Three out of five of the 500 million people living in Latin America and the Caribbean are younger than age 30, and the vast majority of them will mature during a time of social, economic, technological, and political changes that will affect them profoundly.
Such changes and the growth in the number of young people will have far-reaching implications for governments, economies, communities, and the environment. The future of the region has never been so heavily dependent on a single generation.
Recognizing the special role young people should play in the grand project of building a region of stable democracies, sustainable economies and societies based on equity, the Bank created the Youth Development and Outreach Program in 1995 to respond more effectively to the needs of young people in the region and promote their participation and leadership in the development process. This program is managed by the Special Programs Section in the Office of External Relations.
New Orleans Youth Summit
During the activities of the IDB Annual Meeting in New Orleans (March 23-29), 64 especially selected young people from Latin American, the Caribbean, United States, Canada and Asia will exchange experiences and discuss their work with representatives of youth organizations, nongovernment organizations, the private sector, and international organizations. They will subsequently examine best practices, extract lessons learned, and draw practical conclusions.
The IDB/IIC-New Orleans Youth Summit will present findings on best practices, successful programs and effective partnerships for building human and social capital among youth; analyze existing and potential policies that would create a more supportive environment for youth development and participation; highlight the economic and social contributions of young people at the community and national levels; and emphasize the strategic importance of investing in youth development and participation.
Discussions will focus on the principal theme of the Annual Meeting - technology - as well as key issues that affect youth in the region, such as health, employment, policies, and youth service and participation.
The StarMedia Foundation is the IDB partner in organizing the event and the IDB Japan Program is co-sponsoring the event.
Vision
The IDB Youth Development and Outreach Program envisions an Inter-American region where the voices and actions of young people are valued in all sectors of society as critical resources in the social, political and economic processes.
Mission
The IDB initiative emphasizes youth participation and leadership, entrepreneurial development, technology, community service, cultural development and environmental conservation.
The Program establishes alliances with the public and private sectors, nongovernmental organizations and youth themselves in order to create a space for the voices and actions of young people in the development process.
Main goals
The Program has four main goals:
- Advocate youth development and participation as an integral part of development.
- Empower young people to become involved in their personal development and that of their communities.
- Mainstream youth development and participation throughout IDB operations.
- Promote inter-organizational partnerships to advance youth development and participation.
Lines of action
The Youth Development and Outreach Program carries out its activities through the following six main lines of action:
- Capacity Building - Creates training initiatives and projects that develop the managerial, entrepreneurial and leadership skills of youth, so that they become the actors of development instead of the subjects of development.
- Youth Network - Manages a regional network of IDB youth delegates established during a youth forum in Israel in 1995, when the Bank held its Annual Meeting in Jerusalem. This is a growing network of more than 8000 young leaders and social entrepreneurs actively engaged in socio-economic activities that act as catalysts in their communities and countries
- Outreach and Communications - Creates public awareness among the general public, government agencies, and the nonprofit and private sectors on the contributions and value of youth participation and development.
- Intra-Agency Mainstreaming - Seeks to mainstream youth development and participation throughout IDB operations. The Youth Development and Outreach Program has developed internal alliances with other departments and IDB Country Offices to integrate youth development and participation into the IDB’s mission.
- Policy Advocacy and Formulation - Promotes a supportive policy environment for youth development and participation by disseminating effective policies, best practices and model programs.
- Inter-Agency Collaboration - Promotes the importance of Inter-American collaboration and inter-agency partnerships to better respond to the needs of youth. Represents the IDB in the Inter-American Working Group on Youth Development (IAWGYD), a consortium of international donor agencies that supports new approaches to positive youth development and participation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- For more information on the IDB Youth program contact the following people:
Fabian Koss, Youth Liaison, Tel.: (202) 623-3097, E-mail: fabiank@iadb.org
Marta Estarellas, Tel.: (202) 623-1559, E-mail: martae@iadb.org
Sarika Seki Hussey, Tel.: (202) 623-3164, E-mail:sarikah@iadb.org
Website: http://www.iadb.org/exr/mandates/youth.htm(English)