Alfonso RRL

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Economic

At the end of 2004, youth unemployment apparentlyreached a record high at 88 million

internationally. Whileyouth establish a slim 25 percent of the global workforce, they account for

47 percent of theunemployed. In addition, 85 percent of the worlds youth live in developing

countries, where theyare almost four times more likely to be unemployed compared to their adult

counterparts. Whenthey are employed, they join the ranks of the working poor- youth constitute

25 percent of thepeople making less than $1 US per day. If the youth unemployment trend

continues, an estimated95 million youth will be unemployed by the year 2015 (International

Labor Organization, 2004).

USAID (2007) taught that many of those who do work either hold jobs in the informal

economy and/or are working as child laborers in risky, dangerous conditions. In the casual

economy, youth are fulfilling roles demanded of them by their families or the marketplace, but

they are earning only minimal income, their contributions are controlled because of limited

education and access to chances, and they are generally not enhancing their employability

through work skill and experience.

From an economists point of view, human capital is a way of defining peoples skills

and abilities to contribute to the workforce and economic development. Global economies are

increasingly requiring a workforce with high levels of human capital. Yet countries with large

out-of-school youth populations suffer from acute human capital deficits inhibiting economic

growth and poverty reduction as a result.

World Bank researcher Juan Luis Londonoclaims that the only most important factor

contributing to rising poverty in Latin America has been the slow development of human capital

growth among its youth.The percentage of the youth labor force that have reached age 25 with
little or no educationout-of-school youthcontinues to grow at excessive rates. As a result,

skilled jobs are unfilled and economic expansion is stunted causing two young people per minute

to fall into poverty over the last decade.

Social

According to USAID (2007), it is not surprising that out-of-school, unemployed youth

would feel left out and alienated from mainstream society, form clubs and gangs and engage in

anti-social behavior. They are easy recruits for fundamentalist and other groups that offer a sense

of connection and purpose in contrast to a society that has abandoned them.

In line with USAID (2005), the negative outcomes of unengaged youth are many and

familiar: crime, poor health, increasedsusceptibility to HIV/AIDS and violence. Preparing youth

to earn meaningful, productivelivelihoods is critical to community, national and international

development. In addition,livelihood preparation is cross-sectoral- it can be integrated into any or

all USAID strategicobjectives.

Livelihood is defined as the occupation, work, or other means by which one earnsan

income to provide necessities, growth and abundance for the individual and thefamily.

Livelihood preparation provides basic education including vocational training,life skills and

technical training. Once youth improve their basic skills, they areprepared to find better ways of

improving their quality of life by getting a job, starting abusiness, engaging in economic activity

in the informal sector, increasing the amount offood by growing vegetables or raising animals,

improving their housing, and being betterable to take care of their family responsibilities
Environmental

Links have clearly been establishedbetween academic achievement and non-school

factors, including poverty,race/ethnicity, family structure, childhealth, parenting approaches and

peerinfluences.Youthdevelopment programsand their human services sector colleagueshave a

long history of working to addressthese challenging elements and theirimpact on children in

particular. Their successhas been documented in programsthat help children and youth learn

toregulate their behavior, develop cleargoals, form positive relationships withpeers, and have

supportive and involvedfamilies. Youth development programs, bypromoting non-school factors

that supportthe whole child, have the power to promotestudents educational success.

(National Collaboration for Youth, 2011)

According to USAID (2007),in the year 2003 the global youth unemployment rate was

3.5 times the global adult unemployment rates. Young people face discrimination based upon

age, gender, and socio-economic background. In general, males are in higher paying jobs than

females, youth from lower income households are more likely to be unemployed than those from

middle and upper income families, and dominant ethnic groups fare better in most countries.
References

National Collaboration for Youth (2011).The Impact of YouthDevelopment Programs on

Student Academic Achievement.

United States Agency International Division (2007).Economic and Social Rationale to Invest

in Out- of-School and Un-or Underemployed Youth in Developing Countries.

United States Agency International Division (2005).Youth Livelihood Toolkit:Preparing Out-

of-School Youth forLivelihood.

World Bank Group. (1995b). 1995 World Development Report: Workers in an

Integrating World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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