ADDENDUM_III.pdf

ADDENDUM III

USAID Youth Empowerment Activities

USAID/Kosovo invests significantly in youth empowerment and life skills development via the

Engagement for Equity (E4E) and After School Support for Teens (ASSET) activities.

USAID/Kosovo strives to engage youth as full and equal partner in strategic and program planning. Given

Kosovo’s demographic make-up, the inclusion of youth is critical to fostering democratic multiparty consolidation. USAID/Kosovo has a strong record of catalyzing youth potential as evidenced through our past and current activities. However, it is worth mentioning that during the recent years USAID/Kosovo did not have any standalone activity on youth development. Youth inclusion is cross-cutting and the

Mission strives to further build upon best practices. In the past the Mission would depict the inclusion of youth in activities related to education, private sector, agriculture, support to civil society and political parties and assembly. Two notable closed activities that focused on youth include:

Support to Kosovo Young Leaders (SKYL) was active from 2008 until 2012. Its objectives were related to enhancing job skills, experience and support needed to find future employment; Gain confidence and skills youth need to play a more active leadership role in community and public life; and increase the number of young people from diverse communities building inter-ethnic reconciliation/tolerance and working together on concrete projects that advance shared interests.

Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP) was active from 2010 through 2013 and supported over

1,300 new and emerging entrepreneurs, between the ages of 18 and 35, across Kosovo. YEP provided young entrepreneurs with training, seed capital and up to a year of sustained, hands-on coaching for their micro and small businesses. Overall, YEP provided $2.1 million in grants to over 350 entrepreneurs. The average grant was worth roughly $6,600. All grantees were required to match that amount with their own resources. YEP focused its assistance on relatively small-scale businesses with low capital costs, established markets and few barriers to entry for those with little or no experience as entrepreneurs. The project provided these nascent and fledgling entrepreneurs with the support needed to expand and mature.

Other USAID/Kosovo Activities

Agricultural Growth and Rural Opportunities (AGRO) is focused on developing a more competitive agricultural sector in Kosovo through technical assistance and grants to strategic partners, farmers, agribusinesses, and other actors working throughout and in support of targeted value chains. Part of this activity seeks to work in communities where individuals may be more susceptible to drivers of radicalization.

The Empower private sector activity works towards inclusively creating jobs and opportunities through workforce development, and increasing the competition of small and medium size enterprises creating jobs through bolstering market capacity, productivity, and overall product quality.

Other Donors

Current targeted prevention efforts are underway as conducted by a multitude of actors including the

Government of Kosovo, USG, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Office of

Migration (IOM), among others. Particular lines of effort that the offeror will be responsible for taking into account as to avoid redundancy and capitalize on impact include but are not limited to:

o Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)

▪ The ISD runs the Strong Cities Network, for which 13 cities across Kosovo are members.

o German Agency for International Development Cooperation (GIZ) https://www.usaid.gov/kosovo/fact-sheets/engagement-equity https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/fact-sheets/after-school-support-teens https://www.usaid.gov/documents/1863/support-kosovos-young-leaders-skyl http://idd.edc.org/projects/youth-employment-and-participation-yep-project-kosovo https://www.usaid.gov/kosovo/fact-sheets/agricultural-growth-and-rural-opportunities http://empowerkosovo.org/ http://strongcitiesnetwork.org/

SOL# 72016718R00017

USAID/Kosovo Up to Youth Activity

▪ Creating Perspectives for Youth in Kosovo’s objective is the employability of young

Kosovars aged 15 to 35 is improved, taking into account the specific needs of returned migrants, all ethnic groups and minorities.

▪ Social Rights for Vulnerable Groups works towards supporting key stakeholders such as centers for social work, local administrations and NGOs to have improved the conditions needed to ensure equal social rights for vulnerable groups in selected municipalities.

o UNDP

▪ UNDP’s Kosovo Safety and Security Project is a holistic security approach aiming to support the development of the relevant legal framework, strategies, and action plans.

This will result in various outcomes focused on small arms control, safer communities and preventing violent extremism.

o IOM

▪ IOM Kosovo engaged in a series of activities within the Community-based

Approaches to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism project ranging from extra-curricular activities to critical thinking workshop and youth initiatives for positive changes within their communities. In addition to the activities and workshops, IOM

Kosovo has attended monthly meetings with all relevant stakeholders in Kosovo, including governmental, international and local actors.

▪ The European Union continues providing support to youth led activities through its

Instrument for the Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funding and “Erasmus +

Programme” that operates in the Western Balkans