08 Empowerment
Marginalized young people who have no opportunity to be self-sufficient become, at a minimum, dependent on charity or welfare. They lose their self-confidence because they cannot be fully self-supporting. The opportunities denied to them also deprive them of the pride of accomplishment which others, who have those opportunities, can develop for themselves.
Empowerment is the process that allows the disadvantaged section of youth strengthen their self-confidence, gain the knowledge, skill-sets and attitude needed to cope with the changing world and the circumstances in which they live and enabling them to shape their own living conditions by increasing their participation in their community and having access and control of their resources.
Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process where young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults.
Empowerment will always be necessary when inequality in the distribution of knowledge, power and resources prevail, which in turn prevents individuals, groups, social classes or even entire countries from improving their own living quality independently and with their sights set on a specific goal.
In economic development, the empowerment approach focuses on mobilizing efforts for poor to help themselves, rather than providing them with social welfare.
In gender and development activities, the empowerment approach aims to bring about self-determination, greater self-organization and a more active role for women in all social processes.
Initiatives to start an Empowerment Project
- Promote awareness on social issues that affects the youth through artistic expressions (e.g. theater); it stands as a forum to find the real cultural identity of youth.
- Capacity building through practical trainings to promote job opportunities and personal and youth development (peer to peer approach).
- Encouraging young people to act as multipliers to share their knowledge with other young people.
- Empowering the youth through Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) training.
- Create a platform where the youth can meet and deliberate on issues affecting the welfare of the youth and the overall development of their community.
- Lectures, debates, symposia, seminars, excursions, conferences on importing and priority topics that are affecting young people.
- Vocational trainings to be economically viable, focused, self employed and reliant
- Provision of books and financial assistance to encourage the youngsters to get off the streets to attend classes.
- Capacity building programs include management and volunteer training, planning, fundraising and gender equality.
- The creation of a youth council or youth club by and for the young people in the community in order to promote active participation in local decision and activities.
- Publication of guides, surveys, studies or newsletters on youth development within the communities.
Links:
DEZA
http://www.deza.admin.ch/en/Home/Activities/Development_policy/Swiss_development_policy_goals/Poverty_reduction/Renforcement_du_pouvoir
Poverty wellbeing net
http://www.poverty-wellbeing.net
UN Habitat, youth empowerment Programme
http://www.unhabitat.org
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