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Policy Research and Advocacy (PORA)
The Policy Research and Advocacy (PORA) Program is dedicated to researching and understanding the soft infrastructure, existing policies and practices and other issues contributing to the difficulties the youth population faces when attempting to enter the labor market.
YES Rwanda’s PORA Program understands that youth in Rwanda face economic, social and political barriers that limit their participation not only in the labor market, but also in accessing opportunities for earning and for learning. One of the priority action areas for YES Rwanda is to lobby for the removal of the aforementioned barriers and for the adoption of policies and strategies that facilitate the development of youth employment and entrepreneurship. To this end, YES Rwanda seeks to research and generate a body of knowledge on issues relating to youth employment as well as institutional responses to this problem. YES Rwanda’s aspiration is to become a leading organization in initiating research on youth employment in Rwanda and articulating innovative and progressive measures and programs, as well as advocating for appropriate government and institutional responses to each measure or program.
YES Rwanda strategic axes of the Policy Research and Advocacy are as followed:
- Partnering with other organizations such as: local, regional and international NGOs; the academia; private sector and other institutions to research, lobby and advocate for specific policy issues.
- Substantial research on specific issues to develop position papers used to advocate for policy change. The objective of the position papers is to present a well– researched and balanced perspectives on current policy issues affecting youth and provide corresponding recommendations to relevant government ministries in order to lobby and advocate for policy changes that benefit youth entrepreneurs and create a more favorable environment more to increasing youth development and employment possibilities.
- Engaging in soft, silent or backdoor diplomacy to advocate for policy change relating to youth and youth employment issues.
- To empower youth as a first step to deeper and more participatory advocacy for issues affecting them. This will be accomplished through activities, workshops and seminars that will increase the flow of conversation among youth and to make them feel more directly and actively involved in the resolution of issues affecting them.
The YES Rwanda PORA Program strives to assist the focal points for advocacy, liaison and research coordination at the national level in effective execution of the priority programs and projects set out by the government of Rwanda within the framework of the EDPRS as well as youth employment and development, among others.
Rwandan youth need a strong voice and platform to articulate their interests, concerns, rights and needs in various arena and forums that could have an impact on their livelihoods, from government policy to donor programs to others. As a membership organization, YES Rwanda seeks to organize and strengthen grassroots youth associations to engage in effective self-representation. This will entail building the capacity of youth organizations to organize, identify key policy issues affecting their livelihoods and advocate effectively for change. Linking youth with the democratic process will not only create a demanding body for accountability, but will also help ensure that policies are relevant and responsive the youths’ needs.
To facilitate these objectives, PORA is currently developing and implementing a research program that will facilitate a holistic approach to youth employment creation in Rwanda. The program area also facilitates institutional and technical capacity building for YES Rwanda members for them to fully engage in youth employment creation activities and advocacy.
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