2. YASIN JANJUA CENTRE FOR POVERTY REDUCTION AND SOCIAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT (CPRSPD) Youth Engagement Strategy (YES) Issues, Challenges and Opportunities

3. Background Demographic Dividend  Almost 35% in the age range of 15-24 years  63% of the population below 25 years Growing concerns about  Radicalization  Joining extremist terror networks  Aggression and Violence  Lack of Citizenship among Pakistani Youth

4. Pakistani Youth: Issues and Challenges Leveraging from Risk to Strength Economic Slowdown Lack of employment opportunities Youth demographic bulge Low literacy among youth No life or vocational skills No career counseling Lack of citizenship Economy and Youth at Risk Youth Trajectories It’s my life (harnessing potential)  Opening Windows of Opportunities  Facilitating Youth Entrepreneurship Youth Engagement Strategy

5. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Youth and Pakistan’s Economy

6. Demographic Dividend Shriveled Economy

7. Issues Growth Rate Declined  From 5% on average to less than 2% in 2010  Slowdown in employment growth  Poor perception of global investor  Terrorism /Bad investment climate  Low tax to GDP ratio  Declining exports and FDI  Increasing debt burden Global Economic Shocks

8. Issues Education - NER 57% 13-15% completes secondary education 1% of total labor force has technical skills Youth entrants in labor force  With no education  No skills Missing Facilities / Markets Social and Economic justice Economy lacks capacity to absorb

9. Challenges Large Informal Sector Formal Sector shrinking  27.2% in 2007-08 to 26.7% in 2008-09 Outmoded job market entry mechanism  Informal training under ‘Ustad Shagird’ arrangement  Immersion in family Businesses  Formal training in vocational and technical training institutes and short-term programs  On-Job-Training(OJT)  Formal apprenticeship Socio – Cultural Influences on job market No Career counseling mechanisms

10. Pathways to skill acquisition and job market

13. Economy and Youth at Risk Increasing youth dependency Lower economic growth Youth share in employment 40.9% Youth Contribution to GDP 18-28% (Avg 23%) Increasing unemployment Results  Redundancy of skills  Lower future wages  Poverty  Vulnerability  Aggression and violence  Lower prospects of well being Immediate need to tackle these issues, otherwise

14. Cluelessness and Helplessness

15. ENGAGING YOUTH UNLOCKING THEIR POTENTIAL Leveraging from Risk to Strength

16. Objectives Understanding needs Provision of community infrastructure for youth Education and Skills Economic Opportunities Globalized & Socialized Youth

17. Understanding Youth Trajectories Trajectory of learning and life skill development Trajectory of transitioning form learning to work Trajectories of citizenship and responsibilities Trajectories of financial independence and autonomy in relation to ones family and married life

18. Its My Life Source: Sandra Franke (2010)

19. Research on Youth Issues Youth dependency, Youth Education and Skill Development Youth Employment, Livelihood, and Entrepreneurship Youth Social Capital and Networking Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Youth Violence and Suicide Prevention Youth Drug Prevention Youth Security and Justice Issues

20. Impart Skills Don’t Consider youth restless rather harness potential Don’t treat them as problem rather strength Impart Life Skills  building team spirit  Motivation  sharing ideas  problem solving skills  conflict resolution  Assertiveness  communication and networking  managing workload  time management  decision making  and graduating from fellowship to leadership

21. Opening Windows of Opportunities Access to Quality Education Access to Health Services Access to Finance Access to Markets Feedback in Policy Making Participation in Governance, Accountability and Compliance

22. Facilitating Entrepreneurship business environment for youth  business skill training,  mentorship  access to finance. re-zoning of spaces for commercial and private use  markets, roads, transportations  social and economic networking forums,  enforcement of copy right laws,  dispute resolution systems,  and venture capitals for ambitious start ups. Government  Facilitator -Rules and Regulations  Provision of missing facilities  Provider of public community infrastructures

23. New Development Approach

24. Recommendations It’s your life and we want to hear from you