Helpdesk

Question
Youth statebuilding and peacebuilding interventions: Please provide a brief survey of literature on statebuilding and peacebuilding interventions that address youth challenges, highlighting lessons learned and best practices.

Helpdesk response
Key findings: Significant numbers of youth are directly affected by conflict and fragility. The various challenges they face in such environments can exacerbate the risks of violence and conditions of fragility. These challenges include: economic and political exclusion, loss of education and divisive education, trauma and the loss of family and social networks. This helpdesk research report surveys key literature on peacebuilding and statebuilding interventions for youth populations, focusing on these areas.

A key concern in conflict-affected and fragile contexts is providing youth with access to employment and livelihoods. This may stem from the need to address prior and ongoing youth grievances concerning unfair systems of local governance and resource distribution. It may also stem from the fear that large numbers of unemployed youth in a population increases the risk of political violence and may serve as a motive for youth to join rebel movements and urban gangs.

A sense of political exclusion and apathy are also common feelings among youth in conflict-affected and fragile contexts. In societies with rigid power structures and patronage networks, youth are often excluded from political systems.

Access to quality education is another key challenge. It requires funding, re-opening and refurbishing schools; improving quality of education; reforming the curriculum; repairing teacher-student relationships; and addressing educational segregation.

Militarised identities and changes in self-concepts and social roles are also a legacy of war and can lead to inter-generational conflict. In addition, social and support networks often need to be rebuilt and redeveloped after violent conflict.

In many conflict-affected and fragile environments, the state is either unwilling or unable to perform functions that are necessary for the personal development of children and youth. In such contexts, civil society organisations have stepped in and sought to complement and compensate basic functions of the state in order to address the challenges faced by youth. Despite the importance of addressing these challenges, few youth interventions are widely known and evaluated.

Full response: http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/HDQ771.pdf

Date query received by the Helpdesk: 14 December 2011

Enquirer:
AusAID