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LIDER Program Empowerment & Civic Engagement Russia 2008 - 2010 USAID |
Creating a Future for Russian Youth
RATIONALEIn the Russian Far East (RFE), economic, health, and social problems stemming from the political transition of the 1990s prevent youth from becoming productive and active members of society. High levels of unemployment, chronic disease, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS infection contribute to increased crime and outward migration. Youth do not have incentives to build livelihoods or contribute in a meaningful way to the development of their communities. Winrock International's LIDER program will strive to link young people more directly with the communities in which they live and boost their participation in local governance and advocacy. At the heart of the program are the values expressed in the Russian acronym LIDER: Leadership, Initiative, Action, Unity, and Results.
OBJECTIVES
• Mobilize and improve the institutional capacity and professionalism of NGOs working in the fields of youth and advocacy and youth social development
• Improve networks of NGOs and government services and support systems at community and regional levels capable of addressing multiple needs of youth
• Promote and build multi-sector coalitions advocating for innovative youth-targeted policies and programs that impact many of the social ills facing Russian youth
• Increase access to youth-friendly programs and services
• Increase the number of youth participating in programs to address critical civil society and social issues facing Russian youth
ACTIVITIES
Winrock and its partner, the Far Eastern Scientific Center for Local Self-Governance (FESC), will implement LIDER in two pilot regions: Khabarovski and Primorski krais. LIDER will focus on improving health and social services through a solutions-based, three-fold approach: strengthening NGOs in organizational and technical areas; encouraging partnerships between NGOs, government, and the private sector to help youth advocate for changes in legislation and policy; and replicating successful programs and services that engage and serve RFE youth. A Youth Advisory Council (YAC) in each krai will lead the program, inspiring its evolution and sustaining its outcomes in RFE communities. Over the life of the program, LIDER activities will engage at least 20,000 youth ages 14-20, creating eight multi-sector partnerships, strengthening 16 local NGOs, introducing five changes to youth policies, initiating 20 new NGO programs or activities through leadership exchange participants, involving 2,000 youth in stipend-recipients' local programs, and supporting ten new active and health life programs.