Young People in South Eastern Europe: From Risk to Empowerment

Falling through the cracks of public policy


Young people are assets in development and, in many cases, agents of social and political change. Yet in South Eastern Europe (SEE), youth who have come of age during the years of transition have been strongly affected by increased poverty and neglect. At a time when the prospects for young people in SEE should be improving to meet the challenges of European Union (EU) accession, youth unemployment has risen to 2.5 times that of EU youth, and secondary school enrollment has declined. In the Yugoslav successor states, young people have been affected by violence, displacement, and interrupted or inadequate education due to war and ethnic conflict.

Throughout the subregion, youth have been falling through the cracks of public policy. Unless addressed, these failures to respond adequately to young people's needs will have profound medium- and long-term development implications.

In 2003-2004, the World Bank undertook a study of youth in the countries of South Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro) and Kosovo to address a number of questions regarding youth aged 15 to 24: How are young people at risk in the subregion? What are the dimensions of these risks? What are the economic and social implications of these risks? How are youth disadvantaged in the labor market? What are the elements of an effective youth policy?

For the young, life can be a risky business

The study found that young people in SEE have become marginalized—socially, economically, and politically—and need urgent attention. Unemployment is contributing to risky behaviors, such as unsafe sex and substance abuse. Young people are dropping out of secondary school, failing to find jobs, and becoming victims of violent crime. They are marrying later, but are continuing to have children younger (in many cases, as single mothers). Young women throughout SEE are vulnerable to domestic violence, human trafficking, and, especially in Kosovo, early school leaving.

Young males in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) are particularly at risk. To a greater degree than elsewhere in the subregion, these two conflict-affected areas have large youth populations and high rates of school leaving, youth unemployment, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and young male suicide. Young males in these areas also risk being recruited into extremist organizations, which increases the potential for renewed ethnic violence.

The social and economic implications of these conditions are significant, including costly potential health crises and the transmission of poverty to the next generation in SEE.

A roadmap for youth development

The primary objective of the study was to provide a roadmap for youth development in SEE to assist governments, donors, and the World Bank with aligning public expenditures and investments with the needs and priorities of youth.

The study contends that, to be effective, youth policies in SEE must adopt an integrated approach to the social, economic, and political participation of young people in society. Youth policies will have greater impact if they approach youth inclusion and empowerment in a comprehensive manner.

In addition, youth policies need to address specific issues, such as education appropriate to the job market, employment, child care and development, preventive health practices, and youth-friendly services (including mental health and rehabilitation services).

Well developed, gender-sensitive youth policies should include the following key components: (a) community-based, non-formal education that provides life and livelihood skills, (b) practical work experience, income-generation opportunities, and support to small businesses, and (c) collaboration with national and sub-regional youth councils and/or organizations.

Active labor market measures tailored specifically for young people are particularly important. These include prevention programs that integrate school and work to ease the entry of young people into the labor force. Examples of such "first-chance" programs include part-time jobs, internships, workplace-based training, and the promotion of social businesses aimed at providing employment opportunities to disadvantaged youth.

Another promising area for youth investment is non-formal education. Youth who have either not entered or dropped out of secondary school are at high risk for imposing costs on society over the entire course of their lives. Cost-effective, non-formal education programs that permit young people to complete secondary schooling in ethnically integrated programs, combined with life skills training and opportunities for sports and recreation, have been found to be economically as well as socially beneficial investments.


Adolescent boys and young men in SEE should be made a clear policy priority, particularly in conflict-affected areas, where unemployment and idleness among young males provides fertile ground for violent uprisings or recruitment into armed organizations. The cost of not investing in youth in Kosovo, for example, has been extremely high, as the recent inter-ethnic violence has shown. The destruction caused by the rioting there (perpetrated mostly by young males) is estimated to have cost €204 million (one-third of the government budget).

Finally, effective youth policies must view young people as agents of change and active participants in local, national, and global governance. Youth policies need to address young people as stakeholders and key decision makers in the policies and programs that affect their lives.

YOUTH, DEVELOPMENT & PEACE 2004
Sarajevo, September 5-7, 2004

Young People in South Eastern Europe: From Risk to Empowerment (3,205KB pdf)