Young people are the custodians of our society and the trustees of prosperity for future generations. Nowhere is this more apparent than the Caribbean region, where two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30. This “youthful profile” of the Caribbean nations presents both opportunities and challenges in the years ahead as the important role that young people play in national and regional development becomes increasingly apparent.

Experience has taught us that young people can play an important role in national development if provided the right tools, the learning and empowerment to employ those tools and a supportive environment in which to use them. Young people can and should lead the way in economic growth and poverty reduction. By the same token, however, that same energy and vitality, if left unharnessed or if marginalized can have a dramatic negative effect on social and economic stability.

This study, undertaken at the request of our clients, could not be more timely or relevant for our work in the Caribbean Region, where we have witnessed a worrying upward trend in youthassociated issues of drug trafficking, HIV/AIDs infection, adolescent pregnancies, and other risky behavior. Set against a backdrop of regional and international instability, the urgency of grappling with this vital component of society has pushed the Bank to explore innovative measures to address and include youth as an integral part of our work.

The study is the first work of its kind to present quantitative evidence that investing in youth is an economically sound approach for Governments to take. The authors recognize, however, that the area of youth and development is an often complex and uncomfortable one to address, as many of the possible solutions entail behavioral changes that challenge long-established and accepted norms. This study will, we hope, encourage and stimulate the dialogue on youth in the region and assist those working in this critical area—Governments, Youth Organizations, NGOs, the donor community and young people themselves—in framing workplans for breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

Orsalia Kalantzopoulos
Director, Caribbean Country Management Unit
Latin America and the Caribbean Region

For more information: http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/

by Wendy Cunningham and Maria Correia
A World Bank country study.
Washington DC. USA, may, 2003.

CONTENTS

Foreword
Preface
Acronyms
Executive Summary

1. Introduction

2. Framework for Analyzing Caribbean Youth

3. Negative Behaviors and Outcomes Observed among Caribbean Youth

4. Sources of Positive and Negative Youth Outcomes

5. The Costs of Risky Adolescent Behavior

6. Youth Development Policies and Programs

7. Conclusions and Recommendations

Appendix 1 Methodological Description for Chapter 4

Appendix 2 Lifetime Earnings Figures

Appendix 3 Methodology for Cost Calculations, Chapter 5

Appendix 4 Caribbean Youth Policies and Programs

Bibliography