Photo credit: C. Robbins, Mercy Corps
By: Leila Toplic (NetHope), Emma Bonar (Mercy Corps), Willem Nederstigt (War Child Holland)
We believe that meeting the needs of youth on-the-move is something that no single organization or sector can address alone. These young people are confronted with unprecedented social, economic, and cultural shifts and challenges that impede their ability to contribute to growth and peaceful development. And often they are not included in the decision-making process about their own lives and futures.
"I have been having issues with how youth have been consulted .... we give our thoughts, then the ideas are taken to the people in power. The youth are not engaged in the decision making." - Anne Muthoni (Youth from Kenya)
Supporting youth on-the-move adequately, sustainably, and responsibly requires collective action by a diverse set of stakeholders who are committed to engaging in meaningful partnership with youth and local communities, co-creating sustainable solutions and programs, and innovating responsibly with technology.
This is why we have created a Collective Action Framework (CAF).
Developed by NetHope, Mercy Corps, War Child Holland in collaboration with youth on-the-move and a network of forty international and local organizations - the CAF promotes an inclusive and collaborative approach that truly puts youth at the center of action, fosters connection and collaboration, and addresses systemic challenges in a holistic and sustainable way.
It advocates for inclusive systems that are more responsive to young people’s needs and the contexts in which they live, more representative of diverse stakeholders in their ecosystems, and focused on achieving positive and enduring change.
While the focus of the framework is on young people aged 15-24 who are on the move (e.g., displaced, refugee, or migrant) and marginalized host community youth, the CAF is applicable to any target audience and their context.
We encourage you to adopt, adapt and build on the CAF — developing new tools and sharing your experiences, so we can continue to learn and develop sustainable solutions for displaced youth, keeping them at the center throughout.
Additional resource: Rewiring education for youth on-the-move by rewiring how we collaborate
