Positive Youth Development (+): Focus on Intersectionality

Positive Youth Development (PYD) recognizes youth as active participants in their growth, requiring an intersectional lens to address their unique challenges. The global youth population is diverse, shaped by individual and shared experiences, abilities, and socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors. We cannot overlook the importance of applying an intersectional lens when developing our approaches and youth development programming. We can holistically design and implement youth-responsive programs by considering the complex identities of youth, with physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development varying between those aged 10-29.

Building a Foundation: Skills and Assets ?

High-quality and relevant education, both formal and non-formal, is essential for building the human capital of young people. By equipping them with communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, leadership, and resilience skills, we empower them to navigate challenges and adapt to a changing world. However, young people in conflict-affected areas face additional obstacles. They experience higher levels of violence, exposure to trauma, and limited access to education and resources. Growing up in fragile and conflict-sensitive affected settings imposes greater responsibility and maturity on youth. Gaps in formal education and exposure to stress and trauma negatively affect their socio-emotional learning and educational development. If we do not consider the diversity of environments and stages of the population we’re working with, and whose skills and assets we are trying to build, our work will have little meaning or impact.

The conflict in Syria has decimated access to education, leaving a gap in the skills and assets young people can acquire through the education system. Recognizing the negative impact that the violence has had on the well-being of children and educational infrastructure, the Injaz II program supported remedial education, social and emotional learning, school rehabilitation, and vocational training through sub-awards to community-based organizations and local government entities. These projects reached students in formal and informal education settings, including camps for internally displaced persons. By creating a positive learning environment for children who endured years of conflict and ISIS control, Injaz II contributed to building skills and assets which help to counter extremism.

Fostering Agency?

Activities designed with a PYD focus aim to empower young individuals as agents of positive change in their lives and communities. Fostering agency involves enabling them to take ownership, contribute, and shape their futures. Creating supportive environments that promote positive identity, self-efficacy, and perseverance helps youth build resilience and navigate challenges. However, not all young people have equal access to opportunities for agency. Youth with disabilities face significant stigma and discrimination, increasing the likelihood of exclusion from education. They are two and a half times more likely not to attend school at all, an inequity with lasting negative consequences for the global workforce. Development programs should prioritize building agency for all youth by showcasing diverse abilities through empowering role models. When youth with disabilities witness their peers’ success, they believe in their potential for achievement.

The USAID Feed the Future Uganda Youth Leadership for Agriculture Activity (YLA) focused on disability inclusion to build the agency of young people joining the workforce. In Uganda, it is widely recognized that people who are deaf and hard of hearing are among the most likely to lack formal jobs or be unemployed and face discrimination. To address the increasing rate of unemployment and provide a point of access for all youth in the labor force, the Activity worked with St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf to extend employment opportunities to individuals previously excluded from development programming. The partnership with YLA augmented the school’s efforts to create accessible resources and employment opportunities for deaf youth. As a result, this strengthened confidence and agency among Deaf youth through these pathways to employment, giving them more control over their future.?

Lowering Barriers to Support an Enabling Environment?

Young people who actively engage in their communities are more likely to become healthy, productive, and engaged young adults. By working to remove obstacles, such as limited access to education, healthcare, employment, and meaningful participation, we create pathways for youth to thrive. Creating an inclusive environment that values and respects youth’s diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and identities encourages innovation, collaboration, and social cohesion. For example, youth may face implicit barriers to accessing education, employment, and social services. If policies and norms in which young people live and work are restrictive, it adds another layer of complexity for them to access power structures.

In Bangladesh, USAID’s Feed the Future Bangladesh Horticulture, Fruits, and Non-Food Crops Activity supports women’s participation in the workforce and empowers young women to challenge cultural norms. The Activity provides opportunities for women and youth entrepreneurs, helping them improve their earning potential and uplift smallholder farmers. It also facilitates connections with the private sector and financial providers, increasing access to finance and strengthening horticulture supply chains. Using mobile apps to access financing tools, products, and crop clinic services is a particularly effective method for engaging youth in the agriculture sector and women who typically work closer to the household and have less physical access to markets and financial institutions. This type of support lowers barriers to entrance and drives positive change in the lives of young women.

Promote Youth Contribution and Community Engagement?

Youth are crucial in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future by actively addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. They have the power to mobilize communities, advocate for human rights, and implement grassroots initiatives. In transitioning to a green economy, we must learn from young people instead of designing for them. Youth, especially those in lower-income countries, are at the forefront of climate change impacts and can benefit greatly from transitions to greener economies. Indigenous youth, in particular, face climate change impacts alongside economic downturns and job shortages, further barriers to their contributions. Education and empowerment enable them to raise their voices, actively contribute, and influence the world around them.

In Colombia, the USAID-funded Natural Wealth Program supported the youth-led Digital CoBosques Collective (CoBosques) in raising awareness and engaging young people in protecting the country’s natural resources. CoBosques employed diverse communication strategies such as radio programs, podcasts, social media campaigns, and local billboards to promote regional rainforest preservation and sustainable management. They delivered training to 30 youth participants from South America on information technologies and content creation related to natural resource management, deforestation impact, and climate change. Through their work, they highlighted job opportunities in the Amazon, raised awareness, advocated for more green jobs, supported youth livelihoods, protected the rainforest, and fostered a sense of belonging among youth to encourage sustainable development.

To approach youth development through the PYD framework, we must consider the diverse identities, experiences, and needs of young people. We can foster empowerment and well-being by designing programs that meet their holistic needs and aspirations. An intersectional approach makes youth development efforts more comprehensive, inclusive, and effective.

Find out more about Chemonics' approach to supporting positive youth development.

This article was authored by Katherine Centore , Senior Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Specialist, Chemonics International.