Date
26-Sep-2022 to 26-Sep-2022 		Location
Virtual		 Format
Local

As per the Regional Human Development Report, 2016, more than half of the world’s young people live in Asia and the Pacific. In Sri Lanka, youth make up almost a quarter of the population. In the Maldives, school-going-age children make up one-third of the population, and 47% of all resident Maldivians are less than 25 years old (UNFPA, 2016). Youth have experienced the socio-economic dynamism existing in both countries. While many youth activists in both Sri Lanka and the Maldives are currently supported through various skills training and capacity-building programmes, particularly related to livelihoods and education, a recent mapping undertaken by UNESCO (2022) suggests that most existing programmes fail to contribute to meaningful inclusion and engagement of youth in processes of participatory knowledge creation and policymaking. Similarly, challenges and questions of impact and sustainability remain regarding various ad-hoc platforms typically provided for youth in urban areas or online, particularly related to the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda (which in the Maldives has not yet formalized into a youth-led coalition despite national consultations). Engaging youth in these countries to learn to express themselves democratically, get involved in social change processes and engage with civic issues to achieve inclusive and equitable socio-economic development is crucial.

Earlier this year, in March 2022, UNESCO’s New Delhi Cluster office and Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) launched two nationals ‘Youth as Researchers’ (YAR) programs in Sri Lanka and the Maldives to strengthen the access and ability of youth to participate and contribute to participatory action research and evidence-building, related to issues of youth, peace, and social cohesion. 

                                                                                                   

The YAR concept and methodology were initially developed as a model for engaging vulnerable adolescents in re-designing their futures by the UNESCO Chair on Children, Youth and Civic Engagement (Ireland). It is premised on the belief that no one knows better than young people themselves about their problems and the solutions that will work for them.

Targeted at young people between the ages of 18 and 35, the YAR program attracted more than 100 (shortlisted from about 400+ applications) participants from Sri Lanka and the Maldives to plan and conduct research on topics important to the international agenda for Youth, Peace, and Security. Selected YAR researchers went through a six-day training program spread over three months to understand different aspects of community-based participatory research. Subsequently, eight youth-led research teams researched topics including political participation, mental well-being, economic crisis, impact, and social cohesion, among others. Each group was assigned three mentors, representing YAR alumni, academic staff working on the research topics, and a mentor from PRIA.

What were the components of the training?

The 6-day training included various aspects of conducting research, including defining research problems and questions, understanding gender perspectives for conducting gender-sensitive research, learning about community-based participatory research methods and analysis, and understanding the ethics of conducting research. Alongside, researchers also learned different ways of presenting and communicating their research to make it accessible to a much wider audience.

The findings from the research were presented in two phases: 1) a knowledge sharing event (preliminary sharing of findings) organised on 21 September 2022, and 2) a policy dialogue organised on 26 September 2022.

The knowledge sharing (click here for detailed agenda) session provided young researchers with an opportunity to engage in dialogue with technical experts from development organizations, academia, and civil society organizations. On the other hand, the policy dialogue featured (click here for detailed agenda) government officials and development sector representatives and leaders in conversation with young researchers and change-makers.

What issues young Sri Lankans and the Maldivians are most interested in?
This year’s YAR researchers investigated the following topics under the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda thematics in Sri Lanka and the Mal dives –

                                                                                              

                                                                                          Screenshot (124)Mental Health

  1. Challenges faced by youth in the work environment: An empirical study of the mental health situation in the Maldives & Sri Lanka
  2. Understanding the impact of the socioeconomic crisis on the mental health and conflict management styles of the youth of the Western Province of Sri Lanka and its incite on migration - A comparison between current and past trends

Education

  1. Higher education access, quality education, and challenges faced by university students in Sri Lanka

Political Participation

  1. Bridging and representation of the youth in the Sri Lanka Parliament
  2. Impactful engagement with regard to peace and security among current and former Youth Parliament members in Sri Lanka since 2015

Employment

  1. Youth job retention in the tourism and hospitality industry during a period of economic crisis
  2. The impacts of the current socio-economic crisis in Sri Lanka on youth outlook of their future employment prospects.

Gender

  1. An analysis of the implications of the socio-political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka (2022) on gender-based violence on youth between the ages of 18-35

YAR Recommendations addressed to Government and concerned Ministry Officials & Technical Experts and Leaders from Development Sector & Academia, and Practitioners

                                                                                               

Please note that these recommendations are based on preliminary research findings.

Click here to read the final YAR research report.