Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit 2018

RTI is proud to sponsor the Making Cents Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit 2018, a three-day conference that brings together more than 550 technical experts committed to advancing the social and economic well-being of young people globally. This year's theme is "Generation 2030: Learning & Earning in a Changing World of Work." 

RTI's Global Center for Youth Employment will be hosting its quarterly member meeting prior to the conference. Our countering violent extremism and food security and agriculture experts will also be presenting at two breakout different sessions. To view the whole agenda, please click here.

Pre-Summit Session

Tuesday, September 25, 8:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.  I  Fenton 

Global Center for Youth Employment (GCYE) Quarterly Meeting: Peter Joyce, RTI International; Eric Johnson, RTI International; Jamie McAuliffe, Aspen Institute; Daniel Runde, CSIS

The Global Center for Youth Employment is a virtual learning and action center led by RTI International that brings together a broad, diverse coalition of allies to identify and nurture innovative youth employment solutions. The Center’s partners include 50 different workforce development organizations, including universities, NGOs, foundations, and the private sector. 

This event features innovation portfolio updates from investments from our June Ideathon in NYC and related research, included featured speakers from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator on scaling its ecosystem-based approach to connect youth to jobs, Lynk on improving its onboarding of workers to meet market demand, and Making Cents on providing digital identities to displaced youth. Additionally, Aspen Institute’s Jamie McAuliffe will provide a preview of a new global initiative with a place-based, systems-change strategy to accelerate youth employment, and CSIS’s Daniel Runde will share findings from the Future of Work Task Force.

Breakout Sessions

Wednesday, September 26, 10:35 a.m.- 11:50 a.m.  I  Great Hall B

Challenging Assumptions on Youth in Agriculture: Tailoring Development Programming Strategies: Elizabeth Eckert, RTI International; Sarah Mattingly, RTI International; David Msyoki, Farm Input Promotions Africa​

​​This interactive session will unpack assumptions on youth engagement in agriculture and migration. We will lead the audience in co-designing new strategies for improving youth workforce readiness based on new research that has enabled us to better define Kenyan youth migration profiles. The session starts off with a brief overview of findings from a study of 3,000 Kenyan rural-to-urban youth migrants—looking in particular at their plans and preferences related to returning to rural areas and engaging in the agricultural workforce.

Thursday, September 27, 8:00 a.m.- 8:45 a.m.  I  Spring

PYD for CVE: How Youth Workforce Development Can More Actively Build Resiliency to Extremism: Yusuf Lule Mwatsefu, Human Rights Agenda; Alison Tomas, RTI International; Noah Flessel, RTI International

Donors are increasingly integrating countering violent extremism (CVE) objectives and outcomes into youth economic growth programs. With additional funds provided by USAID, RTI is applying a CVE lens to youth workforce development programming in some of Kenya’s most VE-prone regions. Through this session, we will illustrate how local youth-focused economic initiatives can provide viable alternatives to violent extremism, while simultaneously engaging youth as peacemakers and positive change agents. We will address best practices in collaborating with other CVE programs in the implementing environment and how to leverage comparative advantages for a whole-of-society approach to CVE.