Empowering the Communities for Youth

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The project aims to contribute to the development problem of youth unemployment and inactive citizenship causing hopelessness and social evils such as crime, violence, poverty, homelessness, break up of families, alcoholism, prostitution and abuse. Namibian economy is not generating enough job opportunities despite the positive economic growth (4-5 %) and thus, there is an urgent need to build in a mechanism for targeted youth support.Immediate objectives are: 0) effective project management and administration conducted, 1) strengthened capacities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) to develop targeted youth support approach, 2) succesfully performed pilot project that contribute to capabilities of vulnerable youth, and 3) best practices shared with relevant stakeholders and partners.Human rights and gender equality are strongly emphasised. Alarming share of youth, notably girls, has been left out from education and employment and remained vulnerable. The project respects and addresses their human rights and well-being by empowering them to become subjects of their own development and the society as a whole.The project does not create any new structure, but is positioned at the new office of social service by ELCIN. The project will provide a new way of thinking and doing together by applying methods of participatory youth work in selected communities. Altogether, the project creates a new targeted youth support approach facilitated by ELCIN.The ultimate beneficiaries of the project are vulnerable youth ages 15 to 25 with special reference to school drop-outs. Major indirect beneficiary is the ELCIN, notably its personnel and volunteers, whose capacities to provide targeted support for vulnerable youth will be strengthened.The key project activities include building the capacity for effective project management; supporting administration with well developed monitoring systems; conducting needs and resource analysis; organising study and training trips for project personnel and community leaders; organising on-site training; training of local communities in targeted youth support; developing new models and working methods; empowering youth in life and non-formal skills; training of youth in citizenship; organising youth clubs; providing case management; organising youth leadership training; organizing joint youth-elderly people workshops; encouraging volunteering; and building network for effective sharing and awareness raising.