Youth

About Youth

CRS believes that all youth, even the poorest youth and those living surrounded by violence and conflict, have the capacity to be leaders and partners in efforts that produce positive changes in their own lives and in their communities. Empowering youth to contribute to sustainable change on a large scale requires providing them with education, strong life skills and livelihood opportunities. It also requires youth-friendly and youth-serving systems that prepare and protect youth and allow them to participate in the decisions made about their futures.

Using a holistic and positive youth development approach, CRS engages communities, local partners and governments to assist at-risk youth around the world to realize their full potential. Most of our youth programming is the areas of economic strengthening, agricultural livelihoods, education, health, and peacebuilding. To help elevate the value and importance of youth and their abilities to build a more just and peaceful world, youth needs, considerations and opportunities are integrated as a crosscutting theme in all of our work.