Be heard - Delegate in Global Youth Forum

On 4th till 6th December 2012, over 900 youth leaders from every country will have an unprecedented opportunity to influence global policy.
You can be a fully contributing delegate to the Global Youth Forum in Bali from anywhere – your home, your office, a local internet café. As a delegate, you will receive a special login so that you can participate virtually in all Global Youth Forum activities.
So, don´t waste time and complete form to receive your delegate login password!

Source: Global Youth Forum

Take action for a better world!

Small actions can have a big impact! Join other people like you in taking action for a better world, by signing on to commitments that align with the issues that matter to you. Keep track of your progress and get inspired by a community of youth changemakers.
A new App allows you to compete with and encourage your friends, and engage with others around the world. Amplify your world-changing behaviours and connect with others like you through Commit2Act.

Compete with your friends to carry out the most actions and gain points for your efforts.
See how you measure up against other young changemakers around the world.
Check up on your friends’ actions to see who can make the most impact.

• Activity Feed: Real time updates of youth taking action all around the world.
• Popular: Check out the most exciting actions and get involved in growing movements
• Discover: Get involved with the campaigns of leading youth organizations
• Profile: Share information about the issues you care about and track your journey.
• Actions: earch for new ways to get involved in 5 categories of world changing action.

Get this app here.

Source: Commit2Act

Apply to CGI University 2013

President Clinton will host the sixth annual meeting of CGI U from April 5 – 7, 2013 at Washington University in St. Louis. The meeting will bring together student leaders, NGO representatives, topic experts, and other prominent change-makers to brainstorm ideas, share best practices, and develop their action plans for the months ahead.
Any student above the age of 18 who is enrolled in an institution of higher education at the time of the meeting is eligible to apply. The meeting is free to attend if you are accepted. Limited assistance for travel and lodging is available to students with demonstrated financial need who apply by 30th November 2012.

Before you apply, review the application checklist and application tips.
Apply for CGI U 2013 as an individual - make a commitment on your own, or as a representative of a larger organization.
Apply for CGI U 2013 as a group - make a commitment with as many as three other students.

Early descicion and travel assistance deadline: 30th November 2012
Final application deadline: 30th January 2013

Throughout the application period, Campus Representatives and Commitment Mentors will be hosting networking events and information sessions in cities around the country and across the world. Visit the Upcoming Events page to stay informed about these opportunities.

If you experience any technical difficulties or have any questions concerning the application process, please email: cgiu.applicant@clintonglobalinitiative.org or call (212) 710-4492.

Source: Clinton Global Initiative University

Youth Employment

There are over 1.2 billion young persons in the world today. It is estimated that youth make up 18 percent of the global population and 25 percent of the total working age population. About 90 per cent of young people are born in developing countries, where around half of the total population lives in rural areas. The highest average annual population growth over the last ten years was registered in Sub-Saharan Africa (2.5 per cent), the Middle East (2.2 per cent), North Africa (1.7 per cent) and South Asia (1.7 per cent). The growth of youth population is projected to reach its peak in 2035.

Of the world's estimated 211 million unemployed people in 2009, nearly 40 per cent – or about 81 million – were between 15 to 24 years old, (ILO Global Employment Trends, January 2010). The youth unemployment rate rose drastically during the recent global economic crisis – more sharply than ever before – from 11.9 to 13.0 per cent. Unemployment is more widespread among young people living in urban areas. Unemployment is a less-affordable option for people living in rural areas, where most young workers have to accept any job in order to survive. In addition, an estimated 400 million youth worldwide – or about one third of all youth aged 15 to 24 – suffer from a deficit of decent work opportunities (Decent employment for youth is targeted in the Millennium Development Goals, Goal 1, target 1.B). The vast majority of jobs available to youth are low paid, insecure, and with few benefits or prospects for advancement.

Some 152 million young people, even if they have a job, live in households that earn less than the equivalent of USD1.25 per day (ILO Global Employment Trends for Youth, August 2010). Furthermore, in some countries there is an increase in worker discouragement among youth per capita that has led some young people to give up the job search.

In Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, up to 70 per cent of youth live in rural areas and half of the young labour force works in agriculture (IFAD, 2007). Although employment in agriculture declined during the decade 1998 – 2008, it still remains the main source of employment for more than half of people working in East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lack of investments, to improve decent work prospects for young people in rural areas, often results in lower living standards and de-population of rural areas. The scarce availability of decent work and decent living opportunities and the little hope of a better future are the main factors pushing youth to migrate from rural to urban areas or abroad. Often, youth migration to urban areas leads to unemployment, poverty and alienation and, in some cases, to anti-social behaviours or exploitation.

If you are interested you can read more about this topic here.

Source: Food, Agriculture & Decent Work

Become a Development Officer!

Are you looking to broaden your fundraising experience?  Do you have the enthusiasm and drive to identify and create new opportunities to engage with Trust, Government and Corporate partners building successful partnerships?  If so, this could be the role for you.
YouthNet are looking for a Development Officer to work across our fundraising streams. This is an ideal role for someone with some experience in trusts or corporate fundraising who is looking to broaden their understanding of other fundraising areas. They’re looking for someone who has the flexibility to adapt and respond to a changing external environment and someone who is excited about a diverse role.
You’ll be responsible for achieving annual income targets by supporting the development of new and existing relationships with trust, government and corporate funders from researching potential new funders through to account management.
It’s a really exciting time to join YouthNet’s Development team. They have a unique mix of propositions for government and trusts and a successful Corporate and Events team who have recently been awarded their first ‘Charity of the Year’ and secured a new multi-year strategic partnership. In 2013, YouthNet will also be the official charity partners for the Virgin London Marathon in partnership with Age UK.
Joining this small, dynamic team will give you the opportunity to take on a diverse role and see how your work has a direct and significant impact on the organisation and the young people they support. You’ll be part of an organisation that fosters creativity, encourages staff to take responsibility and ownership and champions personal development.

For more information, read the job description for the Development Officer.
To apply, you’ll send your CV and a supporting statement to workforus@youthnet.org.  The statement should outline your relevant skills and experience for the role, as well as why you would like to work for YouthNet.

Deadline: Wednesday 14th November

Source: YouthNet

Speak out!

Engaging youth in planing education for social transformation. Speak out! Join the debates now!
Share your views, experiences, and resources on youth engagement in planning education! Go to the discussion forum now and see what youth, policy-makers, academics and practitioners from around the world are saying!

For more information, please click here.

Source: UNESCO

Investing in the future of our Youth

Twenty years ago there were 183 million illiterate adults in China; 183 million people missing out on the chance to best support themselves and their families, and improve their lives. Today that figure has dropped by 66% – an achievement to be proud of. No wonder countries in Africa now look to China and other East Asian economies to learn how to help their young people lacking the most basic of skills.

As today’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report, published by UNESCO reveals, weak education systems are leaving one in five young people in developing countries without the skills that completing primary school offers.

Apart from producing the skilled workforce that our businesses need, as UNESCO has been advocating since its conception, a solid education also confers dignity and the potential for self-realization. China recognized this in the 1970s. By not only upgrading skills for industrialization, but also focusing on productivity for smallholder farmers and non-farm self-employment, the number of those living below the poverty line fell dramatically. The reward of this investment was strong and sustained economic growth.

This investment also benefits young people through better earnings. In rural China, wages are significantly higher for those involved in non-farm work who have at least some post-primary education. This has global implications too: the Education for All Global Monitoring Report calculates that for every $1 a country spends on a child’s education, it will yield $10-$15 in economic growth over that person’s working lifetime.

Once in school, teaching our children to prepare themselves for work also goes beyond learning to read and write as well, vital as those skills are. China – the host of an international congress on technical and vocational education and training convened by UNESCO in May – has set a target of 50% technical and vocational enrolments in secondary schools by 2020, which will mean young adults are practically equipped for a wide range of jobs. China also recognizes the need to teach people transferable skills – not those taught from a textbook, but the ability to solve problems, take initiative and communicate with others well. Problem solving is now a key feature of the school curriculum.

For the full article, please click here.

Source: Chinadaily.com