Day 1 - Tuesday, May 16

9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Pre-Summit Training
 

Thinking in Systems, Acting Collaboratively: An Advanced Practicum for Youth Employment

 

Track: Global Context Matters 

​

Room: Spring

​

Organization(s): The Youth Systems Collaborative 

​

To achieve equitable, positive outcomes for youth on a large scale, practitioners, advocates, and researchers agree that a more systemic approach is necessary. Fragmented projects are no longer sufficient - we need to think and act in terms of the system as a whole, creating sustainable ecosystems with diverse stakeholders and prioritizing the needs of young people at the center. 
 

The Youth Systems Collaborative, a network of international organizations launched in 2018, offers a training program that aims to advance this vision by providing a practical framework, tools, and a collaborative space for participants to think through the challenges of systems work. The training program is designed to help participants work with the YSC’s Youth Systems Framework, which covers domains of systems change such as policy, practices, mindsets, and resources, as well as change enablers like stakeholder collaboration and iterative learning. 
 

This interactive workshop includes systems modeling, storytelling, reflection, and discussion. Participants will gain valuable insights on the current status of youth systems work globally, as well as on their own case studies. They will also acquire a useful framework to share with colleagues to enhance systems work in their respective communities. Join us and be part of creating positive change for youth on a global scale. This training only has 30 available slots. Spots are first-come, first-served. Sign up now.

 

Trainers:  

Pia Campbell, Director, Assets, Strategy and Knowledge, International Youth Federation
 

Clare Ignatowski, Senior Advisor, Youth and Systems Thinking, Creative Associates International

 

Nada Berrada, Ph.D., International Project Coordinator, Education Development Centre (EDC). 

​

Kristin Brady, Director of Post Primary, Youth and Higher Education Group, FHI 360

​

 

​

1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Summit Opening Plenary 
 

Shifting Power Dynamics through Youth-Led Development

​

Room: Great Hall

​

Donors and development institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of rethinking how they fund and implement development programming, including how they partner with youth and youth organizations. There are encouraging signs of emerging change in recent policies prioritizing funding to local organizations and programs that seek to address power differentials between adult-led and youth-led institutions. Yet institutional barriers and norms persist, and change will not be immediate. This fireside chat will offer a frank conversation between two youth leaders sharing experiences from working with or as partners with development institutions, highlighting challenges, promising strategies, and what else is needed to ‘move the needle.’ 

​

Speakers: 

Silvya Kananu- Project Lead, Youth Excel, IREX

​

Marija Vasileva-Blazev - Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General's Youth Envoy, United Nations

Angel Mutale, Project Manager, VSO International 
 

2:05 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.

Digital Plenary 

​

Digital Disruption: Exploring the Future of the Digital Economy and its Implications for Youth Employment

​

Room: Great Hall

 

The rise of the digital economy has disrupted traditional industries and created new opportunities for growth and innovation. However, these changes also pose challenges for young people entering the workforce. The conference panel titled, Digital Disruption: Exploring the Future of the Digital Economy and its Implications for Youth Employment, will examine the impact of digital disruption on youth employment and explore the potential opportunities and challenges of the digital economy.  

​

The panel will feature experts in the field of technology and employment who will share insights on the future of the digital economy and its implications for young people. Topics of discussion will include the skills and knowledge required for success in the digital economy, the impact of automation and AI on employment, and the potential for digital entrepreneurship to create new opportunities for young people.  The panel will also address concerns related to the digital divide, and how access to technology and digital skills training can impact employment outcomes for young people from marginalized communities. The discussion will explore strategies for bridging this gap and ensuring that all young people have access to the skills and resources needed to succeed in the digital economy.  

​

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the impact of digital disruption on the job market and the skills required for success in the digital age. The panel will provide valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges facing young people in the digital economy and will equip attendees with strategies for navigating the changing landscape of work.

​

Speakers:

Andrea Park, Senior Program Manager, Microsoft 

 

Castra Pierre, Founder, Cy-youth organization and USAID Digital Council 1st cohort Youth Member 

​

2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. 

Deep-Dive Breakout Sessions 

​

What does Economic Empowerment Mean for Adolescent Girls and Young Women? A Diversified Conceptual Framework and Guidance on Programmatic Tailoring

 

Track: Global Context Matters

 

Room: Great Hall
 

Organization(s): CGAP and Center for Global Development 
 

This session will discuss how economic empowerment (EE) can be best achieved among different segments of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), using a new conceptual framework to contrast economic activity as a goal with the alternative of gaining the skills, resources, and the agency necessary to be economically autonomous and prosperous during adulthood. It will also review new research on financial inclusion efforts for AGYW to understand how these different programming objectives have played out in one common domain of EE programming, and what has proven effective for different segments of this population. 

​

Speakers: 

Rani Deshpande, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP

 

Kehinde Ajayi, Co- Director, Gender Equality and Inclusion Program and Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development

​

Empowering Youth-led Action: Pedagogical Best Practice for Strengthening Youth Agency

  

Track: Global Workforce

​

Room: Ellsworth

 

Organization(s): World Vision 
 

Agency is a core piece of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework, and central to our shared mission to prepare and support youth to enter the global workforce and to power youth-led action for the global good. There is broad consensus among the stakeholders that youth development activities should prepare youth as positive agents of change in their own lives and in their communities, taking on the complex social challenges with an outsized impact on their generation, including climate change, unemployment, and threats to peace and democratic governance.  
 

This training session focuses on the “how” of strengthening youth agency, so that youth perceive and can employ their assets to bring about positive changes in their lives and in society. Of course, agency is not learned as a technical skill. This training focuses on pedagogical practice with the assumption that agency is driven more by the learning process than the content – the ‘how’ over the ‘what’. It is the engagement through dialogue, role-playing, praxis, games, projects and critical reflection that develop the skills, attitudes, and behavior behind agency. 
 

The approaches advocated in this session invite youth into a safe and inclusive space to reflect critically on their self-perception, develop critical consciousness, strengthen their individual and collective voices, and gain control over their lives. The training will practice what it preaches, engaging attendees to experience and reflect on the pedagogical theory and practice. They won’t just learn about it, they will learn by doing, reflection, and dialogue. 

​

Speakers: 

Aaron Ausland, Senior Technical Advisor, World Vision

 

Getting to Success: Engaging Private Sector (PS) to Support Youth-Led Biz  

​

Track: Self Employment 

​

Room: Spring

​

Organization(s): EDC, Accenture, and Chemonics 

​

To become a thriving enterprise, youth-led businesses must succeed in navigating the daily how-to of running a business, accessing finance, and accessing markets. Through this session, Education Development Center (EDC) and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), a global alliance of businesses committed to ending plastic waste, will present a model for three different ways that private sector can be engaged to support youth enterprises. These models include through business mentoring/coaching and skills development, through connecting youth businesses with local anchor companies, and at scale, through vertical integration of youth businesses within a supply chain/value chain. Many times, entrepreneurship or livelihoods projects focus on one of these models at the detriment of a holistic package that can boost youth businesses by delivering tailored business support services at scale. This session will engage the audience in exploring: How do you engage private sector to get customized last mile support, at scale, for young entrepreneurs? 

​

Speakers: 

Katherine Centore, Senior Specialist – Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Chemonics

 

Gabriella Oken, Global Energy Lead and Africa Regional Lead, Accenture Development Partnerships

 

Angelique Roux, Private Sector Advisor, USAID Opportunity 2.0 Project, Education Development Center

 

Tania Tzelnic, Project Director, Education Development Center 

 

4:15 p.m. -  4:25 p.m.

Break 

4:25 p.m. - 5:25 p.m.

Inclusion Plenary 

​

Beyond Diversity: Why Intersectional Inclusion is Essential for Development

​

Room: Great Hall

​

Community development is shifting towards a more inclusive and co-created approach, but what does this look like in practice? How can funding and investment systems effectively partner with and learn from young community leaders who have experienced discrimination? What does deconstructing your own bias look like, and how does that expand throughout your work and life? This panel seeks to answer these questions, and more, through a dialog between youth activists, entrepreneurship incubators, and industry leaders. 

​

Moderator:

Justine O'Sullivan, Advisor, Youth and Inclusion, Making Cents International

​

Speakers: 

Anita Tiessen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Youth Business International 
 

Regina Mwangi, Program Officer at Sightsavers Kenya  

​

Wevyn Muganda, Founder of Isirika Social Enterprise 

​

5:35 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Welcome Networking Reception with poster session

​

​

Room: Great Hall

​

Join us for an opening networking reception with poster sessions from the following organizations: 

International Rescue Committee (IRC) 

Teach a Man to Fish 

PACT Cambodia

VVOB 

Ma3an Project-Tunisia