How Far to Take Empowerment? Genuine Youth Engagement: What does it look like? How to achieve it?

Society for International Development (SID):

Youth in Development Work Group
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
12:00 - 1:30 pm– Brown Bag Lunch
How Far to Take Empowerment?

Genuine Youth Engagement: What does it look like? How to achieve it?

 Youth development researchers and practitioners recognize the fundamental importance of engaging youth as full partners in planning and implementing policy and programming at all levels.  In recent consultations, USAID representatives identified youth participation as a key guiding principle within the draft USAID Youth Policy.  However, in a results-based environment, in which donors and implementers must be accountable for concrete outcomes and cost-effective interventions, to what extent can practitioners and managers legitimately engage youth and empower them to give real direction to programming?

Representatives from USAID’s youth development policy workgroup, youth development program implementers, and a youth representative will speak about successes, challenges, and strategies for involving young people, including at-risk and marginalized youth, substantively in the design and implementation of youth-serving programs

Speakers:

Jennifer Watts, USAID Youth Policy Planning Team
Maria Andrawis, Program Coordinator, MENA, IYF
Additional speaker TBD

Location: IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board)
2121 K St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20037

IREX and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) are pleased to invite you to the first Youth in Development Work Group event for the 2011-2012 season. In 2012, based on feedback from a planning meeting in October, 2011, we will explore issues around youth empowerment and monitoring and evaluation within the current youth development policy environment.

Who should attend: practitioners, researchers, students, funders, and others with experience and/or interest in youth development programming.

What to bring: please bring your lunch and be ready to engage with the panelists in lively dialogue.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 20, and direct any questions to Courtney Bjoregaard at cbjorgaard@sidw.org. 

Please pass this invitation along to any interested colleagues.