How can young people be best prepared for their roles as active global citizens – now and in the future? How can adults in the community work in partnership with youth to achieve shared goals? Two new IYF Field Notes publications present the experiences of IYF partners in delivering life skills programs for young people.

 

Promoting Active Youth Citizenship makes the case for engaging young people in their communities through exploring the strategies and lessons learned of IYF partners in Argentina, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.

“In light of today’s social and environmental challenges, it’s more important than ever before to prepare young people to assume active roles in society,” comments Martin Sandelin, Vice President of CSR and Community Involvement at Nokia in the report. “We’ve seen the positive results these programs can have on young people, on those they serve, and the communities where they live.”

The report goes on to cite evidence of the benefits of youth volunteerism from the IYF-Nokia supported programs. Seventy-two percent of those youth who participated in such programs were found to continue their involvement in volunteer projects after completing the program, with a significant percentage reporting improved performance in school.

 

The important role of partnerships between youth and adults is the subject of a second Field Notes. Such collaborations further the development of young people’s life skills and help build valuable social capital. Among the successful examples of youth-adult collaboration cited are a mentoring initiative involving Nokia employees and participants in the Conéctate youth employment training program in Chile, and a partnership between the news media and youth in the Netherlands.

To download copies of these and other IYF Field Notes, click here.