Quarterly Performance Report: Up to Youth Activity

The program aims to support youth vulnerable to social exclusion by mobilizing and engaging them in meaningful ways to effect positive change, thus increasing youth's resilience to social exclusion and, consequently, violent extremism. The program focuses on three main objectives: mobilizing youth to be positive forces for change, developing and demonstrating life/soft skills among youth, and developing, building, and supporting resilience partners in fostering an environment for youth to engage in a positive and meaningful way. The program targets youth aged 15 to 24 years old, with a focus on marginalized youth, particularly those underserved by current and past youth-focused initiatives. Under Objective 1, the program emphasizes identifying, acknowledging, and uniting vulnerable youth who possess the potential and determination to foster positive change. During the second quarter of Year 5, the program conducted regular Youth Advisory Board (YAB) coordination meetings, fostered an augmented sense of responsibility among youth through their contributions to the Social Change Fund (SCF) initiatives, and demonstrated youth leadership and engagement in democratic processes. Under Objective 2, the program gives youth skills to become changemakers in their communities and to engage in the local and national economy. During the second quarter of Year 5, the program conducted nine Mentorship Training sessions, engaging 257 youth participants, developed and piloted an Empathy Training curriculum, and facilitated exclusive meetings and activities with Peer Support Groups (PSGs). Under Objective 3, the program focuses on identifying formal and informal stakeholders who can serve as youth resilience partners, strengthening existing networks of these stakeholders, and building new ones. During the second quarter of Year 5, the program updated and finalized membership rosters across all three Clusters, concluded the execution of Youth Support Networks (YSNs) activities, and organized systematic YSN meetings. The program applies an evidence-based approach to youth development, emphasizing working with marginalized youth, particularly those underserved by current and past youth-focused initiatives. The program has made concerted efforts to reach youth with disabilities (YWD), a group that has been historically excluded from education and community-based programming. The program has achieved significant results, including increasing youth's sense of responsibility, demonstrating youth leadership and engagement in democratic processes, and developing and piloting an Empathy Training curriculum. The program has also expanded its reach, welcoming an additional 64 youth through the "Bring a Friend" campaign and facilitating exclusive meetings and activities with Peer Support Groups (PSGs). The program's resilience partners, including Youth Support Networks (YSNs), have been instrumental in fostering an environment for youth to engage in a positive and meaningful way. The program has updated and finalized membership rosters across all three Clusters, concluded the execution of YSNs activities, and organized systematic YSN meetings. Overall, the Up to Youth Activity has made significant progress in achieving its objectives, mobilizing and engaging youth in meaningful ways to effect positive change, and increasing youth's resilience to social exclusion and violent extremism.