Update on the Evidence on Engagement in MENA Aline Germani

(Representing the Stream Organizers - UNICEF/AUB/GAGE)

Steering Committee: UNICEF, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, International Labour Organization (ILO), No Lost Generation, European Civil Protection And Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), American University of Beirut, Columbia University, Danish-Arab Partnership Programme, Action Aid and GAGE.

Translating Research Into Scaled Up Action: Evidence Symposium on Adolescents

and Youth in MENA

Content

1. Setting the scene: conceptual clarification

2. What does the recent evidence tell us about adolescents and youthparticipation and civic engagement in MENA

• The context

• Positive findings

• Main challenges

• Enablers and barriers for participation and civic engagement

• Main outcomes of adolescent and youth participation & engagement

3. Key recommendations for scaled-up action

What do we know about adolescents and youth participation and civic engagement in MENA

1a: Purpose: Consolidating available evidence on adolescent and youth participation and civic engagement in MENA.

• Synthesis Report: Systematic Participation of Adolescents and Youth in Programming (MENA Region) - Nothing about us without us! [POSTER]

Analyses of how in MENA we support systematic adolescent and youth participation in the development, implementation and monitoring of programmes. Building on these, the paper outlines challenges, gaps, and develops standards and guidelines, and recommendations for establishing systematic engagement mechanisms of adolescents and youth in MENA

• Evidence brief: Adolescent and Youth Civic Engagement in MENA [Presentation]

• Toolkit for Adolescent and Youth Engagement in MENA [Will be uploaded on the website]

This toolkit responds to the needs identified in MENA for a simple and easy to use ‘How to Guide’ for understanding, implementing and monitoring adolescent and youth engagement programmes.

1b. Setting the scene: conceptual clarification

• Adolescents and Youth Participation - adolescent girls and boys (individually or collectively) engaging with opportunities to form and express their views and to influence matters that concern them directly or indirectly.

• Adolescents and Youth Engagement -the rights-based inclusion of adolescents and youth in areas that affect their lives and their communities including dialogue, decisions, processes, events, campaigns, actions and programmes – across all stages, from identification, analysis and design to implementation, monitoring and evaluation

• Civic Engagement interventions are those interventions that support young people to make a difference in their communities.

• Meaningful participation requires space, voice, influence and an audience.

2. What does the recent evidence tell us aboutadolescents and youth participation and civic

engagement in MENA?

The context

• One in five people in the Middle East and North Africa is an adolescent

• Arab cultures emphasize generational hierarchies

• Girls across the Middle East are not only restricted by their age, but also by their gender

• Several studies have documented that young people in MENA are growing extremely frustrated due to continued lack of action on their key concerns

In Gaza for example, of young people aged 15-29, only 20% of femalesreport that they make decisions about their own lives by themselves; incontrast to their male peers of who 62% report making their own decisions

Positive findings

• Approx. 1 million adolescents and youth in MENA, lead and/or are involved in civic and economic engagement programmes in the MENA region

• Adolescent and youth led engagement interventions are being implemented through a wide spectrum of delivery platforms and services

• Young people in MENA are more likely to be involved in initiatives that are focused on creating long term benefits, such as skills training opportunities, or activities that bring a sense of autonomy or the space to build an identity

• Increased engagement of young people through digital communication

A study of young people in Tunisia, Morocco and Yemen found that they viewedforms of positive civic engagement as means to bring benefits for society as awhole and some stated that the desire to promote social cohesion was moreimportant than the perceived benefits that follow, such as possible employment

Main challenges

• Progress is not always equal for boys and girls

• Programmes specifically targeting adolescents are very limited in number

• Youth engagement in humanitarian programmes under Syria crises facechallenges in the implementation of age appropiate and gender sensitive programmes

A Survey conducted in Gaza, Palestine, only 13.3% of female youth participated in volunteer

activities in the year prior to the survey in contrast to 30% of male respondents

Humanitarian Adolescent programme mapping: 16% in one assessment, less than 10%

programmes in another assessment engage adolescents and youth in assessment, planning,

implementation, and monitoring of the intervention and even fewer programmes support

adolescent and youth-led engagement interventions

The majority of these interventions (77% in the 3RP assessment) only benefit adolescents

and youth without providing them any sort of consultations or engagement opportunities in

programming and implementation

Main challenges (cont.)

• Progress on Adolescent and Youth led Civic engagement is uneven in MENA

•The majority of the civically engaged youth in the region are those who take an active interest in learning about politics and government

• The widest gender gaps regarding civic group memberships are in Palestine, and the most equal levels between young men and women in Algeria.

In Egypt and Jordan only a very small percentage of youth are member of civic groups

(4.9%, and 5.8%, respectively)

Arab youth who are interested in politics, or follow the news about politics and

government are 2.5 to 3 times more likely to engage as members of civic associations,

sign petitions/participate in collective efforts to address an issue, attend political

campaigns, rallies or protest marches

Enablers and barriers

Barriers Enablers

• Not being taken seriously • Disillusionment with political

systems and with the lack of action on their key concerns.

• Lack of (the implementation of) national legislation and policies Intersecting vulnerabilities and violations of rights

• Lack of sustained efforts • Lack of economic opportunities,

challenges within the school systems and lack of safe recreational opportunities

• Access to distorted information via social media

• Partnership with adults• Giving adolescents and youth greater

level of control and responsibility at the household, community and national level

• Access to education and skills training initiatives

• Access to work: Young people in the MENA region who are employed full-time have higher civic engagement rates

• Availability of social media

Outcomes

• Develop a sense of self-worth/self-esteem/efficacy and capacity to make decisions • Positive changes in communication skills • Increased sense of belonging • Generation of interpersonal trust • Preventing young people from accessing healthy pathways is a potential driver of conflict, • Positive relationship between civic engagement and political participation

Egyptian youth who volunteer are twice as likely to be employed as those who do not, and Egyptian youth who are members of civic groups are 2.6 times more likely to have a permanent (versus temporary) job, than youth who are not members

Outcomes (Cont’d)

• Adolescent and youth-led participatory action research that involves adolescents in analysing and improving their communities provides important developmental opportunities

“I developed myself and gained new skills, including dealing with people and the ability to manage a group. I also learned more about the problems young people face in the community. This experience has made me more aware about the problems and also more self-confident. I have felt that the perception family and friends have on me has changed because they can see I can transfer the knowledge and skills I gained to try to provide solutions to the problems that exists in the community” Palestinian male young researcher, 16 years old – Amman, Jordan

3. Key recommendations for scaled-up action

• Approach young people from an assets-based perspective, convinced of their promise and focusing on their strengths.

• Scale up age appropriate and gender sensitive adolescent and youth programmes• Ensuring smart investment of financial and technical resources• Create linkages with sectors and integration within sectoral systems to

ensure a sustainable model of participation

• Increase sustainable opportunities to build adolescents and youth’s skills e.g. through volunteering, community service.

• Increase access to digital media and broadband technologies

• Attract disadvantaged, vulnerable and/or marginalised adolescents and youth, including (married) girls, refugees and young people living with disabilities.

3. Key recommendations for scaled-up action (cont’d)

• Improve the evidence and visibility of adolescents and youth issues:• Age and gender disaggregated data• Document and study the positive contribution of young girls and boys • Investigate and evaluate outcomes and impact• Involve youth as researchers

• Create strategic and sustainable opportunities for adolescent and youth engagement leadership at the lowest and highest level of decision making

• Make space for intergenerational dialogue

• Develop the capacities of governments, partners, adults and young people to ensure successful initiatives

Key Takeaways on Adolescent and Youth Led Civic Engagment

Adolescent and Youth engagement in MENA must be strengthened to ensure sustainable and scaled up adolescent and youth engagement in MENA is a reality.

Adolescent and Youth engagement works when done right: The experience of active engagement at a young age has formative and lasting effects on the extent and kind of political and social participation of a young person throughout his/her life cycle.

Adolescent and Youth engagement/participation when done right has a significant impact in their communities

Do No Harm to Adolescents and Youth: Across the region, young people who are meaningfully engaging with intent to positively influence their communities have faced discrimination, jail, torture, among other human rights violations. We vehemently reject these responses, and acknowledge that meaningful engagement can pose risk for adolescents and youth. Along with youth, we need to strategize about engagement that minimizes risk.