Context
Young people in Kyrgyzstan, citizens aged 14 to 28, make up a third of the population. Young people's chances of economic independence are very low due to poor quality of education, which usually does not meet the requirements of labor market. 70% of youth live in rural areas and for many of them access to infrastructure, higher and vocational education is limited. This leads to a high level of migration to other countries and to the capital, Bishkek. Young migrants are often isolated and face problems with job search and social inclusion. The youth unemployment rate is very high and appropriate measures need to be taken to create perspectives for young people’s future.
Youth policy frameworks and strategies on national and local levels have shortcomings and are not usually a priority when compared to other spheres. The responsible government body, the State Agency for Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports, lacks human and financial resources to promote a forward-looking youth sector.
During the recent years, Non-Governmental-Organizations (NGOs) working with young people and youth initiatives have revitalized their activities. However, many of them do not have much experience in youth work, or well-defined goals and sustainable organizational structures in place.
There is a pressing need for sustainable structures of youth work and promotion throughout the country. Young people still have limited opportunities to participate in social, economic, and political life on local and national levels.
Objective
The implementation of policies and measures to strengthen the economic and social participation of young people is improved.
Approach
The programme operates in the four northern regions of Kyrgyzstan: Chui, Issyk-Kul, Naryn, Talas and covers 20 partner municipalities.
The overall approach focuses on the sustainability of already achieved results by further strengthening capacities of state and non-governmental institutions in the youth sector. Special emphasis is put on mainstreaming efforts regarding employment promotion and economic participation of young people.
The programme promotes cooperation and exchanges in the field of youth between NGOs, private sector, stakeholders on the national and the local levels. Exploring the potentials and possible use of digital tools and communication channels is important for the purpose of involving young people in the decision-making processes, capacity building and employment promotion.
On the national level the program contributes to enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation on inclusiveness of youth issues among government agencies, ministries, civil society and other stakeholders. This cooperation is needed to enhance synergies in funding opportunities and human resources. For instance, the National Youth Council, which serves as a platform for cooperation between ministries and agencies on youth topics, was created in 2018. Additionally, a long-term concept on "Youth Development Concept 2020-2030" is being developed with the participation of young people.
Clear roles and responsibilities among all stakeholders also help to improve the framework conditions for an effective youth promotion on the local level.
Municipalities are encouraged to initiate the dialogue with young people and to consider their views when decisions are made, for example, when allocating budgets for youth services. Thanks to already developed youth strategies, youth promotion measures can be included in socio/economic development and municipalities allocate more funds annually for youth related services. Youth Councils, which will serve as the institutional body for youth participation, are being currently piloted in partner municipalities.
In order to achieve positive and long-lasting effects, the programme puts emphasis on capacity building of local, regional and national actors. This is attained through support of certified trainings for youth specialists and young leaders. The trainings serve as a network platform for participants to exchange successful experiences and lessons learned. During the trainings, young leaders get to know and learn how to actively shape their communities by implementing projects with and for the local youth. Providers of these certified trainings are getting more qualifications to use ICT based applications for a bigger outreach and broader effects. Since the start of the trainings, more than 100 youth specialists and more than 280 young leaders attended trainings and got applicable knowledge. Additionally, within the scope of capacity building, local youth NGOs are supported to improve their sustainability and management.
To boost the employment opportunities among young people, the programme supports projects developed by local youth NGOs. These projects focus on job relevant skills development for youth, career guidance, youth services and, especially, on employment opportunities for young people. The specific focus for ideas is placed on innovative topics which have country-wide growth potential, for example, IT, tourism and textile. Besides the financial support, consulting and mentoring during the whole life cycle of the project are provided. This support includes all stages starting from idea development to implementation and financial management. More than 500 young people implemented their projects and got to learn firsthand about project management by involving and actively working with actors on all levels, including private sector and local municipalities.