TakingITGlobal: Ispirare, Informare, Coinvolgere

Youth Leadership Development Foundation (YLDF) is a non-governmental non-profit organization, located in Sana'a capital city of Yemen . YLDF was founded to support youth in voicing their opinions and needs, and participating in Yemen 's development, especially underprivileged and female youth....
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Youth Leadership Development Foundation (YLDF) is a non-governmental non-profit organization, located in Sana'a capital city of Yemen . YLDF was founded to support youth in voicing their opinions and needs, and participating in Yemen 's development, especially underprivileged and female youth. Youth represent a wide base in the demographic pyramid of Yemen , yet they play a small role in decision making processes and have a minor contribution to the economy. Our vision is a Yemen in which skilled, well qualified and active young women and men play leadership roles in all domains of society and enable Yemenis to contribute to a better world. Our mission is “ to increase youth participation in social, political and economic aspects of society through education in vocational, communication, leadership and life skills in response to the needs of the community and labor market.”.
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YLDF currently servesmore than 1200 young males and female mainly from the capital city Sana'a. rn rnYouth Economic Development Center (YEDC) initially was launched in 2005 in partnership between CHF international organization and YLDF with support from MEPI. The program aimed to improve skills...
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YLDF currently servesmore than 1200 young males and female mainly from the capital city Sana'a. rn rnYouth Economic Development Center (YEDC) initially was launched in 2005 in partnership between CHF international organization and YLDF with support from MEPI. The program aimed to improve skills and build capacities of 500 male and female young people to make them competitive in the labor market and enable them to face economic challenges. In view of tremendous success of this program, YLDF decided to continue this program and expand its activities through establishing Youth Economic Development Center in 2006 with support from MEPI and Canadian Development Program. Members of Business Advisory Board including experts, businessmen and academicians, participated in setting up the Center. rn rnThe center mainly serves Yemeni young males and females to become economically secure and socially established and thus able to participate in all domains of economic life in which merit and attitude transcend social status and gender.
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YLDF(represented by its two centers GWCC & YEDC) targtes youth within the age group of 18 and 30 years of age as well as future youth between 8 and 17 years of age. The YLDF definition of youth takes into account Yemeni law, the Yemeni National Youth Strategy, the Arab League, and International...
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YLDF(represented by its two centers GWCC & YEDC) targtes youth within the age group of 18 and 30 years of age as well as future youth between 8 and 17 years of age. The YLDF definition of youth takes into account Yemeni law, the Yemeni National Youth Strategy, the Arab League, and International (UN) definitions, all of which differ from each other somewhat. It agrees with the Arab reasoning that there is delayed independence of youth in Yemen and in Arab countries in general, and acknowledges that poor education makes it difficult for youth to identify their goals and to begin to be effective until they are 24 years old or older, and after they have graduated from university.rn rn rnThis target group faces many challanges namely illiteracy, and unemployement. These challenges form a heavier burden on women as female population suffers of higher rates of illiteracy and drop out from formal education. In addition very low percent of young females are represented in the paid labor force and their participation rate in the economy is quite low. Female participation is at 8%, whereas male participation reaches 30%. In Yemen , young females face obstacles that hinder their development and empowerment. Customs and financial problems and family restrictions are major barriers preventing young Yemeni females from development and decision-making. Most young females in Yemen are unable to support themselves financially due to either a lack of education or a lack of experience and skill that would enable them to become independent and secure their own future. Lack of resources and skills, mixed sex schools, and need for financial support all contribute to the poor participation of females and the scarce presence of female leadership in the Yemeni community. rn rnFor youth of both sexes, it is compulsory to take a year off after graduation from high school. During this year, girls and boys are not allowed to enroll for higher studies in a public university, and seeking employment is not feasible. The government provides no alternatives during this period. The result is that many girls become confined to their homes while they are in age that they could, increase their skills and self-confidence, particularly if they plan to attend the university or enter the job market in the future. rn rnDespite governmental commitment and donors to the educational sector and all the efforts to reduce gender inequalities, lack of proper education and training is the most significant barrier to female participation not only due to cultural attitudes, but more due to the lack of appropriate facilities, low number of female teachers and economic circumstances. rn rn rnDesign of early long-term training programs targeting young girls was based on a survey conducted in public and private schools to study Yemeni girls' perceptions of their future, their needs during the gap year, and problems that may prevent them from achieving these needs. The results of the survey led GWCC to develop this one-year program for the girls of Sana'a on their gap year. In general, design of training programs in both GWCC and YEDC is influenced by the present day labor market needs as well cultural restraints, social limitations that span across both the privileged and under privileged classes of the Yemeni society. Regardless of financial status many young women are discouraged from continuing their education or gaining extra skills such as language, computers, and Internet because universities, institutes that teach languages, and computer/Internet cafes are not exclusively for girls. Co-education is not an option for many Yemeni parents. rn rn rnYLDF aims to allow these girls the same opportunities as students attending private schools by offering them partial or full scholarships. GWCC is also committed to encouraging participation by those young women who are from backgrounds with traditionally less access to education and opportunity, such as the Akhdam. rn rn rnThe YLDF is committed to participatory an creative methods and approaches in providing quality and sustainable skill development programs to its target groups with a focus on increasing opportunities of women and the poor based on the principle of non-discrimination and respect of human rights. rn rnCurrent Activities/ Programs: rnrnYoung leadership Program rnYoung Women Leadership Program rnHuman Rights Program rnDemocracy Program rnPublic Administration Program rnYoung Business Professional Program rnYouth Civic Engagement Program rn rn rnPrograms include short term and long term English courses, computer/internet, marketing and sales, business English, basic and business management, business planning and development, and accounting. Long term programs in YLDF such as the Youth Civic Engagement Project provide an innovative year-long curriculum with a focus on experiential learning, networking, leadership and skill building, all focused on preparing young women and men for their next endeavors mainly as agents of change in the civil society.
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