[PDF-3.25MB]

Youth Advisory Groups - New Allies in the World Bank's Work
Human Development Network Children and Youth Department Working Paper, No. 6
By Akiko Ishii
April 2008

If the World Bank wants to be true to its commitment of scaling up investment in children and youth, it must not only work for them but also work with them. More and more, World Bank clients and donors are recognizing the potential of young people as development actors. Given a chance, young people can contribute significantly to the Bank’s mission of alleviating poverty through economic, social, and political development. Youth Advisory Groups are a promising, new Bank initiative that links youth and decision makers in effecting changes in their communities that benefit all. This report captures the experiences and lessons learned from this initiative and outlines the variety of approaches and activities possible within the Youth Advisory Group framework. The report also highlights the benefits to the World Bank of including youth in Bank projects and analytic work while the youth, in turn, gain competencies and leadership skills that can change their lives and make them agents of change in their communities.

Find More about HDNCY Working Paper Series

[PDF-1.7MB]

Supporting Youth at Risk
A Policy Toolkit for Middle Income Countries
By Wendy Cunningham, Lorena M. Cohan, Sophie Naudeau and Linda McGinnis
January 2008

This Policy Toolkit is produced in response to a growing demand from government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The Toolkit highlights 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following 5 key risk areas for young people around the world; Youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; Early school leaving; Risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; Crime and violence; and Substance abuse.

Find More about the Toolkit

[Read Online]

Youth & Development: Investing in the Next Generation
Development Outreach, Volume 9, No. 2
June 2007

In particular, this issue focuses on ways countries can maximize the opportunities and minimize the risks facing young people by leveraging their human capital. A common theme running through the special report is that investing in youth would benefit not only that particular age group but the whole of society as well. Channeling the energy of youth to productive ends by applying the right policies and creating effective institutions can promote economic growth and help alleviate poverty. Furthermore, these benefits will be passed on to the next generation.

Find More about Development Outreach Magazine

[PDF-318KB]

Evaluating Youth Interventions
Youth Development Notes, Volume 2, No. 5
June 2007

Youth development projects aim to improve the lives and livelihoods of young people around the world. Interventions for youth are often multi-sectoral in nature, ranging from job- and life-skills development to programs for better health and nutrition. Rigorous impact evaluation is key to producing the knowledge base required by policymakers and practitioners to choose among different options, and implement the most cost effective projects. This note outlines some approaches to producing evidence of what works in the context of youth development projects, and looks at expanding the set of outcome indicators to more fully capture the effects of these projects on the welfare of young people around the world.

Find More about Youth Development Notes Series

[PDF-708KB]

The Role of Youth Skills Development in the Transition to Work: A Global Review
Human Development Network Children and Youth Department Working Paper, No. 5
February 2007

Policymakers worldwide are concerned with helping youth acquire the skills and competencies needed for entering the world of work and becoming productive citizens and providers for their families. Countries and households adopt and combine different approaches to acquiring skills ranging from formal school settings, outside schools in non-formal training programs, and in the workplace itself. This paper reviews literature from advanced and developing countries on the role played by skills in the transition to work and the economic outcomes in earnings and employment associated with the different approaches. Using results from rigorous program evaluations that control for selection bias, the paper highlights effective strategies for equipping youth with skills to make the transition to work, and for those who miss early education, it identifies programs that can offer youth a second chance to make this transition.

Find More about HDNCY Working Paper Series