Life-long Learning of Child and Youth

Life-long learning encompasses non-institutional aspects of education as well as vocational training and leisure. It highlights the importance of continuous education in the global knowledge economy and gives special attention to programs that empower young people who have never entered formal schooling or have dropped out of school.

Non-formal & Informal Education

Formal, non-formal and informal learning are all integral elements of life-long learning. As defined by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), non-formal education may "take place both within and outside educational institutions, and may cater to persons of all ages.

Depending on country contexts, it may cover educational programs to impart adult literacy, basic education for out-of-school children, life-skills, work-skills, and general culture. Non-formal education programs do not necessarily follow the 'ladder' system, may have varying durations, and may or may not confer certification of the learning achieved. Non-formal education is, however, a conscious process, as opposed to informal learning."

Non-formal education plays an important role in developing countries where formal educational institutions fail to reach certain, often more disadvantaged segments of the population. Often community-based non-formal schools better cater to the needs of local children than formal schooling does. At the same time non-formal educational experiences may act as an important complement to formal schooling.

Literacy programs are an expedient means to reach out to those youth who has either never been to school or has dropped out from the formal schooling system. As evidence from Africa shows, they are also effective in correcting gender imbalances caused by the proportionally lower enrollment of girls in the formal school system.

Vocational Training

Vocational training refers to a certain type of learning whose main objective is preparing people for work. In that sense, a general and internationally accepted definition states that vocational training is an activity directed to identifying and developing human capabilities for a productive and satisfying working life.

It is an open question to what extent and under what circumstances secondary education should contain vocational elements – be "vocationalized" - or be replaced by vocational training entirely. Vocationalization, however, is costly and there is little evidence that it increases employability. According to the World Bank Regional and Sectoral Study, "Skills Development in Sub-Saharan Africa" by Adams and Johanson, technical and vocational education and training is up to 14 times more expensive than secondary education.

Further, skills development is not mentioned in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), reflecting the decreased interest in skills development in favor of stepped up investment into basic education. The latter is important not only because it represents what employers look for in recruiting but also because it provides the essential foundation for the acquisition of new occupational skills over the life cycle. Nevertheless, there are strong indications that vocational training in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and entrepreneurship skills yield high returns and are thus useful.

Youth & Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Today's interactions are increasingly shaped by technologies used. Expansion of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is cause and effect of globalization on all levels. It is a powerful instrument to create new avenues of communication between young people and to create what is often called a “global youth culture”. Media culture is quite pervasive, and while it is heralded by some as a panacea for global solidarity, others fear its negative consequences such as loss of identity and a breakdown of traditional patterns of communication.

Leisure Activities

Leisure time for children and youth is broadly defined as when they are neither in school nor working. The amount of disposable free time to young people varies considerably by age, income, gender and geographical background.

Too often "idle time" is perceived as a problem by many. It is when young people are not at school that they might engage in risky behaviors, unprotected sexual activity, delinquency, and violence. Despite these dangers, well spent leisure time provides a rich opportunity for learning, especially when young people are involved in community-based leisure time activities. Recent research indicates that such community-based learning may be more effective than formal schooling in engaging young people in a learning process. Youth activities provide multidimensional growth experiences in which young people^[1]:

• Explore themselves (identity work)
• Develop initiative
• Learn emotional competencies
• Connect with peers
• Develop social skills
• Acquire social capital

Effective interventions must seek that leisure opportunities are widely available on community level and accessible to all youth. Moreover, they have to be youth-centered, giving young people the opportunity to take responsibilities for their lives and communities.