Youth
Today’s young generation is the largest the world has ever known. Young people are a tremendous and essential asset, but also a possible threat when denied access to labor markets, services and decision-making processes. Helvetas connects young people across generational and cultural borders and helps create inclusive societies with opportunities for the growing youth population.
Why youth matters
Out of the 1.3 billion young people worldwide, 85% live in developing countries and almost 50% live in fragile and conflict-affected areas. All over the world, young people are struggling to gain access to the labor market. Youth make up 25% of the global working age population, but account for over 40% of the unemployed. In developing countries, 2/3 of the young are neither working nor studying or are engaged in irregular and/or informal employment.
Young women and men oftentimes are underrepresented in formal political institutions and processes such as parliaments, political parties, elections, and public administrations. According to UNDP, people under the age of 35 are rarely found in formal political leadership positions.
What we do
Helvetas promotes active inclusion of the youth. In everything we do, we seek to actively involve young people and ensure their participation in the social, political and economic spheres.
In the YOU project in Kyrgyzstan for example, we seek to prevent violent extremism by bringing different generations together and facilitating meaningful dialogues between them.
In Kosovo, the opportunity group approach allows young people in rural areas to organize their own trainings and acquire skills that are needed on the labor market.
We share learnings across projects and in everything we do, and promote innovative approaches that build on the opinions and interests of young women and men.
Contact our team
Our multilingual advisory team offers wide-ranging thematic expertise and has in-depth experience in navigating complex processes to an impactful outcome. Our work builds on over 60 years of experience in more than 30 countries.
Representatives of the interdisciplinary working group on youth
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