Developing a strategy to promote agriculture among young people

All organisations working with youth in the Pacific realise the challenges involved in youth finding productive and satisfying employment. The Land Resources Division (LRD) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has long recognised the particular challenges facing Pacific youth in rural areas and the lack of substantial opportunities which has contributed to the drift of youth to urban centres resulting in shortages of labour in the rural areas and increased social problems in urban centres. Recognition of these problems and challenges most recently prompted the Heads of Agriculture and Forestry (HOAFs) for the Pacific region to endorse and recommend that LRD, as the lead regional agency with a mandate for agriculture, to:

Develop, with relevant partners, a strategy to promote agriculture among young people.

To meet this challenge LRD, and partners, have developed a terms of reference to guide the development of a strategy to address this recommendation. This Weblog has been designed as a support tool when designing this strategy.

The development of the terms of reference and weblog for the strategy commenced with the recent Regional Youth Stakeholders meeting held at SPC, Noumea in March 2008. This gathering further endorsed LRD's plan to develop the strategy.
This Weblog has been initiated to facilitate working with the many stakeholders involved in youth development and to promote the sharing and exchanging of information which will be important to the development of a strategy. The Weblog will hopefully act as a repository of information relevant to the development of the strategy and will facilitate ease of access to sources of information for those involved in its development.

The Weblog contains substantial background information on various Pacific Youth Organisations and relevant Regional Organisations and Agencies which need to be consulted and involved in the development of the strategy. The need for special consideration of Francophone Youth Associations and Micronesian Youth Associations is addressed.

Nine key areas, which are by no means exhaustive or prescriptive, are suggested for exploration as a way of improving youth involvement in agriculture. These are:

1. Youth Mainstreaming
2. Youth Coordination and Partnership
3. Youth Participation
4. Youth Education and Learning
5. Youth Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
6. Youth Peer Organisations
7. Youth Oriented Agricultural Extension
8. Youth and ICTs
9. Youth Showcase

If LRD is to address the issue of promoting agriculture among young people it must work in partnership with the SPC Human Development Programme (HDP) and other relevant regional youth organisations and bodies. In particular, the Pacific Youth Council (PYC) will be an important strategic partner for LRD. It must also be guided by already existing regional frameworks such as the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 (PYS2010), the Pacific Youth Charter and the Pacific Plan.

Finally, there is an Additional Resources section which contains links to other resources that might be useful in the development of the strategy.

The aim of this Weblog is to encourage comment and the addition of other useful sources of information. Please feel free to do both. This way the pool of information and knowledge will be dynamic, always growing.

For detailed information, or copies of the strategy Terms of Reference please contact Stephen Hazelman (stephenh@spc.int) or Rose Maebiru (rosem@spc.int).

Guides to Youth Employment

Improving Prospects for Young Women and Men in the World of Work is an ILO publication that provides a Guide to Youth Employment.

ILO have also published Youth Unemployment and Employment Policy: A Global Perspective which is also available online.

Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement

The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement has many useful tools and resources online which can be searched alphabetically. Here is the result for youth participation. The site is also available in French.

Pacific Youth Mapping Exercise

Youth programmes across the Pacific are currently being mapped, for the first time, to create a picture of exactly what work is being done in the region with young people. SPC member Governments, development partners, civil society organisations, youth groups and regional organisations such as SPC and United Nations bodies have all be surveyed on what they are doing for young people.

For more information contact Rose Maebiru, SPC Human Development Adviser (Youth)

Rural Youth Livelihoods

Rural Youth Livelihoods, a DFID funded programme, has a useful set of international and Africa resources available online that might be useful in developing youth and agriculture strategies. It also has links to other youth networks and organisations.

UN youth resources online

A one-stop shop for youth-related documents from the library of the UN. Read here.

PIANGO

The Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO) is a regional network of NGO focal points or coordinating bodies representing 22 Pacific Island countries and territories. PIANGO was formally established in 1991 to assist NGOs in the Pacific to initiate action, give voice to their concerns and work collaboratively with other development actors for just and sustainable human development. PIANGO's primary role is to be a catalyst for collective action, to facilitate and support coalitions and alliances on issues of common concern, and to strengthen the influence and impact of NGO efforts in the region.

PIANGO represent a number of national bodies involved in youth work and could be a strategic partner in developing and implementing a youth and agriculture strategy.

Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP)

The Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP), composed of the heads of the Pacific Island intergovernmental organisations and permanently chaired by the Forum Secretariat, discusses and coordinates the work-programmes and policies of the different regional agencies to avoid either duplication or gaps in the provision of services to member countries.

A number of these organisations are involved in youth development work.

South Pacific Regional Youth Caucus

The Commonwealth Youth Programme's South Pacific Regional Youth Caucus (RYC) advocate for action on youth issues at a national and regional level. They also work to have youth voices included in decision-making processes at national, regional and international levels. Over the next two years CYP South Pacific's RYC will work together to convince other leaders that they need to address issues such as unemployment, HIV and AIDS, other sexual health issues, education, health, urban drift and youth participation in decision-making in the Pacific region – and give young people a part to play overcoming those issues. CYP South Pacific's Regional Youth Caucus is also next in line to lead the Pan-Commonwealth Youth Caucus for the next four years.

Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society

The Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) are dedicated to exploring how ICTs can be used to further livelihoods and sustainable development for Pacific Islanders. They host a couple of special interest groups including one supporting ICTs for women including youth. PICISOC is currently assisting the region to explore ways to implement the Pacific Regional Digital Strategy.

They are a useful contact for exploring youth and ICTs. For further information contact Anju Mangal (anjum@spc.int).

Piu Youth Group Masoa project in Samoa

The Piu Youth Group Masoa project in Samoa is designed to increase youth-related ICT activities as a way of supporting livelihoods ad income-generating opportunities as well as encouraging enterprise and entrepreneurship. It is intended to extend the project to include other youth groups and products in Samoa and other Pacific Island countries.

To read more about the Piu Youth Group project go to page 33 of the UNESCO Sustainable Island Living publication.

The E-Chutney project in Fiji

The E-Chutney project was a pilot scheme launched in May 2004 by the Fiji government's Information Technology & Communications (ITC) Department as part of a larger e-government programme to open telecentres to promote rural economic development. It is designed to empower women in Navua, a small agricultural centre in Fiji, who have for years made a few extra dollars on the weekends producing and selling tamarind chutney on the local market. By enabling these women to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to reach customers in the country's largest market (the capital, Suva), this initiative aims to increase their income - and their self-esteem.

How is this initiative coming along? Has Fiji's government been able to expand the number of telecentres? How have youth participated and benefited?

The PRIDE Poject

The PRIDE project, based at the University of the South Pacific, seeks to enhance student learning in fifteen Pacific countries by strengthening the capacity of each Ministry of Education (or equivalent) to plan and deliver quality basic education. The PRIDE Project defines basic education as all education provisions for children and youth except higher education. It includes early childhood, elementary, primary and secondary education, together with Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET), and covers both the formal and non-formal sectors.

In 2006 the PRIDE projet was instrumental in the regional workshop “The Role of TVET in Pacific Secondary Schools: New Visions; New Pathways” which took place in Koror. Part of the process required reflecting on global development in vocational education and examining the implications for the Pacific. The notion of integrating the best of the contemporary global with the best of the local was embedded at the heart of the workshop. The workshop was funded by the PRIDE Project in collaboration with UNESCO-UNEVOC (International Centre for Technica Education and Training) and PATVET. It would be interesting to know how far things have come since this meeting. Anyone know?

FAO and rural youth development

FAO have been supporting rural youth activities and programmes for some time. FAO Rural Youth Development provides more details. A wealth of practical experience has accumulated over the past 100 years related to working with rural young people through education and training. FAO itself has been a part of this effort for at least the past four decades. Today, youth development, with its strong research/knowledge base, and adequate policy and resource support, can become a powerful force in empowering large numbers of rural young people in developing countries to take an active role in sustainable agriculture and rural development as a major contributor to the overall progress in their respective countries. The mission of FAO's rural youth development work is to strengthen and expand young people's capacities, knowledge and skills through education and training to enable them to become productive and contributing citizens of their local communities.

Youth Exhibitions

Some agricultural shows reserve places and sessions to showcase youth achievement and enterprise. Here is an example of a show that allows Youth Exhibitors to showcase and apply what they’ve learned in school and beyond. Horticulture exhibitors are given the opportunity to create their dream landscape (see photo). Poultry and Rabbit exhibitors can showcase their breeds qualities and strengths in our showmanship class. Market Steer, Swine and Lamb exhibitors show their best work on how to properly groom an animal in our fitting and grooming competition.
Each exhibitor is then given the opportunity to share their knowledge with fairgoers by participating in the Ask Me Talks, where fairgoers are given the chance to ask the questions they’ve always wanted to ask, such as maintenance, or how the animal is groomed to how much that 1,200 pound steer may eat in any given day!

FAO and rural youth organisations

FAO have long been involved in facilitating youth group organisations. Here are some shared experiences in the publication Improving Youth Organisations in Asia. No doubt it contains many relevant lessons for initiating similar groups in the Pacific.

For further information contact Dr Malcolm Hazelman at FAO (malcolm.hazelman@fao.org)

Foreaitch (4H)!

4H (Head, Heart, Hands and Health) although seen as a US initiative does have clubs in the Philippines and Thailand and possibly others. The organization serves over 6.5 million members from ages 5 to 19 in approximately 90,000 clubs. The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, and life skills of youth through mostly experiential learning programs. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today encourages members to learn about many topics, such as youth leadership, youth-adult partnership, and communication skills.

Any such groups in the Pacific, the northern Pacific possibly?

Women in Business Development, Samoa

Women in Business Development in Samoa are really forging ahead in developing microenterprises that help support livelihoods for rural women, including youth. How can this substantial experience be used to mentor and strengthen youth livelihoods?

Read here just one example of their enterprise when it comes to fairtraded coconut oil.

Replicating success

The philosophy behind Success Case Replication is that among the rural poor are farmers and groups that have achieved a remarkable level of success at their occupations, whether in agriculture, animal husbandry, micro-enterprises or management of participatory groups or cooperatives. In achieving such success, they have gained valuable experience overcoming varied constraints. In a manner of speaking, they have become experts in their chosen field. These successful people have much to teach their peers and, because they are fully familiar with local language, customs and markets, they can become effective instructors.

An enterprise and training tool all in one that could be easily adapted for youth!

Youth and microenterprise

While adult microenterprise programs are expanding across the globe, very few of these efforts focus on supporting youth. A new report from Making Cents International assesses the challenges and opportunities of building a global youth microenterprise movement. The report notes that new initiatives need to emphasize “livelihood development.” It’s not enough to help youth start a business; they also need support in other key areas such as life skills, career counseling, and financial literacy. They also recommend that non-profits and government agencies expand efforts to engage the private sector in support of youth microenterprise efforts. Access the 2008 Making Cents International report, Youth Microenterprise and Livelihoods: State of the Field here.

One laptop per child project being piloted in Solomon Islands

The South Pacific Community, SPC is promoting a pilot project in the Solomon Islands known as "One Laptop per Child", OLPC, linked to the existing Ministry of Education Distance Learning Centres Project being implemented by the People First Network.

Thanks to Anju at SPC for this information.

Saunaka Community village ICT project

In Saunaka Community village ICT project – they are currently engaging single women, unemployed women and youths in ICT education. Terry Wozniak – a peace corp volunteer is mentoring the women and children to be able to utilize ICTs in order to pursue business opportunities using ICTs.

Thanks to Anju Mangal at SPC for this information

One Laptop Per Farmer, Per Child, or both?

CTA are calling for a One Laptop Per Farmer initiative to match the One Laptop Per Child initiaitive. There could be some opportunities for young farmers in the Pacific here. Definitely worth following up with CTA (who have a reasonaby good opportunity with SPC).

Samoa's Fesootai Project

Samoa ’s Fesootai project uses telecentres to allow families and friends to communicate with each other in different parts of the world. The centers are run by women in Samoa and have generated interest from other Pacific countries. The centres are also used as a form of marketing for various products to a number of people in the outside world. A gateway to tell people what’s available in Samoa and where exactly to get it from. Youths are currently being trained through the telecentres.

Thanks to Anju Mangal at SPC for this information.

You need a FRIEND

FRIEND is a registered non-government organisation administering community programs for unemployed and rural women. FRIEND, together with various community groups, works to reduce poverty, create income generation programs, and to help empower individuals and their communities, both socially and economically. FRIEND is particularly focused on poverty alleviation and creating gender equity in rural and under-served communities in Fiji. Friend's Fiji Style® products include chutneys, pickles, jams, handmade cards, and handicrafts. FRIEND is the recipient of a number of national and international awards and recently won Fiji Association of Social Workers NGO of the Year 2007.

FRIEND offer much of what is good in supporting marginalised groups towards enhanced enterprise.

Promoting participatory agricultural extension in the Pacific

The Pacific Extension Summit, the first of its kind in the region, was set-up to strengthen support for Participatory Agricultural Extension (PAE) in the Pacific through promoting participatory approaches to identify problems and needs within the agriculture. Its goal was to examine past extension practice and chart a course for the future whereby agricultural extension would be more responsive to the needs of farmers in the region and more inclusive of marginalised groups such as women and youth.

Now there is an opportunity if ever we heard one! The process of reflection on Pacific agricultural extension is still ongoing with plans for the next Summit in the pipeline. This would appear to be an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the need for more youth oriented extension.

Contact the coordinator of the Information, Communication and Extension (ICE) group Land Resources Division, SPC for more information.

FAO's Special Programme for Food Security

The FAO also run the regional Special Programme for Food Security in the region that could offer options for improving agricultural extension services for youth. FAO also operate the South-to-South Cooperation scheme that might have options for improving youth involvement in agriculture.

FAO also run a Future Farmers programme in some Pacific Island countries.

TELEFOOD, building solidarity to end world hunger

The FAO's TeleFood campaign has generated over US$ 20 million in donations and some of these funds have been used to support youth projects. The TeleFood Special Fund finances grassroot-level micro projects that help small-scale farmers produce more food and generate cash income, for better access to food. Project categories range from crop production to fish and animal production, including support to school garden initiatives and apiculture. The budget of each project does not exceed $10 000 and a duration of 12 months. Telefood projects are proposed by FAO member governments and approved by FAO’s technical experts. Although small in scale and cost, TeleFood projects have been making the difference in the lives of small-scale farming communities.

Participation Works, an online gateway for youth participation

Participation Works is an online gateway for youth participation and a hub for information, resources, news and networking on the involvement of young people in dialogue, decision making and influence across a wide range of settings. Participation Works is a consortium of six leading children and young people's organisations that provides expert advice to anyone wanting to give a voice to children and young people.

What works in youth participation?

As critical as youth participation is to the notion of positive youth development, it remains a subject that defies easy description. What does it mean in different cultures? What inhibits and encourages youth participation? What lessons have we learned? What Works in Youth Participation: Case Studies from Around the World explores some of these critical questions in nine case essays, written by authors of diverse ages, nationalities, and perspectives. They speak candidly, and often quite personally, about their experiences in the field, and offer valuable lessons for practitioners and policy makers alike on what works and what barriers stand in the way of further progress.

The Concerned for Working Children

The Concerned for Working Children organisation although targeting younger children are involved in interesting participatory work that is guided by principles that we should all strive to adhere to. Among their extensive list of downloads is this useful publication, A Journey in Children's Participation. Click and go to the Dhruva page for this download.

Youth Mainstreaming and the Commonwealth PAYE

Youth mainstreaming has been defined as "the process of assessing the implications for youth of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making youth concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes, in all political, economic and social spheres so that youth benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated."

The above definition has been lifted from the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (PAYE) which has useful information on youth mainstreaming.

For a brief outline of youth mainstreaming click here.

Taming the 'beast'

Attending the regional Youth Stakeholders meeting in Noumea one can't fail to be struck by the magnitude and scope of players and actors involved in youth development in the Pacific. If Robyn describes the complexities of coordinating SPC's regional HIV and STIs project as the 'complex beast' what words can we reserve for regional coordination of youth activities?

Despite the obvious challenges of coordination, important progress was made at the meeting in coming up with a workable strategy for improved coordination and planning with the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 as the guiding document and the Pacific Youth Council as the umbrella organisation to facilitate regional coordination. This is sound since the PYS2010 has been widely endorsed by all those involved and the PYC has coverage and a mandate from all Pacific island countries. Some of the downloadable papers from the Youth Stakeholders meeting discuss this issue of coordination.

However, how do we operationalise this strategy for better coordination? It was clear from the meeting that there is some ambiguity regarding roles and responsibilities of the various youth organisations and agencies involved. How do we ensure that all relevant organisations are involved and that any culture of not sharing and collaboration is discouraged. For example, it was clear from the meeting that there are barriers to communication and collaboration with churches and faith-based organisations (FBOs). Churches and FBOs are most times critical to the delivery of youth services in remote and rural areas. How do we ensure that they are included in coordination and planning? Is there a role for the Pacific Council of Churches here?

Parallel to a clear definition of roles and responsibilities is the need for a comprehensive communication strategy at the regional level. This will go a long way to highlighting roles and responsibilities and reporting mechanisms but should go beyond this to awareness and advocacy from donor to the general public. This will require attention to training and capacity-building in communications and partnership-working among our Pacific youth leaders. This is vital if coordination is to work. It would be very wrong to assume that these are roles that youth can automatically assume and take on without support. In addition, there will be a need for youth mentoring and internships to be provided by experienced organisations.

And never forgetting the need for young people to be actively involved in all aspects of the above!

Making partnerships work, walking the talk

In today's world of development there is much talk about partnerships, often without the walk. Often times, little thought goes into planning and managing the partnership or identifying that there is a need for well-trained facilitators and partnership brokers. Far too many people and organisations facilitate partnership-building without a basic understanding of what is involved, or the level of commitment that is involved. That is, if you want to avoid arm's length partnerships, and nurture deep and equal partnerships that will contribute to real change.

Over at Rurality much time has been spent reflecting on partnerships and pulling together important resources that you might find useful for partnership planning, managing, monitoring and evaluation. This includes partnership kits and factsheets as well as information on improving facilitation of partnerships and partnership brokering. These resources can be found here.

For those particularly interested in the complexity of partnerships and becoming better-equipped to plan for them you might be interested in the training offered under the Partnership Brokers Accreditation Scheme (PBAS). We know of at least three people in the region who are now accredited under the PBAS scheme, including one person from SPC's very own DSAP project. Congratulations Bernie!

The State of Pacfic Youth Report 2005

UNICEF Pacific, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the UNFPA Office for the Pacific collaborate to produce the State of Pacific Youth report 2005. The current State of Pacific Youth Report is available for download here. The report presents a very comprehensive survey of the main issues facing Pacific youth today and an analysis of the their causes before concluding with strategic approaches to addressing youth problems.

Youth peer groups supporting agricultural livelihoods

Young farmer clubs are well known examples of youth peer group organisations. Young farmer clubs can greatly assist in mobilising and supporting youth in developing a livelihood through agriculture through supporting enterprise and entrepreneurial skills as well as a range of other skills.

What examples of such youth peer groups and young farmer clubs exist in the Pacific Islands?

Youth and ICTs, supporing agriculture through information provision

There is considerable scope for encouraging youth participation in ICTs as a way of supporting business ventures in relation to agriculture. This might involve youth or youth groups in the provision of technical information for improved agriculture or information regarding markets. SPC projects such as the Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific (DSAP) project have undertaken some pilot projects in relation to youths and ICTs and information provision.

Initiative NSL 7 of the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 calls for the promotion of youth participation in ICT businesses.

If youth can be provided with sufficient support, and have access to credit, low-cost appropriate technology can be the basis of successful enterprises. Globally, there are a growing number of examples of low-cost technology such as mobile phones, fax machines and computers linked to the internet being used by rural youth to establish small kiosks or information centres, with low start-up costs, providing communication services to their communities.

What are the similar examples for the Pacific Islands. If you are aware of initiatives involving youth using ICTs to supply appropriate information to their communities or farmers please do share with us. We need to get examples of success stories that can be replicated and scaled-up in other countries.

Showcasing the contribution of young people to agricultural development

One way of encouraging youth enterprise and entrepreneurship in agriculture and related activities is to create spaces and opportunities for them to showcase their talents and endeavours. This could be facilitated by organising youth showcases at the growing number of regional gatherings such as the Pacific Arts Festival, Pacific Youth Festival, South Pacific Games and so forth. Not only could these events help showcase youth contributions to agricultural development but they could also become a focus for youth groups to produce food to cater for such large gatherings.

Initiative NSL 6 of the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 calls for the organisation of regional youth trade shows to showcase the contributions of young people to economic development.

We would be grateful to hear from anyone who has been involved in such programmes or to receive suggestions on showcasing youth activities. Please do share your ideas.

Making finance more readily available to rural youth

More often than not, it is the lack of finance or start-up costs that are the major barrier preventing rural youth from developing their own employment opportunities either on or off farm. Youth often do not have enough capital of their own to invest in a business venture. So while their own financial resources are often lacking this is compounded by the fact that credit is seldom available or adequate for rural youth. Because mainstream banks and credit agencies view youth as 'high risk' they are more often than not unlikely to extend credit or other financing schemes to them. However, given the appropriate support and enabling environment, such youth business enterprises can succeed with rural youth paying back any loans.

Initiative NSL 3 of the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 encourages governments and development agencies to establish and maintain funding schemes to support youth employment and income-generation initiatives in PICTSs.

Usually start-up costs are small but loans to cover these amounts need to be made more readily available to rural youth.

What we need to know from you are examples of such credit and finance schemes that have been made available to rural youth and which have been used to start up businesses related to agriculture. What are examples of good practice and what are the main lessons learned. We look forward to you sharing your stories.

AusAID's new Pacific Leadership Program

During the regional youth stakeholders meeting AusAID announced plans for it's new Pacific Leadership Programme (PLP) which will have four main components; Policy Engagement; Leadership Practice; Research and Learning; and Partnerships.

For more information on the PLP click here.

For additional information contact Yeshe Smith, Regional Program Manager, Pacific Leadership Program, AusAID.

Youth development and participation - a Pacific context

Paul Peteru, of the Commonwealth Youth Programme - Pacific Centre, made an interesting presentation on youth development at the recent regional youth stakeholders meeting. The paper focuses on some of the dilemmas and short-comings of programmes and projects that focus on youth participation and the possibilities for abuse and misuse of participation when it comes to youth development. There is much useful information in this document that should guide ways to improve youth participation in strategies aimed at improving their inclusion in agriculture and improving livelihoods in general.

There are a number of typologies or ladders of participation that have been developed as a means of assessing the level or quality of participation. Many of these have been developed in a more general development setting. However, Paul has brought to our attention a number of typologies and ladders that have been developed in the context of youth participation and development and could be useful in guiding and ensuring that what we talk about in terms of youth participation means exactly that.

These ladders include Roger Hart's Ladder of Young Peoples Participation. Here is an example of how Hart's ladder may be used in assessing the quality of youth participation in a gardening project. Westhorp's participation continuum is another example and a useful guide for developing a youth participation strategy can be found for download at the Foundation for Young Australians website. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click download Youth Partnership and Participation. Other similar models have been developed by Harry Shier and Elizabeth Rocha and details are available on the Internet. All are useful for reflection on what we mean by participation and what we are trying to achieve. By employing such diagnostic tools it is not to suggest that we have to be "at the top" rung, but rather, that we should be striving to get out of the lower rungs of non-participation, and think of ways to genuinely engage children and youth.

As Paul makes clear, the challenge for all of us is to consider what meaningful youth participation is and what it is not.

Participation, moving from rhetoric to practice and action

There is so much participation-speak to be found these days in the language and statements from a range of international organisations and bodies. However there is a considerable gap between this 'language of participation' and how well it is put into practice. There are as many bad examples of participation as there are good examples and there are a range of reasons for this from a lack of political will and commitment to real change through participation to poor learning and understanding of what participation actually means and involves and which is translated into poor practice. Many individuals and organisations believe that they can quite simply bring about significant change through participation without proper analysis of what participation is and how it challenges the status quo or current power structures. Quality participation requires quality learning and training and sadly this is an area largely neglected although there are some useful initiatives that have significantly improved the learning and teaching of participation.

With this in mind we have pulled together what we think is a useful range of resources and links that examine 'what is participation' and how the practice and action of action of participation can be improved. This resource can be found here and maybe useful in exploring ways and mechanisms for improving youth participation.

The Pacific Youth Volunteer Scheme

It was interesting to learn about the development of the Pacific Youth Volunteer Scheme at the recent youth stakeholders meeting. Such a scheme has significant potential to improve capacity and skills building among Pacific youth in the area of agriculture and related livelihoods and should definitely be explored further in this context.

Who's mentoring who?

The benefits in terms of capacity and skills-building of a period spent in mentoring or as an intern are widely recognised. Unfortunately I am not aware of any such mentoring/internship programmes that focus on youth in agriculture in the Pacific region but would very much like to hear about any such programmes if they exist.

Please share your experiences here.

ADB funded regional survey of TVET skills development in the Pacific

The Asian Development Bank funded a Regional Skills Development Study that was executed by the Forum Secretariat in 2006-2007. Fifteen reports were written that will contribute towards a regional synthesis report. This regional report is still being edited by the ADB in Manila . However, the Forum Secretariat have put the other reports on their website They contain a wealth of information on the status of skills development/technical and vocational education and training in most of their Pacific member countries. Two country reports are yet to be finalized, but 11 country reports, a literature review and a survey of employers and employees can be found here for download. It is hoped that the last two reports will be uploaded soon.

The country reports are comprehensive and provide excellent up-to-date information on formal/informal TVET, enterprise-based training, private training institutions as well as future plans for TVET and analysis of key issues.

If you would like a copy of the final draft of the regional report, please contact Henry Ivarature at PIFS.

Community Education Training Centre (CETC)

CETC , based at SPC, contributes to human resources development through education and training in community development. For four decades CETC has been training women as community workers and leaders to help improve the well-being of Pacific communities. CETC is the only regional institution in the Pacific that offers training on community development for women of the Pacific. The training program focuses on grassroot communities and also extends to meet modern needs in training. Recently it has placed greater emphasis on income generating activities that will increase employment opportunities and therefore promote social and economic empowerment of women and therefore making a difference in the lives of the people in the community. More recently CETC has been involved in the development of 4-week courses in Enterprise Training of Trainers and Citizenship, Leadership and Governance. Other courses and training have focused on developing business skills, micro-enterprise training, competency-based economics through formation of entrepreneurs (CEFE) training of trainers. Clearly many of these experiences could inform a youth and agriculture stratgy and provide much guidance in developing progammes and activities to build relevant youth skills.

Pacific Association of Technical and Vocational Education and Training

The Pacific Association of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (PATVET) is the principal interactive forum for the TVET sector in the Pacific region to discuss and debate issues of concern to the sector, as well as advocating on behalf of TVET in the wider education and development sectors. PATVET is a united voice to advocate, influence, promote, lead and set standards for TVET in the Pacific. In brief, the Association:
a. Advocates for overall development of the TVET sector in the Pacific
b. Influences TVET policy formulation and resource mobilization
c. Leads the charge to set standards on the delivery and recognition of TVET in the Pacific
d. Promotes TVET career opportunities for Pacific peoples in the region, and the wider international community
e. Promotes measures to secure life skills and sustainable livelihoods in the Pacific.

PATVET will clearly be an important player in the development of a sustainable strategy to improve youth livelihoods through agriculture. The website has links to a number of contacts, including the current PATVET coordinator Emily Hazelman, as well as 'youth-based training activities and TVET rural training projects and national TVET providers.

Coordinating the youth strategy in Micronesia

Many of you will be aware that SPC has established a sub-regional office in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. The purpose of this initiative is to strengthen SPC activities and outreach in the Northern Pacific. A number of programmes and projects are already well established in the Northern Pacific region including the Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific (DSAP) project. Mereseini Seniloli, coordinates DSAP activities in the Northern Pacific region under the guidance of the DSAP Headquarters in Suva, Fiji. The DSAP Project is working closely with youth groups for example in Marshall Islands the project works with the Youth to Youth NGO, in FSM the youth groups of the municipalities, and also in Palau . Mereseini with her wealth of experience of youth issues and needs in the region and potential partners has kindly agreed to be an important focal point for the development of the 'youth and agriculture' strategy in the Northern Pacific.

Pacific Youth Statement on the Pacific Plan

Youth of 13 Pacific Island countries met at the Pacific Youth Summit for the Millennium Development goals at Tofamamao in Samoa in May 2005. As part of their deliberations they were able to review a draft of the Pacific Plan. The youth commended Pacific leaders on their initiative in developing the Pacific Plan. At the same time they recommended that the Pacific Plan Task Force consider some key youth issues for inclusion. Read more here.

The Pacific Plan and youth development

The Pacific Plan , which has key statements in support of the enhanced involvement of youth in sustainable development, was endorsed by Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in October 2005. It is a ‘living’ document ensuring flexibility so that the Vision of the Leaders and the goal of regional integration extend far into the future. This revised version of the Pacific Plan follows decisions taken by Leaders at the Forum meeting in October 2006 where they welcomed the considerable progress made in implementing the Pacific Plan, noted the key challenges that need to be overcome in order for the Plan to continue to be effectively implemented, and agreed on a number of key commitments in order to move the Plan forward.

United Nations Agencies in the Pacific and youth development

The United Nations (UN) agencies in the Pacific have recently completed a collective strategic planning process resulting in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). Within this Framework, youth has been identified as a key focal area for UN assistance, leading to the development of a specific coordinating mechanism for UN youth programmes. The UN agencies will continue to implement the agency-based progammes in youth development across all areas of the UN agencies' work, but with an increasing emphasis on partnerships and joint delivery mechanisms. Read more here. The Annex of this document lists the various UN Agencies operating and with offices in the Pacific region.

Of particular interest in the development of a strategy for involvement of youth in agriculture might be ILO, FAO, IFAD and UNESCO.

If anyone can share some information on what UN agencies in the region are doing to strengthen youth livelihoods through agriculture/rural development that would be very much appreciated.

International Labour Organization Suva

The International Labour Organization (ILO) office in Suva aims to assist Governments', Employers' and Workers' Organisations of the Pacific Island Countries in their efforts to reduce Decent Work deficits (as part of a global goal) and to pursue development for dignity through the achievements of rights at work; employment; social protection and social dialogue.

The ILO have also established the Youth Employment Network (YEN) to develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work.

FSPI, a regional network of non-governmental organisations

The Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI) is a network of South Pacific island non-governmental organisations and overseas affiliates working in partnership across the South Pacific and involved in community-based activities that also focus on youth.

FSPI's Youth and Mental Health Project addresses issues related to youth and sustainable livelihoods. Read more here.

FSPI is also implementing the Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovations (MORDI) Programme which could complement much of the work of SPC and other organisations striving to improve youth livelihoods. The MORDI Programme will look at ways to support innovative work (e.g. niche product development and new crop development: coconut oil, market flowers, off-season pineapple etc) where knowledge and infrastructure already exist in communities. In addition, the Programme will work to build the capacity of community members to engage effectively with government and service providers – to access sources of funding, information and support – to turn these rural innovations into sources of sustainable income. We would love to hear from anyone involved in the MORDI programme regarding any such activities that particularly focus on, or involve youth.

Pacific Youth Environment Network

The Pacific Youth Environment Network (PYEN) was formed in 1999. It is a network of young environmentalists (16-30 years old) from the South Pacific region who are actively involved in environment, sustainable development and youth projects in their own countries and further abroad. The group exists to facilitate communication, collaboration and cooperation between the young people of the region. In 2001, the first Pacific Youth Caucus on the Environment was held at the University of Wollongong in Australia with 25 delegates attending from 12 Pacific Island countries.

Unfortuntely PYEN does not appear to have its own dedicated website and there is not much information available on the internet. If anyone has up-to-date information regarding current PYEN activities, membership and copntact details we would love to hear from you.

Regional Youth Stakeholders Coordination Meeting 2008

Youth sector specialists from around the Pacific met at SPC headquarters in Noumea during March 2008 to discuss how to improve regional coordination in the area of youth development. Representatives of regional, international and civil society organisations, as well as donors and inter-governmental agencies, shared information on issues such as current and planned youth programmes, gaps and duplication in their work, and support for Pacific regional youth organisations. They also discussed a coordination and monitoring mechanism to improve youth development in the region. Read more here.

Copies of the various presentations made at the meeting can be downloaded here.

Commonwealth Youth Programme Pacific Centre

The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) is an international development agency that is dedicated to empowering young people (aged 15-29) in its member countries. The Commonwealth Youth Programme Pacific Centre is located in Honiara, Solomon Islands and is one of four Centres established to serve the member countries of the Commonwealth. The Pacific Centre responds to youth development for 14 countries, small states and territories of the Commonwealth. These 14 countries together have a total population of 31,082,298 million people.

Afu Leah Billy is currently the regional director of CYPPC.

The Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment 2007-2015 is the Commonwealth's guiding strategy to support youth empowerment and participation. Download here.

Human Development Programme SPC

SPC's Human Development Programme (HDP) has a particular focus on bringing gender, youth, culture and community education to the forefront of development. The programme aims to nurture an all-inclusive approach across all sectors to maximise the development potential of the entire community and help people achieve a better quality of life.

Rose Maebiru is the Youth Adviser within the HDP. The youth section of the HDP website has an excellent collection of documents and links related to youth issues in the Pacific.

Land Resources Division SPC

Land Resources Division (LRD) is the newest division of SPC and brings together two previously separate programmes dealing with agriculture and forestry. LRD’s goal is to strengthen livelihoods of Pacific islanders by improving food security, increasing trade and assisting the Pacific Community to be more prosperous and healthy and manage their agricultural and forest resources in a sustainable way.

How LRD functions is largely governed by SPC member countries through the regional Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services (HOAFs). At the last HOAFs meeting in 2006 it was recommended that LRD:

Develop with relevant partners a strategy to promote agriculture among young people

LRD is made up of a number of Thematic Groups and is guided by its Strategic Plan.

French Polynesia Union for Youth

In 2008 the French Polnesia Union for Youth (FPUY) celbrates its 30th birthday. Exclusively made up of non-governmental associations from French Polynesia, the FPUY today has a membership of 79 federations and associations representing over 40,000 youths.

FPUY has a website in French and English.

Additional background information regarding the activities of the FPUY, and youth issues in French Polynesia, can be found here.

Pacific Youth Council (PYC)

The Pacific Youth Council (PYC) is a regional, non-governmental, voluntary association of Territorial and national youth organisations established in 1996. It aims to encourage, support and strengthen territorial and national youth organisations and to promote a regional identity for Pacific youth. The PYC is very well placed as a representative body for Pacific youth as it has membership from 22 Pacific island countries and territories that cover all the geographical and political sub-regions of the Pacific. The current president of the PYC is Jacque Sekoula Koroivulaono.

Read more about the role of the Pacific Youth Council here.

Pacific Youth Charter

The Pacific Youth Charter was the outcome of the massive gathering of Pacific youth at the 1st Pacific Youth Festival in Tahiti in July 2006. One thousand young representatives of 25 countries and territories of the Pacific came together and had an opportunity to reflect, interact and debate through workshops, conferences and seminars addressing nine themes of crucial importance for the development of the Pacific region. It is a document that complements the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010.

The nine themes of the Pacific Youth Charter are: Good Governance; Active Citizenship; Education and Training for all; Social and Professional Integration; Sustainable Development; Cultural Diversity; Health; Equality for all; and Peace Promotion.

Full details can be found here, Pacific Youth Charter.

Pacific Youth Strategy 2010

At their 2004 meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, Pacific leaders agreed to listen to the needs and aspirations of the burgeoning population of young people in the region, and recognise the impact of bigger and more youthful populations on the resources required for education and vocational training, health care, and job opportunities. Following this, the 2nd Conference of Youth Ministers of the Pacific Community convened in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from the 5 to 7 December 2005 and adopted the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 (PYS2010) as the regional framework for youth development in the Pacific region to the year 2010 and beyond. Read more about what PYS2010 has to say here.