Engaging Youth in Inclusive Market Development (Event Resources)

Many developing countries today are faced with a growing youth population who want to engage in markets but remain unemployed or underemployed. At the same time, efforts to develop economies through more inclusive and competitive markets are not engaging youth in this process, creating a disconnect between the growing opportunities and the young people without the qualifications to fill them. While many market development projects target youth, we are still early in the process of learning how to meaningfully incorporate youth into market systems approaches. What are the benefits of engaging youth in market development? How can market development programs more meaningfully engage young people as value chain change agents? What are concrete ways to encourage youth participation throughout the project cycle?

In lieu of their traditional seminar format, USAID/MPEP recently hosted a "knowledge potluck" event to dialogue about what is being tried in the field in youth engagement. Presenters Rachel Blum and Devon McLorg from USAID, and David Feige from Making Cents International, introduced key conceptual models and examples to frame the conversation and engage participants in an interactive discussion. During the potluck, market systems community experts and youth engagement specialists dialogued about their experiences working with youth and where gaps remain that programs should seek to bridge.