Youth Leadership

Youth Leadership & Economic Empowerment

We advance young people’s rights to be heard, to lead and to be independent.

The Case for Youth Leadership & Economic Empowerment

There are 1.8 billion young people (ages 10 to 24) in the world today – more than at any other point in history. Nearly 90% live in low- and middle-income countries. They are connected like never before, but many are also growing up amid political, economic, social and environmental turmoil.

Young people, particularly young women, face high levels of unemployment, insecure work, discrimination at work, exploitation and financial exclusion. For youth who are routinely denied their basic rights, fighting for change is a difficult but necessary task.

In 2022

almost a quarter of the world’s youth were not engaged in education, employment or training. Young women are more than twice as likely to lack these opportunities, compared with young men.

500 million

An estimated 500 million youth ages 15 to 24 live on less than $2 a day.

⅔ Countries

Two out of three countries do not consult young people on poverty-reduction strategies or national development plans.

�ֲ��ý Canada works with young people in all their diversity, in Canada and around the world, on projects that advance equal rights and economic justice. With young people in the lead, we create inclusive spaces where emerging activists can develop confidence and a sense of community. Our entrepreneurship, employment and financial-inclusion programs are active in more than 25 countries, supporting youth – especially girls and young women – in unlocking their potential and cultivating resilience for the future.

Ayisha’s Plan

“First, I thought tile laying was for males. I was a bit afraid to learn it. But if you don’t try, how will you know? ... Now I am a master, and I am proud of my work.”
– Ayisha

In Tamale, in Northern Ghana, passersby marvel at a group of tile layers hard at work on a construction site. It’s not something they see every day – because six of the crew are women. Ayisha is proud to count herself among them.

When she signed up for job training to learn to become tile layer, family and friends tried to dissuade her from taking up a “boy’s job.” But Ayisha had a plan for her future.

» Watch the video.

The Top Four Barriers to Youth Leadership & Economic Empowerment

Young people are a powerful force for change. It is our privilege to work alongside them as they fight for equality and tackle the barriers in their way.

Financial exclusion

More than 800 million young people worldwide do not have access to financial services. Legal restrictions, lack of required identification, high transaction costs or distance from banks prevent them from opening bank accounts. Many women and girls face additional challenges, including the need for a male co-signatory or a lack of collateral for loans. Financial exclusion also hinders civic participation: In a recent survey, 54% of adolescent girls and young women identified lack of finances as the main barrier preventing them from engaging in activism.

Education

According to UN estimates, 250 million children and youth, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa and South and Central Asia, are entirely excluded from education, with poverty being the main obstacle to access. Other key challenges include a lack of or inadequately trained teachers, lack of training materials and classrooms, distance to school, exclusion of children due to disability, gender or gender identity, conflict, hunger and malnutrition. With limited education and life-skills training, low-income youth, particularly women, struggle to find and maintain decent work opportunities.

Stereotypes and norms

Too often, girls and young women cannot access opportunities due to harmful norms regarding their role in society; a lack of time, due to the burden of unpaid care work in their homes; and gender-based job segregation.

Climate change

Climate change directly and indirectly impacts the lives and livelihoods of young people around the world. According to the Stockholm Environment Institute, a child born in 2020 has a staggering 6.8-times greater susceptibility to heat waves than a child born in 1960. They are also 2.6 times more likely to encounter droughts, 2.8 times more likely to be exposed to river floods and twice as likely to face wildfires. For youth involved in agricultural work, extreme drought, flooding and storms result in a reduction in water and land resources, poor agricultural productivity, food insecurity and loss of income.

“Without reliable and secure opportunities for work and access to banking and other basic financial services, it becomes exponentially harder for individuals to pull themselves and their families out of poverty. Women and girls face even greater obstacles to achieving this kind of stability, and this has a ripple effect across generations.”
–Tanjina Mirza, chief programs officer at Plan Canada

Our Approach

See how we approach our work in youth leadership and economic empowerment:

Eunice, 18, is a member of the girls' football team in her village

Youth Leadership

1. Building confidence and community

We support young people in all their diversity in building confidence and realizing their full potential as leaders of today and tomorrow. We foster community by co-designing inclusive spaces with youth, where young change makers can connect and collaborate.

Girls Belong Here FY23 group photo version two

Youth Leadership

2. Activating global citizenship

Our youth-engagement programs equip young people with the knowledge, skills and networks to advocate for children's rights and equality for girls.

Youth Leadership

3. Amplifying youth voices

We create platforms to amplify the voices of youth as they advocate for a more equitable and just world.

“It all comes down to a human voice, and you have one. You have a voice you can use.”
–Jennifer, a Youth Council member at Plan Canada