The Youth Activity FY21 Q4 Report

The activity makes significant contributions to Development Objective (DO) 1: Market-driven, inclusive economic growth supporting increased job creation, and DO 2: Foundation for growth strengthened through a healthy, productive, and educated population. The Youth Activity also reinforces two key Cross-Sectoral Accelerators within the CDCS: youth leadership, gainful employment, use of ICT, and contribution will transform Liberia's economy and society, and increased gender equality will improve Liberia's productivity and reduce harmful practices including GBV and TIP. The goal of The Youth Activity is to increase the economic self-reliance and resiliency of Liberian youth in targeted areas. Five principles will guide the program: systems strengthening; private sector engagement; positive youth development; innovation; and inclusion. The activity will provide over 21,000 young people with the skills, experience, support, and relationships to productively engage with their local economies. In the timeframe of the project, The Youth Activity will assist nearly 8,000 youth to transition to employment or start an enterprise. To achieve sustainable outcomes, activities for Liberia TYA will fall under three Intermediate Results (IRs): IR1: Basic education and foundational skills strengthened for improved livelihoods, IR2: Employment Skills Strengthened for Improved Livelihoods, and IR3: Enabling environment improved for youth productivity. IR1 aims to strengthen basic education and foundational skills for improved livelihoods, while IR2 focuses on employment skills strengthened for improved livelihoods. IR3 seeks to improve the enabling environment for youth productivity. The Youth Activity will support local youth-serving local organizations (YSLOs) to implement a modular, adaptable version of an integrated basic education and work readiness curriculum that will provide diverse youth populations with the right level of educational assets needed to take the next step on their journey toward achieving employment goals. The Activity will integrate intensive health education, mental health and resilience training, support, and referrals through its work readiness activities. EDC will support Liberia's mental health system capacity through training for recent and imminent graduates in health professions in evidence-based mental health and trauma response. The Youth Activity will assist participating organizations to re-orient their pedagogical and programming approaches around active engagement with local employers to make training programs more attractive, relevant, and effective for youth. This includes supporting youth to build relationships with local employers and markets as well as providing them with real employment experience as part of their skills development journey through embedded work-based learning and entrepreneurship that will bring foundational skills and relationships to local economies to life. To strengthen the youth enabling environment, The Youth Activity will: strengthen youth networks; enhance the knowledge base for positive youth development in Liberia; ensure that youth have access to financial services to support microenterprise development; and build the capacity of YSLOs to deliver high-quality services to youth, tailored to their needs and market opportunities. The activity will apply a whole-community approach to help youth and local institutions mobilize resources, networks, and services to ensure that young women and men are supported—and support one another—to overcome barriers to education and employment and become leaders in their communities. The Youth Activity will provide over 21,000 young people with the skills, experience, support, and relationships to productively engage with their local economies. In the timeframe of the project, The Youth Activity will assist nearly 8,000 youth to transition to employment or start an enterprise. The activity will build the capacity and bolster the resilience of local youth-serving organizations and youth themselves to adapt to diverse challenges and create flexible yet holistic approaches to ensuring a future.