the role of yoUng people in poverty reDUction
Young people are seldom recognised as a resource in decision-making processes. Instead, young people are systematically excluded from important arenas of decision-making and development processes. As a result, their perspectives are often absent in policy- making. At the same time, many youth organisations remain drastically under-resourced and ill-equipped to participate in development processes and efforts. In particular this affects their participation in policy making and processes relating to Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs).
The steps involved in the PRSP process are com- plex. They include undertaking research and poverty diagnostics, prioritising and costing programmes, as well as keeping track budgets. The issues become even more complex when youth organisations want to highlight special needs within their group and require tools, for instance gender-based analysis to address the poverty of young women. Even with the right skills and abilities to discuss, analyse and improve PRSPs, young people do not have sufficient opportunities to influence and affect PRSP processes on their own. Youth organisations require support, particularly at national and local levels, in order to strengthen and put forward their ideas for poverty reduction. Fur- thermore, the ideas and experiences of young people are crucial in order to achieve efficient and sustain- able poverty reduction strategies.
This publication explains what a Youth Perspec- tive is and why it is essential in all efforts to fight pov- erty. It gives a deeper understanding of why it is im- portant that we as young people are integrated and become visible as actors in global development. As will be shown, a Youth Perspective means placing young people at the centre of what we do in order to move more rapidly and more effectively towards eliminat- ing poverty and achieving the results agreed on in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This publication aims at presenting Tackling Pov- erty Together project as best practice how to imple- ment a youth perspective. Trough Tackling Poverty Together project 75 youth organisations have worked to create change and increase young people’s role in poverty reduction at a local, national and global level.
