Young people deserve the opportunity to reach their potential.
Young people across the Global South hold tremendous potential, but they face disproportionate risks and barriers that can create challenging transitions into adulthood. Across Asia and Africa, young people—particularly girls and young women—are vulnerable to poverty and exploitation and face limited job prospects. BRAC’s youth programs combine social empowerment, economic empowerment, and education to enable young people to reach their full potential.
Your impact
countries reached with youth programs
increased involvement in income-generating activities for girls in youth empowerment clubs in Uganda
adolescents and young people reached through youth empowerment programs
girls in villages with youth empowerment clubs were half as likely to drop out of school during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone
BRAC’s youth empowerment programs equip girls and young women with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive.
Our youth empowerment programs offer safe spaces and mentor-led, community-supported programming for young people, with a focus on girls. Through a combination of social empowerment, education, and economic empowerment, young people gain the knowledge and tools to overcome barriers and pursue futures full of possibility.
Our approach
Social empowerment
BRAC’s youth programs build self confidence, leadership, critical thinking, decision-making skills, and social skills. Through a “near peer” mentoring model, youth learn and engage on these topics with community-based facilitators. Youth also explore gender dynamics and learn to navigate issues that affect their well-being and their futures, such as relationships, sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, early marriage, human and legal rights, and more. BRAC also incorporates sports, reading, games, and socializing into youth empowerment programs to build a network of supportive peers. Programs are age appropriate, with content tailored for young adolescents, older adolescents, young adults, and older youth. A strong foundation in life skills helps prepare young people to become strong, resilient, adaptable adults.
Social empowerment
Education
BRAC’s youth programs also prioritize education. We aim to increase enrollment among in- school and out-of-school youth and support them to complete their formal-education. For those who have dropped out of school, we offer alternative education pathways and focus on numeracy and literacy skills that help them find jobs and earn income. This support enables young people to advance their education and, as a result, improve their employment opportunities and earning potential later in life.
Education
Economic empowerment
Our youth programs help young people gain the skills and resources they need to secure gainful employment. We provide training in entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy along with career coaching and other soft skills. For older adolescents and youth, we offer demand-driven vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities. We also address societal norms rooted in gender inequities that make young women economically vulnerable and decrease their power and influence in financial matters and other important life decisions, including marriage and access to school. To address inequity, BRAC believes that social empowerment must go hand in hand with economic empowerment.
Economic empowerment
Community engagement
At the heart of BRAC’s youth programs is a focus on community engagement. BRAC engages local communities through meetings with leaders, parents, caregivers, and the broader community. We lead local advocacy and campaigns to improve community buy-in for empowering youth and to foster enabling environments for girls. In order to improve the status of girls and young women in their communities, we also focus on engaging boys and young men to address gender dynamics and improve girls’ lived experiences.
Community engagement
Our work in action
A force on two wheels: Adikilait fights for the rights of girls and young women
A shy Adikilait was forced to drop out of school after she became pregnant. She is now a leader and mentor who fights for the rights of girls and young women like her.
[BRAC’s youth programs] are shaped by giving voice to young people’s concerns and aspirations — and then giving them the means to shape their own futures.”
Program Highlights
Powering her potential: Results from year 1 of BRAC’s ambitious new program for African youth
After one year of BRAC’s most ambitious program yet, the results are in. The new program, Mastercard Foundation Accelerating Impact for Young Women (AIM) in Partnership with BRAC, will empower more than a million adolescent girls and young women over five years. Discover the exciting results from year one.