Who are the Youth you are Working With?
The official definition of ‘Youth’ in Fiji according to the Ministry of Youth and Sports is anyone between the ages of 18-35. Villages in rural locations in Fiji more often than not have a registered ‘Youth Group’ that is made up of members of the village of that age. The extent to which that group is utilised within the village varies due to member commitments and their re-ignition is a real focus for the current Ministry of Youth.
Context
18-35 year olds in the village often come with a variety of backgrounds and life stories: some may have dropped out of school as early as the age of 14 who engage in farming within the village’s subsistence lifestyle, others may be returning university students or school finishers, but all will be gain from the interactions that the project facilitates. Due to a variety of reasons, rural communities in Fiji have a significantly lower access to opportunity to urban areas and the ‘Youth’ are the primary demographic to be affected by that. This means that fundamentally out projects are outreach initiatives promoting equal access to opportunity.
Why Work with Youth?
Youth are the new generation of leaders in Fiji and within communities. They are the target demographic for many of the advocacy efforts of our partners because of this. What is handy for your engagement on this project too is that you will be the same age as most of the people in the room… there is a real opportunity for cross-cultural exchange in an opportunity like this where you can look people in the eye who have very different experiences and backgrounds and learn from each other in a collaborative space.
In addition to the points above, we aim to support young people in rural areas by furthering their employability and employment opportunities, advising about and delivering local training and education opportunities, encouraging them to become local ambassadors for the Fiji National Development Plan and to continue advocacy with their peers and younger generations within rural areas of Fiji.