Working with Peace Corps on Youth EmploymentTanya Gipson-Nahman, Education and Youth Specialist, Peace CorpsDepartment of Labor Grantee Workshop, May 31, 2011

Overview of Peace Corps• Human resource agency

with a focus on capacity building.

• Currently work in 70 countries with ~8,500 Volunteers serving worldwide

• Volunteers serve for two years; average age is 28.

The purpose of youth work is to engage and positively prepare youth for their roles within family life, the world of work, and citizenship.

Peace Corps’ work in Youth Development

• In FY10, Volunteers reached almost 1.75 million young people under 25. This was a 5% increase from 2009.

• In most of the countries in which we work, over 50% of the population is under 25 years

Youth Development Key Principles

•Youth as a resource

•Actively promote youth participation

•Support asset-based approaches to development

Preparing Youth for the World of Work

Five Principle Areas• Life Skills and Leadership• Financial Literacy• Employability Skills• Entrepreneurship• Vocational Education

Working with the Peace Corps

Life Skills and Leadership

• Dept. of Labor school enrichment project to keep children in school

Financial Literacy

• Working with Microfinance Opportunities to adapt their financial literacy materials for Volunteer’s use

Employability Skills

• Partnership with A Ganar, a program of Partners of the Americas

• Life Skills and employability skills through sports

Entrepreneurship

• Junior Achievement works with PC in several countries

• Nicaragua’s Empresa Creativa has been adopted by the Ministry of Education

Vocational Education

• Escuela Taller program in Honduras – mix of local and international NGOs and government

• Gulu Youth Development Association in Uganda

What’s Next?• Youth Livelihoods

Modules in partnership with USAID

Thank you!

Send email to:tgipsonnahman@peacecorps.gov