Youth-led Initiatives Research Articles

Agriculture and the youth population in Africa: An under-tapped resource for inclusive development

Several countries in Africa and other developing nations have grown, not only astronomically in terms of population, but also economically over the past two to three decades. However, available evidence has shown that economic growth alone does not guarantee inclusivity, a precondition for development. While some economic growth initiatives are pro-poor leading to some form of segregation, others are overtly sectoral, discriminatory, and sometimes unsustainable. Meanwhile, agricultural development through a conscious and committed investment portends a good deal for inclusive transformation considering the pivotal place of agriculture in the economic fabric of these countries. Again, with the rising population of young people in the continent with no appreciable investment in new skills and technologies to catch up with the demand of 21st century labour markets, agriculture remains the only sector capable of absorbing the burgeoning demographic. The youth population in Africa represents a dynamic and transformative force for the continent's socioeconomic landscape. With over 60% of the population under the age of 25, this group can significantly drive inclusive development, particularly through agriculture. Agriculture, as a primary sector, not only supports livelihoods but also fosters innovation, job creation, and food security. Agriculture, no doubt has always provided the necessary impetus required to drive the engine of industrialisation in Africa despite the many challenges facing the sector. It is against this backdrop that this paper explores the intersection of youth engagement in agriculture and inclusive development in Africa. It highlights how empowering young people with access to education, resources, and critical technology can lead to sustainable agricultural practices and enhanced productivity. By highlighting some important initiatives, the paper illustrate how youth-led initiatives in agriculture can address critical challenges such as unemployment, rural-urban migration, and food insecurity. Key words: Africa, Agriculture, Human resource, Inclusive development, Youth population

SMEs as Agents of Peace and Security: Insights from the 2023 YouthConnekt Africa Summit

This study examines the potential of youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to contribute significantly to Africa’s peace and security agenda. Drawing on insights from the 2023 YouthConnekt Africa Summit, thepaper highlights the critical role that these enterprises can play in fostering peaceful engagement and addressing the root causes of conflict. By investing in youth leadership capacity, supporting youth-led initiatives, and creating safe spaces for dialogue, governments and stakeholders can leverage on the power of youth-led SMEs to promote positive peacebuilding outcomes. The study further identifies key areas for engagement, including contextual specificity, understanding the root causes of threats and opportunities, going beyond tokenism, andimplementing comprehensive national action plans on youth, peace, and security. While youth-led SMEs offer a promising avenue for peacebuilding. Further research is needed to understand their impact and developeffective strategies for supporting their growth and success.

Empowering youth as agents of change: Gaps and opportunities for meaningful youth engagement (MAYE) for sustainable nutrition, climate and public health programmes.

Addressing the intersection of food insecurity, malnutrition and climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa requires meaningful adolescent and youth engagement to drive sustainable change. Drawing on empirical evidence and collective experiences from youth-led initiatives and coalitions, four gaps and opportunities to better involve youth in programmes are discussed, including, the need to: (1) standardise the definition of youth to improve programme design and data harmonisation, (2) provide capacity building and mentorship for youth leadership in health service delivery, (3) foster youth leadership and multisectoral collaboration in food and health systems and (4) enhance capacity development for non-youth actors to support genuine youth participation. This viewpoint underscores the importance of involving African youth in public health nutrition, climate change and food security programmes design and implementation-as drivers of change to addressing hunger and climate crises. By centering youth voices and experiences, programmes and policies can better address African communities' complex challenges, fostering inclusivity, sustainability and resilience in achieving better nutrition and public health programmes and outcomes.

Understanding Youth Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Uganda: Social, Economic, and Behavioural Dimensions

This review examines the multifaceted vulnerability of Ugandan youth to HIV/AIDS, emphasising the interplay of social, economic, and behavioural dimensions. Through a comprehensive analysis of HIV prevalence rates, trends, regional variations, and gender disparities, the review highlights key risk factors, including peer pressure, cultural norms, stigma, economic hardship, and substance use. It underscores the critical role of gender dynamics, with female youth facing unique challenges such as gender-based violence and economic dependence, while LGBTQ+ youth encounter compounded risks due to societal stigma and inadequate services. We also explore the disparities between rural and urban youth in access to information and services, uncovering significant barriers they face. Youth-led initiatives are critical in addressing these challenges, with peer education programs, youth-friendly services, and innovative digital campaigns all playing a crucial role in prevention efforts. We discuss barriers to youth participation, such as stigma, cultural norms, and educational gaps, and discuss strategies to overcome them, like culturally sensitive education and improved access to resources. We highlight the role of schools and educational institutions, emphasising the importance of integrating comprehensive sex education, school-based health services, and extracurricular activities to foster awareness and preventive behaviours. The review also highlights the importance of youth advocacy and leadership in shaping inclusive policies and driving effective interventions. We present economic empowerment strategies, including skills training andmicrofinance, as complementary to health-focused efforts by addressing socioeconomic vulnerabilities. The review concludes by advocating for a holistic approach that combines education, economic empowerment, gender-sensitive interventions, and collaborative partnerships among government, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector to effectively reduce HIV prevalence and improve the well-being of Ugandan youth. Keywords: Youth, HIV/AIDS, Uganda, social, economic, and behavioural dimensions

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and HIV/AIDS Prevention among Youth in East Africa

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is a pivotal strategy for reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence among youth in East Africa, where the growing young population presents significant challenges for effective prevention. This review examines the role of CSE in equipping young people with essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes to make informed decisions about their sexual health. We explore the importance of culturally relevant and evidence-based curricula, the impact of teacher training programmes, and the integration of CSE into both school and community settings. We highlight the crucial role of youth-friendly health services in providing accessible and confidential care and identify peer education and youth-led initiatives as key strategies for engaging and empowering young people in HIV prevention. We examine the role of economic empowerment strategies, such as microfinance and vocational training, in reducing HIV vulnerability. We discuss gender-sensitive approaches to address the unique needs of different genders, including LGBTQ+ youth. The review also explores the potential of innovative technologies and digital solutions, such as mobile health applications and social media campaigns, to enhance HIV prevention efforts. The review emphasises community engagement and support systems, policy advocacy, and research as essential components for a comprehensive response. By integrating these diverse strategies, the review underscores the need for a multi-faceted approach to effectively address HIV/AIDS among youth in East Africa, ultimately aiming to improve health outcomes and achieve sustainable prevention goals. Keywords: Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), HIV/AIDS, Youth, East Africa

Reading in Relation: Youth Mentors and Adults Co-Constructing Teaching and Learning in a High School Literacy Classroom

Most schools operate as hierarchical structures, where adult stakeholders largely dictate what counts as knowledge and how to teach it. While previous scholarship has documented the promise of youth-led initiatives to trouble hierarchical structures, these explorations tend to occur outside of schools and do not typically account for the kinds of changes in relations between youth and adults necessary to disrupt hierarchical structures from within. Using third-generation cultural-historical activity theory as our theoretical framework, in this study we explore the shifts in subject-subject relations that emerged as high school youth literacy mentors, their teacher, and university researchers participated in iterative processes of co-configuration to open up new possibilities for literacy learning at their public school. We examine how youth mentors and adults co-designed and co-taught the Literacy Mentorship Class (LMC) while increasingly engaging contradictions as double binds within the Literacy Mentorship Debrief (LMD). We trace how evolving subject-subject relations in the LMD contributed to shifts in divisions of labor, rules, objects, and mediating artifacts in and beyond the LMC. Ultimately, we propose debriefs as a set of reflective practices to facilitate future possibilities for co-configuration among youth and adults that can be responsive to the particularities of any school community.

Mitigating mental health and wellbeing challenges among young populations: A scan of youth-led initiatives across Canada to inform psychosocial program development

Youth across Canada are developing creative initiatives that address blind spots and inadequacies in youth mental health services and support, yet few have been formally documented. This study fills this gap, compiling and distilling learnings from youth-led initiatives about the approaches and spaces they have created to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of their peers. Using a decolonizing framework, a systematic scan of the grey literature was conducted to identify youth-led initiatives across Canada. A total of 107 youth-led initiatives were included and information regarding their governance structure, mission, delivery of their programs, and definition of mental health and wellbeing was collected and thematically analyzed using an intersectionality lens. Three important themes were identified that ground the work of youth-led initiatives: 1) Facilitating education, capacity building and access to resources, 2) Ensuring inclusive spaces for healing and social support, and 3) Fostering diversity and pride. The unique narratives, values and approaches projected in youth-led initiatives offer important insights regarding what youth want, and emphasize the importance of engaging youth in the design and development of mental health and wellbeing policies, services, and strategies to improve their responsiveness and cultural safety.

Promoting Youth Involvement in Environmental Sustainability for a Sustainable Future

Promoting youth involvement in environmental sustainability is crucial for a sustainable future. This article explores effective strategies and policy recommendations to engage young people in environmental conservation efforts. By integrating environmental education in school curricula, establishing youth advisory councils, providing funding for youth-led initiatives, promoting inclusivity and diversity, and recognizing youth contributions, we can harness the creativity and passion of young individuals to address environmental challenges. These efforts should be supported by leveraging technology, facilitating collaboration, and ensuring equal opportunities. Empowering youth as leaders and change-makers will pave the way for a greener and more resilient future for all.

THE ROLE OF YOUTH IN COMBATING SOCIAL INEQUALITY: EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION

Social inequality is a pressing issue in India that disproportionately affects young individuals. This analysis explores the impact of social inequality on various domains, including education, employment, housing, health, and social inclusion. It highlights the challenges faced by young people in accessing quality education, securing stable employment, finding affordable housing, maintaining good health, and participating fully in society. However, youth-led organizations and activists have emerged as powerful agents of change in addressing these disparities. Youth-led interventions have focused on bridging the educational gap, promoting equal job opportunities, advocating for affordable housing, improving healthcare access, and championing social justice causes. These initiatives have demonstrated effectiveness in raising awareness, influencing policies, creating support networks, and mobilizing communities. However, challenges such as limited resources and contextual nuances must be considered when transferring successful models to different contexts. The long-term impact of youth empowerment in combating social inequality is significant. Youth involvement fosters leadership skills, active citizenship, and community engagement, creating a ripple effect of social change. Successful models developed in India can serve as valuable examples for other communities, emphasizing the universal nature of social inequality and the collaborative efforts required to address it. Sustained support for youth-led initiatives, recognition of their contributions, and the creation of inclusive environments are crucial for building a more equitable and just society. By harnessing the potential of youth, India can effectively combat social inequality and empower its young population to shape a brighter future for all.

The Role of Youth in Combating Social Inequality: Empowering the Next Generation

Social inequality is a pressing issue in India that disproportionately affects young individuals. This analysis explores the impact of social inequality on various domains, including education, employment, housing, health, and social inclusion. It highlights the challenges faced by young people in accessing quality education, securing stable employment, finding affordable housing, maintaining good health, and participating fully in society. However, youth-led organizations and activists have emerged as powerful agents of change in addressing these disparities. Youth-led interventions have focused on bridging the educational gap, promoting equal job opportunities, advocating for affordable housing, improving healthcare access, and championing social justice causes. These initiatives have demonstrated effectiveness in raising awareness, influencing policies, creating support networks, and mobilizing communities. However, challenges such as limited resources and contextual nuances must be considered when transferring successful models to different contexts. The long-term impact of youth empowerment in combating social inequality is significant. Youth involvement fosters leadership skills, active citizenship, and community engagement, creating a ripple effect of social change. Successful models developed in India can serve as valuable examples for other communities, emphasizing the universal nature of social inequality and the collaborative efforts required to address it. Sustained support for youth-led initiatives, recognition of their contributions, and the creation of inclusive environments are crucial for building a more equitable and just society. By harnessing the potential of youth, India can effectively combat social inequality and empower its young population to shape a brighter future for all.

Youth Agency in Civic Education: Contemporary Perspectives from Cabo Verde

Globally, young people have demonstrated a certain level of disenchantment with the way their societies are being governed. Whereas some argue that they have become apathetic and somehow passive bystanders, new trends highlight that the opposite is true in many parts of the world. This paper explores the dynamics of youth groups in Cabo Verde who are acting on their frustrations with the lack of state-led citizenship education and enacting new sites to empower other citizens, foster critical and active citizenship as well as develop capabilities to engage, both individually and collectively, in civic and political activities. Two youth-led initiatives, Djumbai Libertariu and Parlamentu di Guetto, which emerged recently in the capital city Praia, will be analysed as social movements contributing to the emergence of new civic spaces, led by youth, for citizenship education, with the aim of tackling the lack of civil society action and attempting to address issues of general concern through both individual and collective action.

Participatory youth-led community development: A child-centered visual SWOT analysis in India

In India, 27.5% of the population is youth in the age group of 15–29 years and 67.5% of the Indian population lives in rural and semi-urban areas. Youth civic engagements and youth-led initiatives are crucial for community development. The purpose of this paper is to examine how well youth-led initiatives are creating a positive impact in the community, as well as how these initiatives are recognized by their own community members and key stakeholders. This paper describes how youth-led visual technology and media-based community development processes transformed a nomadic tribal community in India with a focus on promoting child rights. The project “INaGi: A Child-Centered Visual SWOT” (Ilaingargaludan Nagaramum Giramamum, Tamil for “Youth with Urban and Rural Areas”) was executed by Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL), a youth-led organization based in Pondicherry, India. The project offered visual technology and media tools to local youth to capture the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the tribal community and provided space for them to reflect, connect, and act for mutual social transformation. This process recognizes indigenous knowledge, co-creation, and the power of young people and new age technology, and it enables local people to innovate local solutions for local problems. Furthermore, this paper discusses a youth-led bottom-up approach for the planning and execution of child-centered community development, as particularly distinct from a donor-driven project approach. Visual-based participatory action research methods were adopted to engage youth, community members, and other key stakeholders of the project. This paper captures the participatory youth-led community development process, its positive outcomes, and lessons learned from the process and put forth recommendations for key stakeholders.

Engaging Youth in a New Kind of Advocacy.

> We are pleased to publish the top 2 submissions from the second annual Section on Pediatric Trainees advocacy essay competition in the November and December issues of Pediatrics. This year’s competition asked participants to consider how we as pediatricians could best advocate for access to quality care for all children. The winning submission by Dr. Michael Mattiucci took this prompt a step further, exploring how we can empower children and their families to be their own best health care advocates. Drawing on earlier, transformative experiences in a small village in Haiti for inspiration, where youth-led initiatives were critical in helping to combat a cholera outbreak, Mattiucci argues that to have the most far-reaching impact, we must move beyond the traditional model of advocating on behalf of patients and instead adopt a more collaborative approach by advocating together with them. By partnering with our patients and their families to build a network of committed advocates, we can help to bring about meaningful and sustainable change. I felt awful, just sitting there with the unrelenting drumming of rain on the tin roof above me. I had just hiked with a small team through the mountainous Haitian countryside to reach a remote village. We were a group of college students researching the cholera outbreak that occurred after the 2010 earthquake, and we had come to this village because it was especially affected by the disease. Soon after we arrived, it began to storm, stranding us inside a small hut on a muddy mountainside. As the rain continued for hours, I began to feel a deep sense of helplessness. I could almost see the bacteria in the water, spreading, crippling the … Address correspondence to Michael J. Mattiucci, MD, MPH, University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program, 13123 E. 16th Ave, B158, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail: michael.mattiucci{at}childrenscolorado.org

Closed spaces or (in)competent citizens? A study of youth preparedness for participation in elections in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACTThis study sets out to explore the barriers to youth participation and how youth could be supported to enhance their participation in elections and governance processes in Zimbabwe. The study was carried out using quantitative methodologies. A survey was carried out to collect data, which in turn was analysed using SPSS. Evidence from the study shows that decision-making processes are not improving and becoming more participatory and youth inclusive. It was observed that youth participation in elections and governance processes is low and it is hampered inter alia by restrictive political structures, lack of interest, lack of information and lack of funds. Whilst some youth are ready to run for public office, they need to freely participate in politics and develop without restrictions, including getting support through leadership training. These young candidates will also need training in elections and governance processes as well as mobilise and sensitise other youth to register to vote if they are to succeed in their quest for public office. Resources and support must be given to youth-led initiatives that are reaching out to young people and ensure they play their part in democratic processes at all levels of governments.

Ensino médio, educação profissional e desigualdades socioespaciais no estado de São Paulo

Este artigo apresenta uma síntese dos achados relativos ao estado de São Paulo da pesquisa “<span>Políticas para o ensino médio: o caso de quatro estados</span>”. O texto é pautado pela seguinte problemática: há escolas de ensino médio que, apesar de localizadas em territórios de alta vulnerabilidade social e econômica, alcançam bons resultados? A pesquisa constatou fatores que contribuem para o bom aproveitamento dos alunos nas escolas investigadas, como: o bom relacionamento dos gestores com a equipe escolar e com os alunos; o trabalho em equipe; os espaços para o protagonismo juvenil na escola; a estabilidade da equipe escolar; e o apoio da equipe da Diretoria de Ensino

Race lines and spaces of political action among migrant youth

Recently proposed Anti-Racism Strategy established within a framework of the Australian Government's multicultural policy, People of Australia, identifies ‘youth engagement’ as one of the key areas that needs to be promoted and supported. Young people have been invited to join youth councils and youth forums and work with national, state and local policy-makers. Some have taken up this challenge and became public faces and active members of anti-racism campaigns. Others, however, either remained silent about the discrimination they face, or organised their own grassroots youth-based and youth-led initiatives. This paper discusses individual and collective responses to racism among young people in Australia, focusing on Melbourne, and examines possibilities in which racism, as a common experience among migrant youth, can be utilised to form alternative spaces for political action, challenging not only interpersonal, but also systemic forms of racism. By drawing attention towards institutional and systemic forms of racism, and the historical perpetuation of racist practices, these youth initiatives rely on legal measures, and argue that racism should be discussed in the context of the broader Australian society, not only in relation to minority groups.

The Rise of Student-to-Student Learning: Youth-led Programs Impacting Engineering Education Globally

Around the globe, students and young engineers are playing an increasing role in the coordination and delivery of engineering education programs. Many youth-led initiatives are now conducted with students involved in all aspects of their creation, organisation and delivery. This trend presents an exciting opportunity for the education of engineering students, both those involved in delivery of the courses and for participants.
 
 This paper profiles four leading youth-led engineering education programs and analyses their structure and growth in recent years. Profiled are initiatives coordinated by Engineers Without Borders â?? Australia (EWB-A); the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST); the Electrical Engineering Studentsâ?? European Association (EESTEC); and the Student Platform for Engineering Education Development (SPEED). Each case study includes a brief history of the organisation, program overview, growth analysis and future projections.
 The common features amongst these programs were analysed, as were the aspects which made them distinct from traditional university offerings. Key findings about the initiatives include: an international focus; the mixture of formal learning and social aspects; an integral role of volunteers within the organisation; the use of residential programs; and the role of internal professional development of committee members and volunteers.
 
 Additionally, this paper outlines the benefits for universities and provides a guide for how engineering faculties can support and nurture these initiatives and effectively create partnerships.