STATE OF THE FIELD IN YOUTH ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Table of Contents
Chapter 9
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Annexes
2012 State of the Field in Youth Economic Opportunities
Conclusion
Chapter 15: Conclusion
Voices: Key Ingredients that Will Increase Economic Opportunities for Youth
and Move the Field Forward
“When youth, from a very young age, have access
to quality and relevant workforce development,
employment, enterprise development and financial
services programs, they are more likely to have
economic opportunities, avoid risky behavior,
adopt new technologies, inject new talent into the
marketplace, find solutions to social problems, engage
with others, and increase their earning potential over
their lifetimes. This creates a positive ripple effect
through families, communities, and local economies.
To reach this ideal, we need to achieve more
breakthroughs. We need to develop more targeted
programming that is intentionally designed to serve
specific populations. We need to be able to better
identify, through the use of robust M&E, models that
hold merit for scaling. We need to partner more to fill
current gaps in the field and increase the reach of our
initiatives. And, we need to maximize the potential
technology holds, both for use in our programming
and as a growth-oriented sector that can offer young
people decent jobs and successful business prospects.
When we make these breakthroughs, we will stop
seeing headlines of frustration, desperation, and
hopelessness. Instead, we’ll see headlines about social
progress, economic growth, and improved quality of
life that breaks inter-generational poverty.”
– Fiona Macaulay, Founder and CEO, Making Cents
International
The 2011 Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference highlighted major advances in the Youth Economic
Opportunities field and remaining steps needed to move the field forward. The following conclusions and
takeaways emerged from the diverse sectors and stakeholders represented at the Conference and reflect general
consensus about how YEO programs can contribute to equitable socio-economic development.
• Apply what we know about youth economic programming, and continue to focus
on results: Now, more than ever, programs incorporate research components and M&E strategies
that bring us far beyond the anecdotal evidence and ad hoc learning we had previously. We know
more about subtle nuances between heterogeneous groups of youth, general tendencies in young
people’s participation in YEO programs, youth saving and spending habits, and new ways to engage
members of the private and public sectors, to name a few. Sharing and applying that learning, as well
as incorporating more M&E and youth-focused research into new programs, must form a part of new
program design.
• Empower marginalized populations: Following major advancements in programming for
AGYW, the field has developed new models for reaching at-risk or other marginalized youth
populations, including populations that experience multiple forms of marginalization. The field moves
closer to the dictum, “do no harm,” as practitioners become savvier about prioritizing protection
and preventing unintended consequences of new forms of economic participation. Negotiating the
tension between scale-up and serving high-needs populations will continue to challenge the field.
Stakeholders, and especially donors and governments, must come to a common understanding about
when and where deeper, more intense investments in marginalized populations should be prioritized
over programming and policies that impact a broader audience.
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