Key Sectors - Youth

The initial design of PLP, based on consultations held across the Pacific, identified a need to focus on emerging leaders, and particularly the next generation of leaders. In response to this, PLP has looked for ways to engage with organisations which give young people access to leadership roles, and allow them to develop leadership experience. The first relationship in this area was with the Pacific Youth Council (PYC), a partnership which was established in June 2008. This partnership is a tripartite agreement between PYC, PLP, and the Human Development Bureau of the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC).

PYC is a young organisation, both in age and in its memberships, and PLP and PYC have grown together over the last two and a half years. The partnership with PYC has also allowed PLP to develop partnerships with youth leadership organisations in Tonga and Vanuatu, with ongoing development work in Samoa. We hope in 2011 to be supporting the Solomon Islands Government and other key stakeholders on the development of a coordinated policy framework for youth development in the Solomon Islands
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In November 2010, PLP brought together the PYC and its members, national youth councils or Departments/Divisions of Youth, from Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Niue, and Tuvalu, and key stakeholders UNICEF, SPC and the Commonwealth Youth Program to look closely at some key issues:

• What is the value that national (and regional) youth councils add to the range of youth work that is being done by other youth groups and programs, such as Church youth programs?

• Are national youth councils the place where future leaders are being grown and developed?

• How can youth councils, which by their nature have high turnover of young people, sustain their impact and profile?

The discussions concluded that national youth councils can play important roles which other programs and particularly church programs, cannot play. They can offer peer education on sensitive issues such as sexual and reproductive health, and drug use. They make space for young people to play decision making and leadership roles which church and other youth programs do not do. They also facilitate the development of youth representatives to national and international forums who have a constituency, rather than young people being selected for representative roles on the basis of their family (or other) connections.

Pacific Youth Council (PYC)

PYC was established in 1996 and is a regional voluntary, non-government organisation established for, and of, national youth councils (NYCs) in the Pacific region. PYC’s mandate includes: coordination, advocacy, information sharing, networking and facilitating partnership amongst its members, stakeholders and development partners.
PYC has an Executive Board consisting of eight members that works on a voluntary basis. A General Assembly, to elect a new Board, is held every three years. The Secretariat is based in Suva and is responsible for the implementation of programs and activities of the Council.

The Partnership Agreement which is the basis for the relationship between PLP and PYC is tripartite, and also includes the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC). This working relationship was discussed and initiated during the regional youth stakeholders meeting, which was hosted by SPC, in Noumea in March 2008. At this meeting, it was decided that SPC would take a lead role in the coordination of development agencies working on youth, whilst PYC would play a lead role in the coordination of NYCs/youth NGOs.

PLP attended this meeting in order to meet with the regional and UN organisations working with young people in the Pacific. One of the objectives of the meeting was the strengthening of the PYC through the establishment of a Secretariat. At that meeting, SPC, PYC and PLP had preliminary discussions on how they could cooperate on the establishment of the Secretariat. Discussions were ongoing throughout April and May 2008, and the Partnership Agreement was signed in June 2008. The three organisations agreed to pool resources to establish the Secretariat, based at SPC’s Community Education and Training Centre (CETC), Suva in June 2008.

The PYC Secretariat is growing in strength and reach, and is focusing on developing the capacity of its members, supporting countries which are attempting to establish national youth councils, and working with governments on developing strong youth policies and supporting their youth organisations. There are eight existing NYCs, and a number of countries looking to establish their NYCs.

The tripartite relationship, which sees SPC providing office space, administrative support, and technical support, and PLP providing core funding and technical support, while PYC continue to develop and expand, has been successful. PYC’s whole network, supported by SPC, PLP, the ILO and the Commonwealth Youth Program, is currently cooperating on an advocacy project which we hope will bring a key youth development issue to the forefront of leaders’ discussions at national and regional levels.