news / Young people leading the way!

We met pupils from 11 to 16 from five different schools who are all involved in the YES project . YES encourages young people to work as a team to develop small businesses within their school and community, and so gain an understanding of the skills that they will need for work in the future. It also helps them to develop confidence and public speaking skills that are vital for work.

We were invited to observe the groups presenting their progress to each other, and what impressed was that despite the presence of the school principal and various other teachers in the room, the young people themselves ran the meeting in an extremely effective way.

They were very honest about the challenges of starting the project, and extremely positive about how it had helped them. One girl, Nsidi, who was leaving school next year said, "It has given me confidence for the future".
An important part of NMCF's new strategy is to child participation - to ensure that young people have a genuine say in the development of programmes that affect them and their future. The YES project shows how well this aim can be realised and the difference it makes to young people.