Ask Ag About... Positive Youth Development
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Involving youth in agriculture has become a major focus in development, as many countries continue to struggle with youth unemployment. Join this month's Ask Ag Online Chat, where the Feed the Future Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education (InnovATE) program will answer your questions about Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs in agricultural development.
Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs provide opportunities for young people to build skills and exercise leadership in their communities. In addition, programs that involve universities, extension services, local organizations, government, schools and the private sector can be tremendous catalysts for change.
Experts will answer the following questions:
- Youth are very diverse. What tools or methods do community-based programs use to engage youth demographics, inclusive of gender, education, religion, and life-stage, in agriculturally-focused work?
- How should key stakeholders be engaged to create a positive youth development program?
- What types of training or extension services are most effective for creating sustainable community based youth programs?
- How are positive youth development programs different or new compared to other community-based programs used to provide agricultural and life skills to youth?
Speakers
Gary Walker
USAID Bureau for Food Security
Gary Walker is the Senior Youth Advisor for Feed the Future in the USAID Bureau for Food Security. His job is to help Feed the Future to become more youth inclusive and to help mainstream youth across Feed the Future’s portfolio. He has extensive experience in development policy and programming, project design and evaluation. He has more than 40 years of experience with workforce development, education, rural livelihoods, food security and other areas. He has had long-term assignments as a COP, Senior Advisor and technical consultant in Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Zambia and has carried out scores of short-term consultancies in over 30 African countries plus Haiti and a few in Asia. He is a graduate of the American University School of International Service and the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
Bineta Guisse
USAID Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) Project
Bineta Guisse is currently the Gender & Youth Integration in Community Economic Development Programs Coordinator at USAID/Education, Research in Agriculture Project after five years of serving as the Gender and Community Outreach Officer. In her current position, Bineta specializes in strategic planning and organizational policy development and implementation with a focus on innovative approaches to securing child well-being and women’s empowerment through education and micro enterprises. She is the current architect of the project’s Gender Strategy, and is spearheading USAID/ERA’s efforts at promoting gender equality and integrating youth Programming through a variety of new programs, most notably the Positive Youth Development, Senegal 4-H program. Prior to joining USAID/ERA, she was a consultant, activist, and community organizer with over 15 years of experience in community based programs with governments and NGOs. She served as a consultant for more than 10 years offering on-going training and technical assistance to community development institutions and assisting local municipalities to build economic development initiatives within economically depressed areas of target cities.
Prosper Doamekpor
Tuskegee University
As a trained agricultural and extension specialist, Dr Prosper Doamekpor has over 10 years’ experience in rural development, extension programming, designing and implementing intervention programs in agricultural and rural development projects. Over the years, he has assisted with human capacity strengthening programs aimed at maintaining sustainable livelihoods among target audiences. Dr. Doamekpor currently serves as Youth Development Specialist for the Cooperative Extension Program in Tuskegee University, Alabama, and is responsible for youth development activities, recruiting and training emerging young leaders, and coordinating youth programs with other Extension agents. He provides leadership for planning, implementing and evaluating statewide plan of work designed to address the educational needs of youth and young adults. In addition, he guides and counsels volunteers associated with youth development programs throughout the Black Belt area and the State, as well as other program-related groups. Prosper obtained his doctorate degree in Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State University. He obtained his Master of Philosophy and Bachelor of Science degrees in Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Science respectively from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Umaru Sheriff
4-H Liberia
Umaru Sheriff is the National Executive Director of 4-H Liberia Inc. and one of the key individuals that re-established 4-H in 2006 as a national NGO dedicated to teaching agriculture education and leadership to youth in Liberia. Through his leadership, a strategic plan for 4-H Liberia was developed focusing on agricultural and leadership training skills for youth. His main duties are to establish 4-H clubs, recruit and train 4-H staff and volunteers, and implement the day-to-day activities of 4-H Liberia. Mr. Sheriff also serves as a reconciler in his community, helping to negotiate misunderstandings among community members. His long term goal is to develop young people in his home country and in Africa through collaboration with government and non-government organizations. Mr. Sheriff has always lived in Liberia, with the exception of five years in Sierra Leone as a refugee during the Liberian Civil War which ended in 2003. He’s a 2010 graduate of the University of Liberia with a BBA in Accounting and Public Administration.
Susan Naburi
4-H Tanzania
Susan Naburi is currently the Executive Director and CEO of 4-H Tanzania, a non-profit youth member based organization. Her responsibilities include organizational development, fund raising and sustainability. She works on strengthening youth entrepreneurship and self-reliance and promoting agri-business in rural areas. Ms. Naburi is a member of the Board of Directors, past and present, in various organizations locally and internationally. She is also very involved in community service and is an active volunteer in various capacities. Ms. Naburi’s achievements include: Host and trainer to the International Take a Lead Conference. Founder and active member of the Africa 4-H Network and Global 4-H Network. Host and founder member (Hub of excellence – Leadership) 4-H Africa Leadership Institute. Facilitator on Gender Equity & Sensitivity in 4-H programs at the 1st Global 4-H Network Summit Seoul, Korea. She graduated from the University of Maine, USA in IT.
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Spotlight Event
Online and In-person Event
United States
