Practice examples
Education/Skills
The Basic Education for Hard-to-Reach Urban Working Children project in Bangladesh was set up to provide quality non-formal training in basic literacy, numeracy and life skills. Between 2004 and 2011, the programme reached almost 200,000 children in six cities. Evaluations showed that the project was effective in developing an appropriate curriculum and materials that were tailored to the children’s needs, allowing them to overcome the limitations of their environment and receive a quality education. The programme also provided livelihood skills training that included a six months apprenticeship. Many of the trainers hired their graduates upon completion of the apprenticeship and have continued mentoring them. Click here to learn more.
The Forsa programme, run by Plan International in Egypt helps young adults enter the labour market. On average, 80 per cent of young people who graduate from this programme successfully get jobs. Female students represent more than 60 per cent of participants enrolled and employed. Several changes were observed in youths’ attitudes and behaviours, including an increased sense of self-worth, motivation and thirst for learning. In cooperation with Cisco and the Ministry of Communications, Plan International also established two academies to reach out to marginalised youth and support them in preparation for the job market. Click to learn more.
The Jua Kali Voucher Programme in Kenya was a World Bank supported programme that issued training vouchers to unemployed youth in Kenya which allowed them to personally select a training provider based on their needs and objectives. Participants paid 10 per cent of the cost of the voucher while the government subsidized the remaining 90 per cent. In total, 37,606 vouchers were issued to entrepreneurs and employees in enterprises with 50 workers or less over the 1997-2001 period. There is evidence that the scheme had a positive impact on those who were trained. Click here to download and read page 12 of PDF.
Becoming A Man (BAM) is a school-based intervention programme for at-risk teenagers in Chicago, USA. BAM uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help young men recognize their automatic responses and slow down their thinking in high-stakes situations. Researchers have found that BAM reduced violent crime arrests by 50 per cent between 2013-15, while total arrests fell by 35 per cent and programme participants were 19 per cent more likely to graduate from high school on time. Click here to learn more.
The Cauce Ciudadano is a civil society organization in Mexico that encourages adolescents to become agents of peaceful social change through community activities and workshops, education, employment and skills building and adolescents’ rights advocacy. Its programme to reduce gender-based violence received a Recognition of Excellence from the Inter-American Development Bank (2013) and Honourable Mention in the World Bank’s Regional Contest on Initiatives to Promote Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean (2014). Click here to learn more.