gyumri youth policy development conference, yerevan

Gyumri youth policy development

11th March, 2015

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Gyumri youth policy development

Marius Ulozas & Nerijus Miginis (Lithuania)

11th March, 2015

Presentation: key-findings and policy proposals

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Content of presentation

• Youth policy framework

• Observations and conclusions

• Policy proposals and advocacy actions

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Youth policy areas:

1. Access to sport, youth leisure time activities;

2. Antidiscrimination and gender equality;

3. Culture participation;

4. Education and non-formal education;

5. Emancipation, assistance in transition;

6. Entrepreneurship;

7. Youth employment;

(cont. on next slide)

Youth policy areas (cont)

8. Youth access to Rights (knowing your rights and using it);

9. Youth Health and healthy lifestyle;10. Youth mobility and exchange programs;11. Youth participation in decision making structures

and processes (Space and Opportunity), civil participation;

12. Social youth situation (transport, social support, loans, accommodation, spaces for NGOs, social network);

13. Violence, crime and safety;14. NGOs situation, cooperation, networking.

Key findings

Conclusions (1)

• Youth in Gyumri is concerned with the lack of entertainment diversity; there is necessity for infrastructure- free spaces for events, playgrounds and sports clubs.

• Young people spend quite little time on sport and cultural forms of entertainment, instead they spend more time socializing with their friends, on the internet and social networks.

• As primary issues of youth in Gyumri the respondents have mentioned unemployment and financial difficulties. These two issues stand out in the whole research and are in the basis of young people’s everyday and social issues.

Conclusions (2)

• Family and friends play a very big role for Gyumri youth.

• the primary guarantee for independence and autonomy is presence of a job and sufficient financial means. Most of the surveyed consider themselves as independent. The fact is that most of them are financially dependent on their parents or members of family.

• A very small part of youth have tried themselves in entrepreneurship. Some part of the respondents currently intend to do so but see various challenges particularly unfavourable business environment, unequal competitive conditions and shortage or lack of starting financial means.

Conclusions (3)• The majority of employed youth are 23-30 year old men.

• Only 46% of the employed currently work according to their profession and as the main reason for not working according to the profession is the lack of appropriate workplace.

• Employment sectors open for youth employment are quite limited. In the 1st place is trade and car repairing related jobs. It is noteworthy that the 3rd place holds being involved in public sector.

• Although more than the half of the respondents doesn’t work according to their profession, nevertheless gives importance to education in finding a job.

Conclusions (4)

• 33% of the employed intend to change their current job for a better paid one and to find a job with career perspectives. Youth monthly income is fairly low and makes 68.000 AMD.

• 40% of the respondents want to find a job in other cities of RA. And 40% are planning to go to work abroad in the coming year.

• It is noteworthy that 16-22 young people regardless of gender are more willing to go abroad.

Conclusions (5)

• A significant part of the youth is interested in socio-political activity of the country and their cities. Though very few are serious to political life or the perspective their participation in politics as they consider that they won’t benefit from it, their word won’t be heard.

• In other words they don’t believe that their participation can change anything. This circumstance also refers to their participation in social and charity events.

POLICY PROPOSALS

Proposed actions

1. Horizontal / integral proposals

a) are tackling several issues simultaneously, by improving them impact would be felt on several youth policy fields or would contribute to solving several youth issues;

b) the integral proposals assure youth policy implementation quality.

2. Vertical proposal are calling for new developments in Gyumri municipality to solve specific youth related issues.

Horizontal / integral proposals

• Direct consultations with youth related to different topics, structured dialogue;

• Establishing municipal council of youth affairs: politicians, NGOs, youth discuss and decide together;

• Transport: affordable access to work and leisure time activities;

• Development of cross-sectorial cooperation

• Youth information system development in Gyumri: systemized and youth-friendly way

• Youth policy monitoring system in Gyumri

• Strengthening NGOs performance quality

Vertical proposals

• Establishing Open youth centre

• Emphasis on Open youth spaces: focus on youth issues specific for the district, provide services according the needs.

• Professional Youth worker training: 30 trained youth workers, working in different areas of the city should cover the needs of Gyumri city young people.

• Youth mobility co-funding: local grant system that would allow co-finance Gyumri youth travel cost to be able to attend mobility events in abroad.

• Employment: information, career- guidance, competencies gain using non-formal education, vocational training and volunteering programmes;

Vertical proposals

• Entrepreneurship: municipal level business incubators, business support institutions and business “angels” networks could be created, cheap / accessible and equipped co-working spaces could be provided. Business training programs should be organized and accessible for youth in Gyumri. Information about opportunities provided by Gyumri Labour centre for young entrepreneurs should be spread wider.

• Autonomy: empowerment through participation; educating autonomy, independence, and responsibility through non-formal education programs could contribute to decreasing level of migration.

PROPOSED ADVOCACY ACTIONS

Municipality and NGOs:

1. Round table of all NGOs to discuss further steps of Youth policy development in Gyumri;

2. Revisiting Gyumri development plan and include chapter on youth.

3. Review plan of city and where youth related infrastructure / improvements could be made, make temporary contractions, i.e. outdoor training equipment.

4. Establish representative local youth council and Council of youth affairs

5. Apply to be Youth Capital of Armenia.

6. Initiate Open Youth Centre in Gyumri

7. Organize open debates and discussions with young people on the streets / parks about future of Gyumri. To show that young people cares and have an opinion;

8. Collect support letters from other NGOs, cities, International organizations to support local youth policy development in Gyumri;

9. Run awareness raising campaigns “youth cares” or “Gyumri – young city” to draw attention of people and institutions towards needs and interests of young people.

State level:

• Make stronger links between National youth policy/Strategy and Municipalities, include marzpetarans.

• Make Youth Capital of Armenia programme about youth needs, youth participation, youth involvement in (re)creating, reviving cities;

• Make regional youth policy development a priority;

• Promote evidence-based and participatory policy making;

• Involve ministry of Youth and Sport to pressure municipalities of youth policy development and youth involvement. Promote Gyumri as potentially first example where local youth council and council of youth affairs could really work;

• Present findings of research and proposed / needed improvements to foreign Embassies that work with development aid / cooperation for development;

Contacts

Institute for Policy Research and Analysis

Gedimino pr. 21-2, Vilnius, Lithuania

+370 686 26260

www.institutas.EU

@institutasEU

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Gyumri youth policy development

11th March, 2015

Proposals: gyumri.YPD@gmail.com

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