Meet Speed - he is the lead character in Speed's Choice, an animation tool used in our Street Business Toolkit. Speed embodies the reality and potential of street kids everywhere, as they can see a little of themselves in him.
page last updated:
November 3, 2011 12:14 PM
youth livelihood
What is youth livelihood and why is it important?
Recent estimates suggest that lower income countries are home to 1.3 billion of the world’s 1.5 billion youth aged 15-24. While the youth population continues to grow rapidly, economic opportunities in the form of access to education, employment, or entrepreneurship are not growing at a proportional rate. In many countries, unemployment rates are much higher for youth than for adults, in some countries up to 7 times as high.
Across the planet, millions of young women and men are failing to gain an entry into the workforce, and the challenge for young women is even greater. The vast majority of jobs available to youth are low paid, insecure, and with few benefits or prospects for advancement. In many countries, unemployment, underemployment and often insecure informal sector employment lead to insecurity.
The youth livelihood field works to find innovative solutions to this complex challenge by supporting young people to obtain employment, go back to school, and/or find ways to support themselves and their families.
Street Kids International develops toolkits that engage young people in learning about entrepreneurship, financial literacy, savings and job readiness, supporting the most marginalized of young people in earning enough income to support themselves.
Useful links and resources relating to youth livelihood:
Equip3: Learning and Earning for out of school youth
www.equip123.net/equip3/
Making Cents International
www.makingcents.com
Microlinks: Youth Livelihoods
http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php?ID=25302_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
