Youth carries within it the future and a focus on new challenges. Currently, 1/4 of the world’s population is under 24 years old, but 90% of 10-24 year olds live in developing countries. Among them, 630 million 15-24 year olds are unemployed* and do not have education nor training, which leads to situations of vulnerability, instability and great inequality. The rates are higher for youth with disabilities or refugee status. The rates are also higher for girls, since 132 million girls worldwide are not in school** due to being female.

The 5 countries of intervention where Asmae operates internationally have low human development indices (HDI). Young people are weakened, generation after generation, which jeopardises social cohesion and hinders their country’s socio-economic development.

To help break the repetitive patterns of poverty, Asmae is tackling these issues through “Youth for Change”, a large-scale new programme whose first stage will take place over the next 3 years.

*(sources: OIT, Global Employment Trends, 2014; see Plan International Studies; Advocacy Report Coordination SUD May 2020) // **Unicef, 2016

Education & Training:

• Strengthen existing support systems for young people who have had disjointed or discontinuous schooling and/or are in a situation of socio-economic vulnerability;
• Facilitate younger children’s access to high quality formal and non-formal education;
• Facilitate older children’s access to adequate vocational training, to promote their economic and social integration.

Social and legal protection:

• Strengthen youth social skills: restore confidence, be aware of their voice;
• Strengthen existing mechanisms of prevention, awareness raising and protection;
• Improve care arrangements for young victims of violence;
• Pay particular attention to fighting against gender-based violence (sexual and reproductive health).

The ambition is for young people to become citizens whose commitment and creativity contribute to improving their living conditions.

And their ecosystem of decision-making adults:

• Parents and extended families;
• The communities in which the associations operate;
• Professionals from partner organisations that provide services to young people and their families;
• The public structures that will be associated with the implementation of the programme.

This programme is aimed at more than 54,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries: brothers, sisters and parents of direct beneficiaries, volunteers, participants in awareness raising sessions and institutional representatives.

Asmae’s partners for this project – 97 structures involved:

• 11 partners;
• 19 schools and training centres;
• 57 civil society organisations;
• 6 parent-teacher associations;
• 6 teenage girls and boys clubs.

The programme is present in the 5 countries where Asmae operates internationally, which is pioneering for the association. This creates many synergies between the different countries.