URBAN YOUTH FUNDUN-HABITAT

Nexus Global Youth Summit2013

Urban Youth Fund

What have we learned?

How can you get involved?

What is the Urban Youth Fund?

1• A gate opener for youth groups with low

or no access to finance

2

• A laboratory for testing out new models and mechanisms for youth empowerment

3• A provider of input to UN-Habitat’s

research and normative work

Ultimate goalChange the policy of bilaterals and

multilaterals affecting youth globally

Youth Fund: A working model?

• Funding small scale initiatives• Small is equally efficient• We learn through diversity

“UN-Habitat is an organization we would love to work with

over and over again; they empower less privileged youth &

give hope to the hopeless. We really appreciate their effort

& recommend them as one of the best UN bodies.”

- Project Coordinator, Love Planet

Youth Fund: A working model?

• Funding small scale initiatives• Small is equally efficient• We learn through diversity

Small is equally good and efficient

-0.1

0.0999999999999999

0.3

0.5

0.7

0.9

1.1

1.3 Level of success

Grant Size ranging from USD4,000 to USD 25,000

Rat

e of

suc

cess

1

: O

utco

me

= T

arge

t

Source: 2009 Urban Youth Funded Projects

Small is equally good and efficient

Youth Fund Grantees No significant difference between small and large grants in terms of ability to achieve project goals There is inverse relationship between the size of grant and efficiency

Youth Fund: A working model?

• Funding small scale initiatives• Small is equally efficient• We learn through diversity

38%

8%

4%

21%

16%

5%

8%

Thematic Focuses

Urban Youth Fund

What have we learnt?

How can you get involved?

What have we learnt?

• Youth-led development is complex and multi-focused• Financial important but not in a vacuum• How to create sustainable results?

Purpose of Youth-led Initiatives

Youth-led projects are wide in their scope of

work and tackle intricately-linked issues TOGETHER rather than

one by one.

Source: 2008-2012 Web Survey of Youth-Led Initiatives-UN-Habitat, Youth Unit

Com

mu

nit

y

Develo

pm

en

t

Vocati

on

al

train

ing

En

trep

ren

eu

rsh

ip

Reproductive Health

What have we learnt?

• Youth-led development is complex and multi-focused• Financial support important but not in a vacuum• How to create sustainable results?

“Personally, I am grateful to UN-Habitat for the support they gave me as the Project Coordinator. In 2012, I benefited from the project implementation training in Cairo (Egypt) which greatly boosted my project management and implementation skills. UN-Habitat also gave CI, guidelines on various aspects of the project such as report writing” -Project Coordinator, Conscience International -

Gambia

Physical Capital

Human Capital

Financial Capital

Social, political

& cultural capital

“Personally, I am grateful to UN-Habitat for the support they gave me as the Project Coordinator. In 2012, I benefited from the project implementation training in Cairo (Egypt) which greatly boosted my project management and implementation skills. UN-Habitat also gave CI, guidelines on various aspects of the project such as report writing”

-Project Coordinator, Conscience International -Gambia

“The project has established a credit facility for the youth known as the Entrepreneurship Support Fund which supports small businesses run by youth and helps turn their ideas into successful businesses. UN-Habitat funds for entrepreneurship support were invested as a revolving fund and are helping to address part of the challenges. The credit facilities established means that the project impact will continue after UN-Habitat funding as it is a revolving fund which will continue to benefit more youths in various ways.”

- Project Coordinator, CYM

What have we learnt?

• Youth-led development is complex and multi-focused• Financial important but not in a vacuum• Creating sustainable results

“When you train women you train a family. Women are role models—

their families and children look up to them and more needs to be done

to help them. Young women are ready and bring change. They need

direction and leadership. Being a young female, I can bring light

wherever I go.”— Coordinator, Girls to Mothers Project

Creating Sustainable ResultsDirect Youth

Funded Project

Funded Youth Group

Community Level

Immediate Intermediate Long-term

Creating Sustainable Results

Immediate Outcomes

• Capacity building through project management training for Project Coordinators

• Expanded working space for some grantees

Intermediate Outcomes

• Revolving funds• Youth-run micro-

enterprises• Resource centers• Cooperatives

and working groups

• Enhanced skills for targeted youth

Long term Outcomes

• Community cooperation and mobilization towards sustainable youth employment creation

• Youth viewed as positive change agents in their community

Urban Youth Fund

What have we learned?

How can you get involved?

Our goalsImproved

mentorship during the project

Improved monitoring and evaluation during

the project

Improved assistance/support to scale up successful projects for year 2

Create platform and networks for peer-to-peer

learning and support during and after the project

Create platform for capacity

development after year 1

Here

Here

And Here

How to get involved

1. Through One-To-One mentorship

2. As a resource person in regional training sessions

3. As a resource person in regional alumni sessions

4. As funder

The greatest strength of youth organizations or initiatives is

the young people within themAND

the people they are able to network and partner with.

Partnering up: Full-scale partnerExample 1: The Narotam Sehksaria Foundation

• The India Youth Fund (yearly budget of 155,000 USD for 3 years)• Customized partnership model for the India Youth Fund• Financial support• Application documents and requirements• Active partner in the screening process• Selection of projects• Contracting

Partnering up : Financial PartnerExample 2: BASF Social Foundation

• Financial support to our regional project management trainings, and• Selected projects, and• Developing e-learning platform for the Urban Youth Fund (tbc)

Let’s talk more…

jon-andreas.solberg@unhabitat.org

LinkedIn.com/jasolberg

Facebook.com/j.a.solberg

Twitter.com/jasolberg