On March 7, 2018 Wageningen Centre for Development Innovations (WCDI) organizes the seminar “Youth in Markets: Creating Space for the Buy-In” inviting pracitioners, experts, students and researchers to discuss how local economic development and young people can realize change in communities and surroundings. 

Context

In many countries across the world, food systems are changing fast. At the same time, the largest number of young people ever is growing up. Youth, particularly in low and middle income countries, struggle to find decent jobs, make the transition from education to work, and mature in terms of independence. There is a growing aspiration gap that lays bare some of the difficulties between bridging economic realities and what it means to be successfully employed. Reconciliation is needed between trends of structural transformation and the plight of the young.

Seminar

The seminar ‘Youth in Markets: Creating Space for the Buy-In’invites practitioners, experts, students and researchers to explore this challenge of how to realise inclusive opportunities for young people, particularly in rural areas where agriculture is the main sector. We seek to discuss how local economic development can take shape in communities, and how young people might themselves and together with partners take leadership to realise change in their communities and surroundings.

Presenters

For this seminar, a number of cases touching on the themes of youth engagement and community development will be explored interactively, brought forward by:

• WUR Management Studies Group, on Entrepreneurship processes and community organizational structures in Ghana
• Agriterra, on Youth engagement in agricultural cooperatives
• Aflatoun, on Tailoring education curricula for employability of young people

Programme

09:00  Walk in and coffee

09:15  Opening and welcome

09:30  Introduction of programme and participants

09:45  Speaker presentations

11:00  Introduction to interactive break-out sessions

11:15  Short break

11:30  Interactive group break-out sessions

12:15  Presentations of group work

12:45  Reflections by presenters

13:00 – 14.00  Networking lunch

Registration

Registration is required. Limited places available. Please register online.