Youth Democratic & Economic Empowerment

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The Sixth Assembly
Youth Engagement & Empowerment

Youth Democratic & Economic Empowerment

Organizer:
 
Moderator:
Moin Fudda – CIPE-Pakistan (Pakistan)
 
Rapporteur:
Eric Hontz – CIPE (U.S.)
 
Presenters:
Majid Shabbir – Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Pakistan)
James Shikwati – Inter Region Economic Network-IREN (Kenya)
Mohammad Nasib – CIPE-Afghanistan (Afghanistan)
Robin Sitoula – Samriddi Foundation (Nepal)
Building a democracy that benefits all citizens is a long-term endeavor. Democratic institutions and practices take time to emerge and solidify. Similarly, the values of transparency, accountability, fairness, and responsibility that underpin democratic systems and market economies often need generations to become ingrained in the societal fabric. Engaging younger generations in building functional democracies and markets is therefore a necessary precondition for a country’s long-term democratic evolution.
 
Instilling a sense of civic responsibility and citizenship among young people and equipping them with tools for participation should be a major component of the democratic and market reform agenda worldwide. Typically, as society’s most idealistic and driven segment, young people can be powerful change advocates, demanding better democratic governance and better economic policies from their governments. To be effective in such efforts, youth need a voice in public discourse and skills to translate their desire for change into concrete ideas. They must also develop and learn to trust their own ability to effect change rather than wait for the government to provide all the answers.
 
As the inheritors of today’s policy decisions young people should be more involved in political and economic decision making that influences their countries’ futures. Their active participation in democratic and market-oriented reforms is imperative for replacing vicious cycles of frustration and joblessness with virtuous cycles of empowerment and prosperity. Many domestic and international youth programs make young people the object of various initiatives, but they do not provide them with opportunities to be active participants in shaping initiatives according to their priorities and needs.
 
Young leaders play a crucial role in initiating reform, standing up to oppressive regimes, and mobilizing the private sector and civil society to advocate for change. Although youth often lack the skills and confidence to become leaders in their communities today, with capacity building, opportunities to participate, and encouragement, they can become vital players in democratic and market-oriented reform for generations to come.
 
To begin any dialogue with youth we must acknowledge that education is vital to their future democratic and economic empowerment. Without access to education, young people’s futures are in danger of being lost before they even begin. Civil society should therefore involve youth from an early age in their programming to foster a feeling of inclusiveness in the process of building their nation’s democracy and economy.
 
Challenges
 
  • Youth often don’t have outlets to impact policies that will affect them in the future.
  • Youth constitute a majority, or near majority, in many countries around the world but face bleak job markets. Without good paying jobs, they have a greater tendency to be attracted to extremist groups and can thus become a future source of instability and violence in their countries.
  • Educational systems in many parts of the world focus on theories rather than on their practical applications. Young people are thus often unprepared to enter the workforce, since they have little knowledge of the practical application of skills.
  • Although programs for youth in universities are important, civil society actors should focus attention on those students who drop out of educational systems. The high drop-out rate, and the number of youth who are forced by economic circumstances to work, leave a large group of young people who remain underserved by any educational institution.
  • The informal sector constitutes a very large percentage of all economic activity in many countries around the world, and informal businesses invite corruption and constrain the growth of many businesses.
Recommendations
 
  • Existing organizations that traditionally have not involved youth in their programming should find ways to include them so their voices can be heard at all levels of government and in a variety of different settings.
  • One way to engage the leaders of tomorrow is to introduce young entrepreneurs to potential mentors in business communities.
  • By helping youth to establish their own businesses civil society can advance the prosperity, self-esteem, and influence of young people in society.
  • Civil society institutions can play key roles in filling in the education gap left by formal education. For example, very few universities focus on entrepreneurship, which can help young people start their own businesses and become active members of their communities.

Civil society should encourage governments to foster young entrepreneurship by creating streamlined processes to register their businesses, helping them obtain credit for start-up and expansion, and ensuring that if they fail they can choose to start up again.