Sierra Leone has a high proportion of young people with over half of the population the population aged 15 to 35 years old. The affects of the conflict, high rates of youth unemployment and negative attitudes towards young people have compounded the high level of discrimination and marginalisation facing many young people in Sierra Leone today. This increasing sense of exclusion combined with low income and limited opportunities for employment make young people vulnerable to negative influences such as criminal gangs.

Promoting youth participation and development

The approach of ENCISS is to encourage the full participation of young people in decisions that affect them and to equip them with the skills needed to reach their full potential. This could include the following examples:

• Support to revive youth commiittees
• Youth participation in decision making at district and chiefdom, and in government policies and laws
• Helping young people to engage with district and NGO youth programmes, especially those projects that focus on skills development
• Advocacy and support for programmes aimed at the needs of young people with disability.