Programming to Promote Young People’s Civic, Social and Economic Engagement Session 8 © UNICEF/UN074393/Al-Issa

Some Key Challenges to Overcome Adolescents and youth are not a homogeneous group Fear of empowering young people “too much” Young people’s engagement does not occur automatically Process to be encouraged, promoted and strengthened Typically starts at Level 1 or 2 and develops over time to higher levels Youth organizations/programs tend to grow from bottom up RISK of “growing old” Lack of political will or downright opposition to young people’s participation and engagement

Civic Engagement Economic Engagement Participate in the civic life of the community. All the actions which contribute to the communities in all the fields Social Engagement All the actions which increase resilience, social cohesion and social capital. Economic Engagement Interventions that strengthen workplace readiness and employability of youth and provide youth with opportunities for economic self-empowerment.

Programming to Promote Young People’s Civic, Social and Economic Engagement Civic Engagement Interventions Social Engagement Interventions Economic Engagement Interventions Develop skills, knowledge and attitudes of young people to identify issues affecting their own or communities wellbeing Reinforce social capital, develop peaceful and supportive social interactions Strengthen employability of youth and provide them with opportunity for economic self-empowerment

Recommendations and Lessons Learned Group discussion (1h15m) Define Civic, Social and Economic Engagements What Works and What Does Not? Plenary Sharing and Discussion PRACTICAL EXAMPLES

Some Key Recommendations Develop and implement policies that promote positive engagement opportunities for young people, including their engagement in socio-economic life Sustainability and scale: Promote engagement interventions which are integrated through sectors and delivered through existing institutions (in already available spaces) Support programmes that have been assessed for effectiveness or have measures in place to monitor and integrate lessons learned Engage with the private sector to contribute to solutions, such as provision of training and apprenticeship Flexible programming – ensure scope for flexibility in the engagement interventions creating space for young people to influence the programmes

Voices of Youth – Sharing Experiences “ I decided to inform myself and learn more about Voices of Youth. I learned that it is a safe platform, encouraging me to share my voice responsibly, meaning never to put my safety and the safety of others at risk.” Yousef Al-Herek, 17, Syria Committed and Proactive Engagement “I lost four years of school, I lost my future – so I thought. But with my will power and determination I started studying in the camp and got an average of 86%”. Young male, 19, Zaatari Camp

Promising Practices – Civic Engagement Jordan: In the “child friendly city” of the Greater Amman Municipality, children's rights are reflected in policies, laws, programmes and budgets. The voices and opinions of young people are taken into consideration through the Child Municipality Councils, enabling them to engage with and influence decision makers and decision making processes. Palestine: Through adolescent and youth-led initiatives in the Westbank, Palvision enables young people to practice active citizenship and to participate in decision- making processes at local level: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7TBm2WA38w Ma'an Gaza build up capacity of Community Based Organizations and facilitated over 110 adolescent- and youth-led initiatives covering all topics of their concern: www.unicef.org/oPt/real_lives_10187.htm

Promising Practices – Social Engagement Syria: Sports 4 Development helps young people to increase their resilience: http://childrenofsyria.info/2015/10/20/away-from-war-sports-bringing-hope-again-to- re-engage-syrian-children-with-their-childhood/ Youth theatre promote a peaceful society: http://childrenofsyria.info/2015/08/12/striving-for-peace-in-syria-one-play-at-the-time/ Palestine: Social Cohesion initiative in Gaza through Ma'an- www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s1Wbq89xSk Jordan: Sports or arts initiatives implemented by Generation for Peace reduce tensions between local and refugee communities by actively engaging them www.generationsforpeace.org/en/

Promising Practices – Economic Engagement Jordan: During Boot Camps organized by Oasis500, young people are trained on leadership and life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork and civic participation; and are supported in starting projects that benefit their community: www.unicef.org/jordan/media_10979.htm Palestine: Through INJAZ, young people participated in workshops such as “Leadership”, “Be Entrepreneurial”, “It's my Business”, and “Business Ethics” and gained insight into the complexities and rewards of entrepreneurship and business in today's interdependent market economy. www.unicef.org/oPt/Story_- _Japan_-_Awarta_-_Entrepreneurship_Injaz_-_March_2016.pdf The “Bridging programme” (upcoming) will focus on disadvantaged Palestinian secondary school students and prepare them for transition to post-secondary education. They will be equipped with relevant skills, and benefit from increased opportunities for entrepreneur-ships and internships and career counselling. Morocco: Through INJAZ Al-Maghrib, young people learned how to develop and implement a business plan including components like fundraising, marketing and communication, and production, as well as how to create a junior enterprise and start the production process. A competition was organized and the best ideas / entrepreneurship models were honored. Syria: BRIDGES (upcoming) provides young people with life skills-based education; vocational and technical training, and technical and financial support to lead business entrepreneurship initiatives.