IIE Blog Post: Walking the Walk on Youth Leadership Development

In the most recent post on IIE's Opening Minds blog, the Director of IIE's sub-Saharan Africa office in Addis Ababa Cheryl Francisconi provides suggestions on how to strengthen leadership development initiatives for youths -- especially those in sub-Saharan Africa. 

 

In her post, Cheryl Fransisconi writes that "today, we are experiencing the fastest world population growth in history. Approximately 1.8 billion of the world’s 7 billion people are between the ages of 15-24, and the number of people under the age of 15 is even higher. The majority of these under-15 youths are concentrated in developing countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa. Even though they are frequently referred to as "future leaders" in whichever region they live, access to quality higher education is often difficult for them. Those who graduate from universities struggle to find jobs. The world economic crisis is making it difficult for young people across the world to contribute to their communities. At IIE, we believe that everyone has the potential to lead if given the opportunity, and that leadership skills can be developed through both formal and informal processes. Even more importantly, we believe that leadership is about developing and inspiring the next generation."

 

Read the blog post at: www.iie.org/en/Blog/2012/October/Youth-Leadership-Development.