Youth Engagement InitiativesAfrica Peace Service Corps

Youth Empowerment StrategiesEast Africa Global Peace Leadership Conference Zanzibar, July 21-24, 2015

Presentation by:Dr Tuesday Gichuki, PhD

Executive Director, Africa Peace Service Corps

Youth Empowerment Strategies

• Definition/Dimensions of youth• Key Youth Issues• Youth Unemployment• Collective Impact Approach• APSC Strategies, Achievements & Challenges• Way Forward

Definition/Dimensions of youth

Gender Dimensions

15-24 (UN)

15-35 (AU)

Agents of Violence/

Peace

Youth with limited education and employment opportunities recruited by

parties to a conflict.

APSC has adopted the AU Definition

There is a link between masculinity and violence; need for non-militarized

masculinity

Youth is Diverse

Cultural Diversity

Employed Youth

Education Levels

Youth in BusinessYouth in

School

Rural/ Urban Divide

Youth NEET

Key Youth Issues

UNEMPLOYMENT

EXCLUSIONLOW RESOURCES

LOW EDUCATION

LACK OF SKILLS

Adults don’t think youth ‘should’ or

‘can’ be involved in decision-making

Risky

Aggressive

Immature

Young Women face more barriers

Both Youth and Adults lack skills

Youth Exclusion

Gender Equity

Build Capacity

357.7 Million Youth NEET in

2010 Worldwide

347 Million in Developing Countries

44.7 Million in

Sub - Saharan Africa

Youth Unemployment

Africa Population

Under 35 Years

15 < 35 Years

One Billion

65%

35%

11 Million

Annually Market

80,000 applications

received from Kenyans for 1,000 jobs in

Judiciary

41,452 interested in clerical jobs

were university graduates

Programming Challenges

Quality of Data on

Youth issues is poor

Distinguish between Formal & Informal sectors

Data should include

number of jobs as well as

Quality of jobs

cross-cutting issue

requiring Multi-

stakeholder Approach

It is a complex

problem that has no clear

answers

No single entity has

resources or authority to address the issue on its

own

Collective Impact Approach

No single entity can tackle or

solve complex

social problems

Multiple entities from

different sectors

favour of a common agenda

Backbone Organization

helps coordinate

participating organisations

to act in concert

Collective Impact - Key Elements

Common Agenda

Common Progress Measures

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

Communication shows culture of collaboration

Backbone Organization to manage the Collaboration

Africa Peace Service Corps-The Genesis

2010 2012 2013

GLOBAL PEACE CONVENTION NAIROBI

AFRICA CONFERENCE ON VOLUNTEER ACTION FOR

PEACE & DEVELOPMENT IN NAIROBI

GLOBAL PEACE LEADERSHIP

CONFERENCE, ABUJA

CALL FOR FORMATION OF PEACE CORPS

LAUNCH OF EAST AFRICA PEACE

SERVICE CORPS

LAUNCH OF AFRICA PEACE

SERVICE CORPS

2012

AFRICA CONFERENCE ON VOLUNTEER

ACTION FOR PEACE & DEVELOPMENT

EAST AFRICA PEACE SERVICE CORPS LAUNCH BY KENYA PRIME MINISTER

RT. HON. RAILA ODINGA

Participation by Youth, UN Agencies, African

Union, RECs, Government Agencies,CSOs & Private Sector

2013

GLOBAL PEACE LEADERSHIP

CONFERENCEABUJA, NIGERIA

28 Countries launched APSC

Dr. Manu ChandariaCEO, Comcraft Group Kenya

Sir James ManchamFounding President Seychelles

Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, Founding President , Zambia

AFRICA LEADERSHIP MISSION

Youth from 20 Countries on

Skype

Africa Peace

Service Corps

Public/Private partnership

Pan African Youth

Network

Promoting Volunteerism

Cross Border Exchanges

Building Employability

Skills

Brings together Governments, UN

Agencies, Regional Blocs, Private

Sector, CSOs and Youth serving organizations

Africa Peace Service Corps Structure

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SECRETARIAT

YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP

IMPLEMENTING YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

YOUTH EMPLOYABILITY

YOUTH PARTICIPATION

Opportunities, Capabilities &

Second Chances (Supply)

Promoting an enabling climate for Job Creation

(Demand)

Volunteerism, Entrepreneurship &Community Service

Youth Unemployment Interventions

11 Million new entrants to job

market annually

Low education levels, lack of skills and lack

of opportunities

TRAINING FOR EMPLOYABILITY

CHARACTER & CREATIVITY

BUSINESS INCUBATION

SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

MARKET RESPONSIVENESS

EDUCATION STANDARDS

MENTORSHIP

SUPPORTING YOUTH ENTERPRENEURSHIP

NON FINANCIAL

TECHNOLOGY

FINANCIAL

Linkages to loans and grants

Linkages to Business Incubators

Access to Markets

Training & capacity Building

Linkage to Business Networks

Integrated Support

Extend ICT infrastructure

Assess market opportunities

PARTICIPATION & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

POLITICAL PROCESSES

SOCIAL ISSUES & REGIONAL

INTEGRATION

VOLUNTEERISM & COMMUNITY

SERVICE

GENDER, HIV/AIDS, TEENAGE

PREGNANCY

Regional Centres of Excellence

Youth Status

Legal Frameworks

Youth Networks

Labour Markets

Knowledge Sharing

Private Sector

Value Chains

APSC Model of Youth Engagement

Current Youth Engagement Model

Youth Groups

Private Sector

Civil Society

Faith Based Organization

s

Multi-lateral Agencies

Government Agencies

Regional Blocs

APSC Model- Collective Impact Approach

Youth Groups

Private Sector

CSOs

FBOs

UN & Multi-Lateral

Agencies

Government Agencies

Regional Blocs

Round Table

Out of School Youth

In-School Youth

Young Business Owners

Service Tracks

Secretariat

Education Health Environment Entrepreneurship Peace

Support Services

Environmental TrackEnvironmental

Roundtable

ReforestationWaste

Management

1 Million Trees Planted yearly

School Tree Nurseries

Plastic Waste

Organic Waste

Poles, Frames, Tiles …

Briquettes, Manure….

Education TrackEducation

Roundtable

Character & Creativity

Teacher Volunteers/ Exchange

LEAP HubsCommunity

LevelNational

Level

Entrepreneurship Track

Funding Support

EntrepreneurshipRoundtable

Training & capacity Building

Supporting/ Mentoring

Skills Development

Financial Management

Business Owners

Employees

Value Chains/ Market Links

Internships/ Jobs portal

Links to Finance/

Markets

Health TrackHealth

Roundtable

Basic Hygiene Advocacy

Diarrheal Diseases

MalariaTeenage

PregnanciesHIV/AIDS

Positive Peace TrackPositive Peace

Roundtable

Regional Exchange Programs

Community Peace Initiatives

Skilled Volunteers

Emergency Volunteers

Conflict Resolution

Community Development

Some Achievements

Kariobangi Community Cooker

An incinerator which burns all forms of wasteEnergy is harnessed for useful purposes; (cooking, steam generation, electricity etc)

The Collective Impact approach

Multiple actors working on a common agenda

shared measurement & alignment of effort

County Government, GPF, APSC and 10

Corporate Foundations

11 Existing Youth Groups working in

Waste Management on voluntary basis

Creation of a Business Entity get support from

Private Sector

MOU signed for Implementation of COMESA Youth Program -2013

Abuja Declaration 2013

Set up Mandela

Forest in all African

countries

First Mandela Forest in Kenya by

2016

50,000 trees to be

planted through

PPP

Honouring President

Nelson Mandela

16 ha of degraded forest land in Nairobi allocated

Mandela Day 2014

50,000 trees

throughPPP

Government financial contribution-$ 180,000

10 Private Sector Foundations committed to give $ 820,000

670 trees planted in Nairobi

Youth volunteers for planting and maintenance

Similar activities in Zambia and South Africa

Tree Nursery as a business in Secondary schools launched

Nairobi River Peace Initiative

Aimed to bring together Nairobi Youth after 2008 Post Election Violence in Kenya

Over 2,000 youth involved

Nairobi River Before Nairobi River After

Community Empowerment in Health

In Uganda, Omni Med works in malaria and

diarrheal illness prevention

Nigerian Inter-Faith Action Association Addresses basic hygiene, malaria and HIV AIDS

Bishop Sunday OnuohaSa’adu Abubakar Sultan of Sokoto

Archbishop John Onaiyekan of Abuja

Limited Resources to support Programs

Few African countries have a Youth Policy

Few African countries have a Volunteer Policy

Communication difficult and expensive

No innovative job creation interventions

Duplication of effort by many players

Ch

alle

ng

es

Way Forward

Corporate and Business Leaders need to support

youth initiatives in entrepreneurship, volunteerism and

service in a structured manner to advance regional

integration and peace

There is need for regional partnership

linkages between East Africa and

Middle East nations for strategic

cooperation in peace-building,

combating extremism, and trade

development

Young leaders need to be

empowered to contribute to

regional integration and

progress toward SDGs through volunteerism,

service and youth entrepreneurship