Context: In 2019, youth (referring to those aged 15—34 as defined in Mongolia) numbered over one million people, representing the largest demographic group in the country, comprising about 34.9 per cent of the total population. The Government of Mongolia has recognized youth’s role in shaping the country’s future, and this is believed to be dependent, among other factors, on how well youth are integrated into socioeconomic development processes. Despite their significant potential, young people face many challenges, such as finding employment, accessing quality education and participating in social activities.
Implementation of programme/ initiative: In January 2020, the ‘All for YOUth, YOUth for All’ initiative was launched by Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia, the Mongolian Youth Council, and the Center of Citizenship Education. It is a three-year project, with a total budget of USD 1.34 million. The overall objective is to enhance the capacity of youth-focused civil society organizations to empower youth to better integrate them into society and encourage greater participation in volunteerism among young people. The project aims to achieve this objective by:
- Enhancing the capacity of non-government entities to empower youth.
- Improving youth employment.
- Increasing youth civic engagement.
- Strengthening volunteerism among young people.
Thus, in order to build greater capacity among youth, the project aims to develop innovative programmes and initiatives that encourage young people to be more active and visible in public policies and local economies. The project also provides youth with job training, volunteer work and mentoring programmes, while offering opportunities for youth to network with other youth-focused civil society organizations.
Main challenges: Due to a lack of awareness of volunteerism, many Mongolian youth reported having faced difficulties in finding volunteering and employment opportunities. Furthermore, the lack of comprehensive information available resulted in many young people having limited knowledge on civil society organizations that were actively seeking volunteers, their available opportunities, and the extent of their contributions to society. This, in turn, has made some young people feel disconnected and demotivated about obtaining volunteering opportunities and engaging in other relevant programmes.
Results achieved: As of 2020, 116 young people (of whom almost half were female) have participated in capacity-building programmes from 46 civil society organizations engaged with the project. Furthermore, 27 young people have been involved in the mentorship programme and 23 trainers have participated in the job training programme.
Since the implementation of All for YOUth, YOUth for All, there has been an increasing number of networks built between civil society organizations, including 106 youth organizations in rural areas and 80 in urban areas. Moreover, under the project, in October 2021, Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia, along with other representatives from Europe, including the European Union Delegation to Mongolia, the Embassy of Germany, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development organized a dialogue with the representatives of the Youth Civil Society Network; the event presented activities, achievements and experiences gained from the project thus far. Overall, owing to the networking facilitated through the project, there has been greater synergy and engagement between youth and civil society organizations.
Moving Forward: Looking ahead, All for YOUth, YOUth for All aims to increase youth civic engagement by providing more volunteering opportunities and facilitating further engagement with civil society organizations up until the project’s closing date in December 2023. In particular, the project wishes to organize more innovative events and dialogues with the representatives of the Europe team to promote youth employment and entrepreneurship in Mongolia, and share success stories to inspire more youth to be involved in the public space.
Replicability: All for YOUth, YOUth for All demonstrates how young people can be a driving force, among others, for cooperation and partnership between the public, private and civil society sectors. The project provides each sector with opportunities for more cohesive learning and development, and shows how strong participation of young people can bring about profound changes within society. The project illustrates that, through youth empowerment, more meaningful collaboration between policymakers and civil society can be achieved, serving as a model to be replicated in many other societies alike.
Acknowledgement:
This good practice was kindly prepared by Ms. Alysha Brahmantiara Putri.
References:
https://www.montsame.mn/en/read/260974
https://mongolia.charita.cz/about-us/
https://mongolia.charita.cz/what-we-do/Ongoing%20projects/all-for-youth-youth-for-all/
https://www.montsame.mn/en/read/278797
Project Details
Date: January 28, 2022