family Foundation, a local organization. Encouraged by the earlier success of ¡Supérate!, USAID teamed up with the foundation and Microsoft to open six new education centers in El Salvador. The partnership expects to benefit an additional 1,000 youths through the next 3 years.

At the event today, the first lady congratulated the students and the community of teachers and mentors who support them for their achievements and emphasized how important it is for students to give back to their communities through action.

Measuring the Impact of Sports on Youth Development

Posted by  on Thursday, March 10th 2011     

By: Clay Doherty, USAID

USAID’s Office of Development Partners (ODP) and the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) sponsored a panel discussion on “Measuring the Impact of Sports on Youth Development” on Tuesday, March 1st.   Over 125 guests and staff heard from NGO leadership who work with sports as a platform for youth development and spoke on the evaluation techniques for measuring the impact of these programs.

“This was a great opportunity for USAID staff and our external stakeholders to discuss how sports impacts the work we do in development,” said Mori Taheripour, Senior Alliance Officer in PSA/ODP, who organized the event. “Our panelists offered perspectives that show not only the impact of the work on the communities that they serve but also helped bridge the gap between observed impact and evidence-based outcomes that continue to challenge this industry.”

The panelists included Paul Teeple from Partners of the Americas: A Ganar Alliance; Maria Bobenreith, of Women Win; Kirk Friederich of Grassroot Soccer; and Brendan Tuohey of Peace Players International. PeacePlayers International and A Ganar are both USAID-funded programs.

Moderated by Kenneth Shropshire, of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, the panel highlighted the ability for sports to serve as a powerful platform for youth development.  USAID currently operates youth programs in over forty countries around the world and over 280 sports-based programs.

Sports-based youth programs have been used to address a variety of development issues, and the diversity of panelists highlighted represented the unique ability of sport, as a platform for development, to address a broad range of sectors including peace and conflict, gender inequality, health, education and economic development.

Panelists discussed how they use evaluation tools and the challenges that they face in seeking data-driven and rigorous evaluation methodology.  They shared a variety of anecdotal examples that truly capture the essence and “magic” of their work, but continue in many ways to struggle with balancing anecdotal and hard data, not wanting to lose the intangible, less obvious impact of their work.  The discussion explored several issues related to evaluating the impact of sports activities including: how to measure impact over the long-term; how to measure return on investment; and several methods, including the use of interviews to obtain meaningful, unbiased responses. Panelists identified the need to develop better tools for capturing the impact of sports on youth development and noted that USAID could play an important, convening role in this area.

USAID’s Youth Advisor, Erin Mazursky mentioned that the event was the kick-off of a series of youth-focused activities and events that will roll out over the next couple of months. “Focusing on youth is a priority for the agency,” she said.  “The recent events in the Middle East have shown that youth have proven that they are not just the next generation of change-makers, but a generation that is right now very much affecting the course of history.”

How Will We Shape the Next One-Hundred International Women’s Days?

Posted by  on Monday, March 7th 2011     

By: Sarah Tisch, Ph.D., Director, Asia and Gender Practice at Chemonics

As the 100th celebration of international women’s day approaches, I’ve been musing over the origins of the day and what it symbolizes. The first international women’s day was formally celebrated on March 19, 1911 throughout Europe, where both women and men advocated for women’s right to work under fair conditions.[1]

In 2011, as USAID reiterates its support for advancing women’s rights, it is appropriate to reflect on how international development programs can continue to support this objective of international women’s day. The time is ripe to ask ourselves how we, as development practitioners, can continue to advance women’s role as income earners around the world.

Sexual Harassment Workshop

Community members participate in a sexual harassment workshop, July 2005, Cotonou, Benin. ©Chemonics /ELVIRE AHOUNOU HOUÉNASSOU

From my twenty-six years of working in international development around the world, I believe that the key to a women’s ability to earn income is how the law defines her as an independent economic actor. Can she own and register a business? Qualify for credit without the signature of her husband, father or brother on a loan? Can she purchase property in her own name? Can she file taxes herself? Inherit property from her mother or father? What happens if she is widowed? To address these questions, USAID has sponsored several initiatives over the years that advance women’s legal rights, including rights related to income generation. These projects have initiated the dialogue over legislation which defines women status as individuals, statutes concerning marriage and divorce, inheritance and children, among other things.

USAID projects work to protect women’s rights by engaging government, civil society organizations, communities, and local leaders to change legislation that advances women’s rights. In some instances legislation change is directly related to enabling women’s economic engagement. However projects must also consider how to establish environments that are conducive to women’s economic participation. USAID has supported several projects which advance other aspects of women’s empowerment and ultimately contribute to her ability to earn an income. Projects such as the Women’s Legal Right Initiative worked in nine countries around the world on activities such as establishing policy to prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace and schools, and criminalize violence against women. In Benin, for example, this was put to practice by working with local NGOs to draft sexual harassment legislation that became law.

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