In ZAMBIA the youth (15 to 35 years) constitute over half the population of Zambia (Census of Population 2010 report) and are a vital resource for national economic and social development in Africa. The promotion of enterprises that are owned and managed by young people provides a powerful mechanism for job creation, youth development and empowerment, and the full participation of young men and wo
men in Zambia’s economy and social development. In the Millennium Declaration adopted by the General Assembly in September 2000, Heads of State and Government discussed the problem of youth unemployment and resolved to “develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work”. Recognizing the enormous impact of current demographic trends on the employment prospects of youth in the 21st century, the Youth Enterprise Support Network (YES Network) has embraced youth employment and enterprise as a cross-cutting and core theme in its work. In this regard, these activities have been developed with the aim to galvanize national and international support for “Empowering Zambian Youth to Create Wealth”. Definition of "Youth" : In the context of this Program a "youth" is defined as a male or female person aged between 15 and 35 years. This definition has been found to be ideal to work with in targeting support to the most disadvantaged population groups in African society. It is noted from Africa's education system that the 15 to 30 years category of population constitutes largely the school drop-outs at the levels of Grades 7, 9 and 12 (and, to a certain extent, college level). Furthermore, this definition is harmonized with the donor definition of "youth", under whose support a number of youth development projects will be implemented by the Zambia Youth Enterprise Support Network (YES Network). We view youth enterprise promotion as a partnership between government, the private sector and the broader civil society. YES deals with the issues facing young people who own and manage their own business––this includes micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as enterprises that are run by young people as sole proprietors or as partnerships, cooperatives or formal companies. It is recognized that young people are an extremely diverse group, with even more diverse business support and development needs. Significantly, YES Zambia also addresses the interests of young people who have not yet commenced in business, but who are considering small business as an employment or career option. YES Zambia also attends to the promotion of entrepreneurship. This refers to the collection of skills, talents and experiences young women and men draw on to meet the challenges they face at home, in their communities, at school, and in the labour market. Entrepreneurial skills, talents and experiences contribute to success among young business owner-managers. Participatory Development Methodologies (PDM) is at the centerpiece of our approach to grassroots youth enterprise development under the YES Network. PDM requires the active involvement of major stakeholders at each stage of Program Development from conceptualization through design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. It also requires that Program participants develop and implement projects[systems] that ensure transparency and accountability for use of resources and attainment of Program objectives.
