A third of the worlds population is under age 15

Half of all global citizens are under 25 years old!

85% of all youth living in less developed

countries

50% of the world’s population live in rural areas

90% of rural people are in the developing world

Why focus on youth, families,

rural communities?

Empower Youth and Families

……… or else

Making Community

a

Reality

COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT

Amazing things happen when people care about

the place they live and the people there

Location of the family

-parental support

-family/sibling support

Community is the first contact beyond the family

-friends

-other adults/mentors

COMMUNITY

Many definitions are associated with the

concept of community, but three common

are evident:

1) a geographic or territorial dimension

2) a human life dimension

3) a system of local actions by local people

The core of community is found in the interaction

and interdependence among people.

Community can be measured by:

-substantive interaction

-channels of communication

-the degree to which diverse groups coordinate

action to enhance well-being

(well-becoming!).

COMMUNITY AND

CAPACITY BUILDING

Local

GovernmentFamilies

NGOs

Private SectorNational

Government

Youth

Gender

Adults

As people and their groups engage in interaction

and communicate, community agency emerges.

• Agency reflects both the motivations for social

action, and the local capacities for it

• Action strategies are shared across the

community as residents identify common interests

Agency highlights the fact:

• local people have the power to look after

each other and transform society

Local

Government

Families

NGOs

Private SectorNational

Government

Youth

Gender

Adults

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Development “in” community is characterized by

attempts to enhance specific structures.

Decisions by a select few – impacting one group

Deficiency based approach

Externally driven

Other efforts seek to build relationships between

people: the development “of” community.

Broad based decision making

Asset based approach

Internally driven

Strong Communities

=Stable, Civil, and Just

Societies

Community is not a given.

Community is a variable.

Civically engaged children and youth are 22%

more likely to graduate from university

Civically engaged young people are 4 times less

likely to exhibit risky behavior

Eight times more likely to believe that citizens

can influence decision making if they are

civically engaged!

Where community involvement and education

are low, extremism thrives

Some of the Facts

Education for All….

and Education for

All Levels

Global Education Programming

The Need for Education

Across the Lifespan

Basic Education

Literacy and numeracy

Especially for girls and young women

Institutional linkages

Linking basic education to community

Informal Education

Create structures for experiential learning

Linked to civic engagement

Link to local leadership, ownership, social support

Formal Education

Need for multiple levels of education

always leaving the door open for more

Utilize Multiple delivery methods

Classroom, MOOCs, online, iPads

Delivered by youth centers, NGOs

A 12% cut in global poverty could be achieved

by providing just basic literacy skills in low

income countries

Higher education = longer lives

One additional year of schooling beyond

primary school reduces the probability of

becoming a young mother by almost 10%.

A child whose mother can read is 50% more

likely to live past age 5.

Some of the Facts

Be Part of the

Journey

6 Continents

9 Geographic regions

75 Partner institutions

400+ faculty/practitioners

7 UNESCO Chairs

Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on

Children, Youth and Community

THANK YOU!

unescochairpsu

@unescochairpsu

unescochairpennstate

unescochair@psu.edu