How a rise in the share of youth in poorer countries could lead to unrest

August 13, 2009 - Is there foreseeable global instability from the rising youth (18 to 24 years old)figures in less developed countries?

Sandra Chin relays some recently published figures stating that:

Nearly 90 percent of today's 1.2 billion youth live in developing countries, says Carl Haub, senior demographer at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and co-author of the 2009 World Population Data Sheet, which was released on Aug. 12.

In contrast, back in 1950, 70 percent of youth, or 323 million, lived in developing countries.

In some poorer countries, the youth population may more than double between now and 2050.

A relatively large youth population can be a good thing when it swells the working population. With the right investments, health, education, agricultural development, and training, a youth "bulge" can offer a country a chance to develop and drive its economic growth engine, according to a recently released Population Bulletin from the Population Reference Bureau.

Yet certain conditions could lay the groundwork for greater security challenges, whether within countries or globally. The lack of jobs or development within a country can lead to problems down the line, says Haub. "It all depends on whether the expectations of youth are met," he says.

When a large number of young working-age people can't find work, trouble often lurks on the horizon. Young people with few job prospects may resort to fomenting unrest or joining armed conflicts. Recent turmoil in Greece, Iran, France, and China has been linked to a lack of opportunities for young people to advance.

Some countries try to rein in population growth to promote stability...

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: I acknowledge that it is a challenge in itself trying to meet the needs and expectations of the youths but one that we can't stop looking for a sustainable solution to. The article highlights the rural to urban migration as compounding to the challenge by swelling the numbers of those seeking opportunities. That shouldn't be the case if governments and the private sector realised the potential in the rural areas and invested adequate resources in areas such as education, skills training, business start-up etc. Not only does this in itself create jobs and aspirations for the young people in that particular area but serves to stem the influx of youths into urban areas where they are faced with a lack of prospects.

With organisations like CIYDA looking to move within the rural areas of Zimbabwe and establish working centres there, working alongside young people and offering advice in various aspects of business start-up, volunteering, mentorship e.t.c. I am confident such a proactive step will play a crucial part in attempting to meet the basic developmental needs of the Zimbabwean youths in the rural areas. Undoubtedly with such a sustainable initiative that will see a stream of empowered youth emerging, it wouldn't be surprising to see a shift in the trend when urban youths start looking to the rural areas for aspirations.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.