Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes.

Youth empowerment aims to improve quality of life. Youth empowerment is achieved through participation in youth empowerment programs. However, scholars argue that children’s rights implementation should go beyond learning about formal rights and procedures to give birth to a concrete experience of rights. There are numerous models that youth empowerment programs use that help youth achieve empowerment. A variety of youth empowerment initiatives are underway around the world. These programs can be through non-profit organizations, government organizations, schools or private organizations.

Youth empowerment is different from youth development because development is centered on developing individuals, while empowerment is focused on creating greater community change relies on the development of individual capacity.

In the coming module we will speak about the empowerment tools, methods, programs of the young people that contributes to youth participation process.

Theoretical material

Empowerment theory focuses on processes that enable participation; enhance control through shared decision making; and create opportunities to learn, practice, and increase skills. Empowerment theory suggests that engaging youth in pro-social, meaningful, and community-enhancing activities that the youth themselves define and control, helps youth gain vital skills, responsibilities, and confidence necessary to become productive and healthy adults. 

Marc Zimmerman, a renowned researcher in the field of empowerment theory, articulates the necessary distinction between developing the individual and empowering youth to become change agents in society. According to him and other scholars in the field, youth empowerment examines six interdependent dimensions: psychological, community, organizational, economic, social and cultural.

Psychological empowerment enhances individual's consciousness, belief in self-efficacy, awareness and knowledge of problems and solutions and of how individuals can address problems that harm their quality of life. This dimension aims to create self-confidence and give youth the skills to acquire knowledge.

Community empowerment focuses on enhancing the community through leadership development, improving communication, and creating a network of support to mobilize the community to address concerns.

Organizational empowerment aims to create a base of resources for a community, including voluntary organizations, unions and associations that aim to protect, promote and advocate for the powerless. 

Economic empowerment teaches entrepreneurial skills, how to take ownership of their assets and how to have income security.

Social empowerment teaches youth about social inclusion and literacy as well as helping kids find the resources to be proactive in their communities.

Cultural empowerment aims to recreate cultural practices and redefine cultural rules and norms for youth. Through these dimensions of empowerment, programs can work on empowering youth in one or more aspects of their lives.

Youth empowerment programs are aimed at creating healthier and higher qualities of life for underprivileged or at-risk youth. The five competencies of a healthy youth are: 

1. positive sense of self
2. self- control
3. decision-making skills
4. a moral system of belief
5. pro-social connectedness

Developmental interventions and programs have to be anchored on these competencies that define positive outcomes of healthy youth

Various international, private, charitable organisations, and state agencies supports or run different youth empowerment program/projects across the globe that empower youth through many different tactics and programs. In Europe, we can distinguish two of them, which are the major organisations that runs youth empowerment programs the European Union’s - Erasmus plus program and Council of Europe’s programs (priorities) supported via European Youth Foundation. Programs can operate in a variety of settings. The majority of programs operate in more than one setting, which may be a key factor in their success. The beneficial outcomes to youth empowerment programs are improved social skills, improved behavior, increased academic achievement, increased self-esteem and increased self-efficacy.

Useful resources and links, additional literature

Youth Empowerment Solutions. Youth Empowerment Solutions http://www.youthempoweredsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Youth_Empowerment_The_Theory_and_Its_Implementation_YES-11-13-13.pdf

Yuouth Empowement Solutions (YES) - http://www.youthempoweredsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Youth_Empowerment_The_Theory_and_Its_Implementation_YES-11-13-13.pdf

Video links

How to Empower Youth and Grow Community - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn33cRGiGWM

Youth Empowerment (inspiring video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q42jF4t8Usw

Youth Empowerment (inspiring video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJnLaj7fRZg

Youth Leadership: Empowering the future - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-onbsdmrss

Youth Empowerment (white board) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv5BT4tvoBg

Open ended questions

What is empowerment of young people?

What kind of skills development does youth empowerment programs considers?

By which program does EU implements youth empowerment policy? 

What is the aim of physiological empowerment?

What is the difference between social and economic empowerment?