Vision for Vulnerable Youth Initative

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve made changes in the way we teach the Youth Ready curriculum. In 2021, we conducted training using both traditional face-to-face methods as well as a hybrid approach—combining face-to-face and virtual teaching using tools like Google Classroom, Google Meet and WhatsApp.

Participants worked through immense challenges in 2021—not just related to the pandemic, but also because of hurricanes and political or economic instability in some regions. Even so, ambitious, motivated youth can do great things. We’ve seen this as they develop life plans and engage in community projects, going far beyond themselves to understand and meet the needs in their neighbourhoods.

In fiscal year 2021:

• 3,827 participants were involved in the program, including 2,401 adolescent girls and young women.
• 1,619 youth (1,042 female) gave back to their neighbourhoods by participating in 90 community projects, which benefitted 22,040 people in total.
• 994 youth (720 female) participated in vocational and technical courses.
• 138 Youth Ready facilitators (92 female) received training
• 55 partnerships were signed with governments, businesses and foundations, providing youth with opportunities for training, business support and higher education.

Participants who join Youth Ready move through the curriculum in two phases. During the second phase, they choose one of three “pathways” to focus their training—entrepreneurship, education or employment. All three pathways experienced roadblocks this year, requiring extra work and problem solving by the youth, staff and partners

• The 324 participants in the employment pathway experienced the most challenges, as the pandemic and hurricanes that hit Central America brought severe repercussions to the labour market.
• For the 1,130 youth in the education pathway, pandemic-related school closures and limited higher education options created difficulties. (Even so, education remains as the program’s most chosen pathway, as young people see the benefits of studying for their long-term success.)
• Participants in entrepreneurship experienced the fewest obstacles, with the 534 participants finding that a successful small business can quickly improve their lives, particularly when formal job opportunities are scarce.

Of the phase 2 participants, 62% have managed to secure an opportunity in their chosen pathway, and our project staff continue supporting the others to find solutions that suit their goals

In 2021, 63% of the Youth Ready participants were female, including 2,401 adolescent girls and young women. This strong female involvement is the result of a concerted effort by Youth Ready staff encouraging and empowering young women to join, while also ensuring men are part of the conversation.

• In Honduras, an agreement between World Vision and a government program for women called Ciudad Mujer allowed 85 young women to join Youth Ready and register in a technical beauty course, providing vocational training in nail art and hairdressing. Because of their involvement in Ciudad Mujer they also received access to ongoing health services including cervical screenings, dental treatment and counselling.
• In Colombia, 48% of the project participants engaged in gender awareness activities and “gender-sensitive opportunities” during guidance counselling and vocational training. More young men joined the program this year, enriching the discussions between both women and men as they expanded their understanding of gender roles.

A gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) review of the Youth Ready curriculum and its online components is planned, as we continue to improve the program’s implementation.