Urban Youth

Needs Assessment. The population of young people in the world today is the highest in human history and although the “youth bulge” may be beginning to attenuate in some countries, in others, notably Africa, it is quite dominant.  Nevertheless, it is clear that future economic growth and social development for many countries will depend on the degree to which its youth can increase its knowledge and skills, find gainful employment, and participate more fully in society.  It is also true that most of the youth of the developing world are now or will soon be living in urban areas, which they perceive to offer greater opportunities than rural areas. Unfortunately, the majority of them are often growing up in the poorest urban areas -- informal settlements and slum communities where their opportunities for advancement and positive contributions to society are limited by a variety of negative factors including circumstances over which they have little or no control, such as poor housing, education and health care.

In addition to the health risks associated with diseases such as malaria and respiratory problems, which are common in underserviced poor urban areas, urban youths’ lack of opportunity may also lead them to make poor or uninformed life-style choices such as substance abuse, unsafe sex and engagement in criminal activity.  Urban youth in some countries are also targets for recruitment into terrorist organizations or insurgencies (for example, the prolonged civil war in Liberia).  The urban poor also suffer disproportionately from poor quality education which does not prepare them for adulthood.  Girls are especially vulnerable -- many are still forced to drop out of school to help their families by working in low-paid or unpaid informal sector jobs when they marry or become pregnant.  Those who drop out are generally condemned to low wage, part time, informal sector employment for the rest of their lives.  Even many of those who finish secondary school may find that they are not able find decent full time employment.^[1]  This not only jeopardizes their individual opportunities for a better life but it also acts as a drag on economic growth, social cohesion and the spread of democratic ideals.  Thus, ignoring the circumstances of poor urban youth will have serious repercussions on countries’ ability to develop.   A recent report by UN HABITAT, State of the Urban Youth, 2010/2011, notes that:  “The nurturing and protection of young people through equal access to shelter, education and services during childhood is a capital investment that is essential to stable and cohesive societies.”^[2]    

The UN HABITAT report found that the “degree of outcome inequality (such as earnings and assets) that defines youth exclusion in urban life is highly related to the (un)equal opportunities that occur in successive life stages.  Unequal access often begins in childhood and continues into youth and adulthood, perpetuating the disadvantage faced in the early years.”^[3]  The report goes on to identify a number of key findings based on a comprehensive survey of the historical and generational determinants of youth opportunity, inequality and deprivation in five cities in four regions, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. The most important findings are: 

·        Predetermined circumstances (for example, gender, parent’s education, neighborhood location, etc.) impact youth inequality

·        Education is a key determinant of opportunity equality

·        Opportunity inequality is driven by asymmetric political structures (that is, youth from poorer backgrounds tend to be disfavored in public policies)

·        Gender disparities in educational achievement lead to unequal opportunities

·        Countries with higher primary, secondary and tertiary enrollment levels tend to have lower degrees of income inequality and higher GDP fifteen years later 

·        Improved literacy rates have not resulted in proportional job opportunities[4]

The writing is clearly on the wall -- unless greater attention is paid by policy makers at the national and local levels to the issues facing poor urban youth, their country’s prospects for equitable and inclusive economic, social and democratic development will be seriously compromised.