A Holistic Approach to Preparing Youth for Success - Programa Para O Futuro

“There are more youth now than ever before, and the majority live in developing countries where they face a unique set of challenges during adolescence. This phase of development is the time when youth make choices - for better or worse - that can determine the trajectory of their entire lives. Their experiences as teens and young adults can directly impact their transition to healthy, productive, and independent adults.”

Programa para o Futuro (PPF), or Program for the Future, is a holistic youth development project that uses a positive youth development approach and evidence to help young people acquire skills that lead to improved livelihoods, health, and civic engagement. This includes giving them the opportunity to learn valuable socio-emotional skills, make decisions, build positive relationships, contribute to their communities, and feel a sense of belonging and connection. This document explains the key features of the PPF project, including an integrated curriculum that builds a broad set of soft and employability skills, a safe and supportive learning environment, youth leadership opportunities, links to employment, and connections with families.

PPF was implemented by FHI360 in Mozambique, where it worked with hundreds of orphans and vulnerable youth between 15 and 17 years old in the city of Beira. FHI360 tailored PPF so that it responded directly to the intended population and the local labour market. The programme's holistic curriculum covers a broad range of knowledge and skills - both technical and social-emotional - that are essential to successful employment. PPF’s integrated curriculum covers:

• Soft skills - critical thinking, teamwork, and problem solving
• Financial literacy - family budgets, business plans, loan costs, and entrepreneurship
• Communication - public speaking, negotiating, and giving and receiving feedback
• Social, life, and health issues - gender-based discrimination, stigma, family planning, proper nutrition, sexual health, and sanitation
• Information and communication technology - computer maintenance, creating graphics and videos, and installing software
• Employability and networking - professional language and relationships, résumé preparation, and resources for starting a business

The report outlines some of the key features of the project approach. These included:

• Offering project-based learning - Research has shown that project-based learning has the potential to develop skills such as problem-solving, higher-order thinking, communication, negotiation, and collaboration. During PPF lessons, students are presented with real-world challenges and must work together to conduct research and find solutions.
• Creating a safe and supportive learning environment - To learn the soft skills they need to succeed, youth must have a safe and supportive educational environment in which they feel at ease to express themselves, take risks, and make mistakes. The report explains how the project went about creating safe spaces and a feeling of belonging, and highlights the importance of skilled facilitators, multi-disciplinary staff, and a stable routine of classes.
• Putting youth in the lead - Providing youth with opportunities for decision-making helps them develop agency and confidence. In the classroom, PPF students are given “voice and choice” through the project-based learning approach. This requires youth to figure out what questions they need to answer and which methods they will use to complete their projects - the same skills they need to be successful in their professional and personal lives. Youth were also encouraged to share their lessons with friends, and contribute to the community through youth clubs.
• Drawing explicit links to employment - The youth who participate in PPF often have limited access to adults outside of their social circles, which can make it challenging for them to connect with those who can help them learn about different careers. For this reason, PPF includes an eMentoring activity that connects youth with professionals with different backgrounds, ages, positions, and experiences. They also put their newly acquired skills to work through internships with companies, community organisations, and government agencies.
• Reinforcing family connections - Families and home environments greatly influence the behaviour and attitudes of young people. PPF reaches out to parents and caregivers through family meetings to discuss the programme and provide education about the best ways to support youth at home. The report explains how PPF tapped into an established network of activistas, or community outreach workers, to create linkages between families and PPF.

The report also outlines some of the results of the programme. Overall, the programme has been so successful that the Government of Mozambique requested training in the PPF methodology. They observed that PPF youth had the attitudes, behaviours, and skills for the workplace, unlike graduates of their vocational education programme who had good technical skills but did not know how to behave in the workplace. Currently, PPF is expanding in Beira and has launched a new programme in Maputo, the capital city.

The following are just a selection of research results highlighted in the report:

• Education: research showed that nine out of ten continue their education for at least one year. In a province where less than 5% of youth complete secondary education, 67% of female and 72% of male PPF graduates have already completed secondary education.
• Employment: 70% of youth are employed in the formal or informal sectors within one year of the project. Most are earning an income, with 25% having formal employment.
• Social skills: family members and teachers saw increases in self-esteem, responsibility, and communication.
• Health: the majority of graduates gained a high level of understanding about the dangers of drugs and alcohol; three-quarters of respondents believed that youth between the ages of 14 and 18 years old should not be engaging in sexual intercourse; and 85 percent disagreed that it is acceptable for a boy to force a girl to have sex.