What is Youth-led Development

"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that generation..." Nelson Mandela

What is Youth-led Development (YLD)? Simply, YLD is community projects devised and implemented by young people under the age of 25. They are generally grass-roots, small in size, and carried out mostly, but not exclusively, by youth volunteers.
And why do we think YLD so essential to achieving the MDGs? Because nature dictates that youth have energy to spare and the eagerness to use it. Worldwide, young people are already dedicated to addressing their communities’ needs. And, because we young people are so keen to learn, we are happy to take our wages in experience rather than cash salaries. Thus, YLD offers the most cost effective development action. YLD also massively benefits the youth who do it. They learn invaluable project management, fund-raising and leadership skills, hugely boosting their employability. Being part of a successful project builds a young person’s confidence and raises their self-esteem to stratospheric levels. Also, communities celebrate and rejoice in YLD success! As they enjoy the new library you have re-furbished and equipped, or benefit from the new well you have dug, they will be so proud that other members of the community will be inspired — or shamed — into doing things too! And so the enthusiasm — the change YOU started! — will grow and grow, inspiring new people throughout your community, town and nation. That is what we want to see: every young citizen of every country engaged in building its prosperity and shaping its future. But we also want so much more than that. As you complete fantastic projects, your successes will prove to governments and large NGOs that youth is an untapped resource essential to the development effort. That is why we have called this book Nothing for us, Without us because we believe young people have to be seen as partners and not just beneficiaries in the global fight for the MDGs. And this book is designed to help us all prove that we are worthy and capable of being the most excellent partners.

This paragraph is quoted from the Action Tool Kit: "Nothing for us, Without us" that was produced during the 3rd World Youth Congress in Scotland in August 2005. Download Actiontoolkit.pdf (4 MB)