Meaningful youth engagement is a participatory process in which young people’s ideas, expertise, experiences, and perspectives are integrated throughout programmatic, policy, and institutional decision-making structures so as to best inform outcomes. This process requires young people to be involved in all levels and stages of program, policy, campaign, and initiative development, including all stages of design, implementation, and evaluation; this is especially true of those programs that directly affect their lives.
African Youth Report 2011 | ADDRESSING THE YOUTH EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT NEXUS IN THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMY
Young Africans are the key to an African renaissance and will remain players in and advocates of social transformation and development in many spheres. The enormous benefits young people can contribute are realized when an investment is made in young people’s education, employment, health care, empowerment and effective civil participation. Several initiatives on youth education and employment have been undertaken in Africa, but these need to be deepened in order to exploit the full potential of young people in contributing to poverty reduction and sustainable development.