Empowering Young People as
Promoters
Naomi Radke, seecon international GmbH
Empowering Young People as Promoters
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will make the local water and sanitation system more sustainable. The main aim of the SSWM Toolbox is to be a reference tool to provide
ideas for improving the local water and sanitation situation in a sustainable manner. Results depend largely on the respective situation
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Empowering Young People as Promoters
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Contents
1. Why Involve Youth?
2. Barriers and Challenges to Involving Youth
3. Skills Needed by Youth
4. Tools Commonly Used by Youth
5. Facts to Consider
6. Youth Projects and Programmes
7. Advantages and Disadvantages
8. References
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1. Why Involve Youth?
As promoters for sustainable sanitation and water management,
they:
• Get opportunities to develop skills and support organisational work
without a lot of experience
• Often have a lot of extra time and energy, and are creative
• Have access to tremendous amounts of information (e.g. internet
based social networks) but often do not know what to do with it
• Will be able to assure sustainability by taking what they learn into
the future
Youth working to protect
mangroves in Thailand and
youth awareness campaign in
India. Source: ANDAMAN DISCOVERIES (2010);
SHIMRAY (2010)
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2. Barriers and Challenges to Involving Youth
• Traditional leaders and decision makers are frequently reluctant to
involve young people in their plans
• This resistance is partly due to a lack of tools to involve youth
• Adults treat youth as adults – which they are not!  wrong methods
which make it more likely that programme will not be accepted by
youth
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3. Skills Needed by Youth
For Promotion of Water and Sanitation Issues
Awareness building, training and skills transfer from specialists in key
areas:
• Internet-based social networks
• Policy aspects of the right to water and sanitation
• Social justice and equity
• Rhetoric and debating skills
• Decision-making and group facilitation tools
• Marketing skills
• Environmental health
• Problems related to water and sanitation
Source: http://www.pmje-wypw.org/?page_id=3030
[Accessed: 29.10.2013]
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4. Tools Commonly Used by Youth
For Promotion of Water and Sanitation Issues
• Door-to-door campaigns
• Water forums and brigades
• School environmental groups
• Art contests
• Online and printed publications
• Educational radio and theatre
shows
• Concerts
• Amongst others ...
Source: WSP (2007)
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5. Facts to Consider
Young people are empowered if they know they have the capacity to
influence change.
E.g.: when they identify that their actions can directly influence the
quality of water that they consume
• Measuring water quality
• Researching improvements in health or biodiversity
 Action plans should have small, reachable goals
World Youth Parliament for Water from Europe examining water
and other elements of environment. Source: http://www.pmje-wypw.org/?p=2465
[Accessed: 29.10.2013]
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6. Youth Projects and Programmes
Problems
Youth groups can break down
• If from needy or poor communities, young people may need to
contribute to the family economy
• Romantic involvement and pregnancy
Solution:
• Introducing small stipends for more mature and experienced youth
• Access to training and certification
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7. Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
• Youth create appealing
campaigns
• Youth are prepared to work as
volunteers
• Opportunities to develop
technical and communication
skills
• Attraction to green
technologies
• Easily mobilised
• Cooperative learning
• Teamwork strategies
Empowering Young People as Promoters
Disadvantages:
• Youth lack work experience
• Youth can sometimes be easily
distracted
• Youth can sometimes lack
seriousness
• Youth require more
supervision and support
• Youth do not have much
respect of older people
• When coming from poor
families, they have financial
demands
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8. References
ANDAMAN DISCOVERIES (Editor) (2010): Youth Act. Kura: Andaman Discoveries. URL:
http://www.andamandiscoveries.com/blog/page/27/ [Accessed: 29.10.2013]
SHIMRAY, I. (2010): DYSoC Day 1: Delhi Youth’s Eco-Rendezvous on Environment Day. Dehli: Dehli
Green Blogs. URL: http://delhigreens.com/2010/06/08/dysoc-day-1-delhi-youths-eco-rendezvous-onenvironment-day/ [Accessed: 29.10.2013]
WSP (2007): October. Cartoon Calendar. Washington: Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP). URL:
http://www.wsp.org/about/Cartoon%20Calendars/2007%20Calendar [Accessed: 29.10.2013]
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“Linking up Sustainable Sanitation,
Water Management & Agriculture”
SSWM is an
initiative
supported by:
Created
by:
Empowering Young People as Promoters
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