Youth and Workforce
VEGA actively implements programs that empower youth to lead healthy, productive, and equitable lives. By tapping youth’s creativity and energy and expanding their opportunities, VEGA programs help young people make powerful contributions to creating more stable and thriving communities.
Program Highlights
The following program highlights represent a sample of what VEGA Members have to offer:
Youth “Lift-Off” in Egypt with Entrepreneurship Opportunities
The LIFT-OFF Initiative was awarded to the Institute of International Education (IIE) by the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative in September 2010 to foster a culture of entrepreneurship among youth across North Africa. Activities include a virtual IdeaLab, contests and competitions at schools and universities, capacity building for youth entrepreneurial support centers, an Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, and support for young entrepreneurs as they enter the job market.
“A Ganar Team” Sports Program Builds Job Skills
Led by Partners of the Americas, ―A Ganar‖ (Vencer in Brazil) utilizes team sports to help youth in Latin America and the Caribbean find jobs, learn entrepreneurial skills, or re-enter the formal education system. ―A Ganar‖ combats youth unemployment through the application of an integrated job training program to transform lessons and skills developed through sports into marketable job skills. Building on Partners of the Americas’ 45 years of experience and contacts throughout the hemisphere, the ―A Ganar‖ Alliance plans to train over 9,400 youth in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2012.
Yes Youth Can! (YYC) is a Success in Kenya
YYC is an USAID funded program which aims to empower youth across Kenya to participate effectively in political leadership and governance and build 
their entrepreneurial skills to engage in livelihood activities that will enhance their socio-economic status. NCBA/CLUSA has partnered with two Kenyan non-governmental organizations, the Youth Foundation of Kenya and Participatory Approaches for Integrated Development, to initiate the YYC Program.
Cocoa-Growing Communities Provide Opportunities for Youth in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana
In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, through Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities and Education Solutions (ECHOES), Winrock is strengthening cocoa-growing communities—and in the case of Côte d’Ivoire, promoting peace and stability—by expanding opportunities for youth (eight to 30 years old). Participant-led programming includes developing improved agricultural practices and providing training in life skills, leadership, and small-business management. The program is a public/private partnership with the cocoa industry.
“Maharat” Jordan-US Business Partnership Matches Youth with Jobs
One of the major achievements of IESC’s Jordan-U.S. Business Partnership program was the establishment of an internship program called ―Maharat.‖ Under the program, IESC placed unemployed recent university graduates in science, engineering, and business administration at small and medium enterprise (SME) clients. Each intern worked at the firm for one year with the cost of their stipend split equally between the employer and the IESC program. In about 80% of the cases, the intern was hired by the employer at the end of the internship.
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