Transcript (risk and protective factors) behind various youth

Youth Development in the
Caribbean
Small States |Forum
IBRD/IMF
Annual Meetings
Dubai 2003
Study Objectives
Identify the causes (risk and protective
factors) behind various youth behaviors and
development.
Measure the cost of negative youth
behaviors to the individual and to society
Explore key intervention points for youth
development.
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Scope and Data
Data
Quantitative
Household surveys
CARICOM country survey of adolescent students.
Qualitative:
St. Lucia and Dominican Republic focus groups
Consultations: Jamaica, Barbados, Dominican Republic
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MAIN FINDINGS
Although the majority of young
people make the transition to
adulthood smoothly..... A growing
minority do not.
Growing numbers of young
people are “at risk”
Regional trends:
Youth unemployment: 33% Jamaica, 30% DR
Highest incidence of AIDS/HIV outside of Africa
17% physically abused
10-17% of children begin sexual activity before age 10
Incidence of rage is high: 40%
20% of boys carry firearms to school and involved in
gangs
Widespread social acceptance of alcohol and
marijuana use
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Youth Development is
National Development
Some Examples of “lost” GDP due to youth behaviors:
 Teen Pregnancy: each cohort of adolescent mothers cost the
Dominican Republic US$7 million in foregone use of resources
 School dropout: a female school leaver in St. Lucia earns (and
contributes to GDP) US$ 525,000 less over her lifetime than if she
finished secondary school
 Crime: in Jamaica, tourist receipts increase 4% with 1% reduction
in youth crime
 AIDS: annual GDP would be up to 0.37% higher if no youth
contracted HIV
 Unemployment: If youth unemployment rates were equal to
those in the US, GDP would be 3.72% higher in Jamaica (regional
high) and 0.72% higher in Barbados (regional low)
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Youth Respond to Their
Environment
Primary level factors
Family
Schools
Poverty and Inequality
Gender and the Family
Secondary level factors
Microenvironment: Peers, role models and social
networks, communities and neighbourhoods
Macroenvironment: Health care system, law
enforcement, judiciary, media
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MOVING
FORWARD
The challenges
Scarce information: Youth programs are
plentiful but little is known about their
effectiveness. How to make policy &
investments when information about effective
policy is scarce?
Institutional challenges:
Youth is a crosscutting issue
At-risk youth are unattached to formal institutions
Youth lack an organized and vocal constituency
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Entry Points for Action –
some ideas
Use the Education System to address youth issues as
well as academic needs
Public Health Care System that works with the realities
of youth behavior and prioritizes confidentiality
Parental and Mentoring programs/activities and
incentives to participate
Reform and Strengthen Legal, Judicial and Policing
Systems to Create a Safe and Positive Environment
Use the Media and Social Marketing to change norms
and values of youth and of adults with respect to youth
Create economic incentives for productive youth
Youth-policymaker partnerships in decision-making 10fora
Youth are not the
problem....they are the
product of their environments
“The drug dons ( traffickers) promote
themselves to the youth. We have to
promote ourselves, our programs, our
community and our caring if we are to
get the youth’s attention.”
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