Youth. who is a youth?



Youth is the time of life when one is young, but often means the time between childhood and adulthood (maturity).



Olawale David Oyinlade's view

Youth is a more fluid category than a fixed age group, is as the time of life when one is young, but often means the time between childhood and adulthood.

Youth is best understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood's independence as a member of a community.





Guide for improving and empowering youth

Adolescence is a significant transition period and a unique window of opportunity to shape the healthy and successful development of future generations.



To help youth grow into healthy, productive adults and citizens, CARE employs a rights-based and comprehensive approach that considers all the inputs a young person needs throughout their life. Our decades of experience with youth programming spans from girls’ education to health to economic development and more. We address the specific and diverse needs of young people, ensuring they have access to the information, resources and support they need to escape poverty for good.


We recognize that poverty is inextricably linked to social marginalization and discrimination – and our experience has shown that simply providing young people with a few skills, then expecting them to conquer systemic injustices is not effective and does not lead to their empowerment. Rather, large-scale and sustainable change requires addressing laws, policies, gender norms and social and cultural barriers that stand in the way. By creating an enabling and equitable environment where young people can exercise their skills, knowledge and

leadership, they are able to step into new roles and lead the change themselves.


Some would say that as idyllic as it sounds- to empower youth, it is not that easy as parents, community leaders and teachers to foster this sense of ownership and leadership in children. Some might even wonder how can we put our future into the hands of tweens and teens, whose ideas span from the simple lemonade stand to lofty dreams that are ridden with logistical complications.
The "how" of how to empower youth to be change agents is to let them be kids and develop their own ideas- wherever they are in the range of potential social good actions.

The answer is simple- we simply let them "do." We let them dream and think. We give our youth the tools to collaborate and problem solve, brainstorm and reflect. We empower them to believe that their voice matters without judging or criticizing their ideas.

The "how" of how to empower youth to be change agents is to let them be kids and develop their own ideas- wherever they are in the range of potential social good actions. While one teen might be ready to speak out on a cause to their classmates or create an after school club, another might produce a video to build general awareness, while another might make bracelets to sell for a cause. The action almost doesn’t matter as long as it is meaningful to the student and fosters a sense of purpose.

As parents and adults we also have to face another reality of empowering youth. Tweens and teens are adolescents. They may be ready to inspire others one week and want nothing to do with the cause the next. The goal is to help our youth develop habits, that in the end, they can sustain without our ‘suggestions’ or prodding. We have to let their interests ebb and flow, while still talking about our own actions for good in the background, so that our behaviors and words create the foundation for a long-term lifestyle.

The process of providing youth with platforms for decision-making and encouraging their active participation in creating community change.


By: OLAWALE D OYINLADE