Whakamanawa te Hou Ora o nga Rangatahi

Lessons from New Zealand’s National Youth Development Strategy

Jennifer A GootmanIan Axford Fellow in Public Policy

Adolescents: Good News / Bad News

NZ US

Education + / - +

Crime - / + +

Drug Use - +

Smoking + / - + / -

Alcohol - -

Sexual Activity - / + - / +

STDs / HIV - -

Physical Health - -

Suicide - / + -

Creation of the YDSA

Mid-1990s MoYA embarked on comprehensive process to move youth policy and programs toward youth development approach; strategy released in 2002

Community-based process, including youth

Linked policies across age spectrum

Elements of Successful Application

of the Strategy Strong community leaders with vision

and commitment Building relationships as a centerpiece Reliable institutional support Focus on broad community

development Youth participation

Challenges – Looking Ahead

Lack of a clear national implementation plan or process

Concept of youth development not always well understood

Few operational links among multitude of government principles and initiatives, including funding

Limited training and technical assistance Weak to no data on young people, hindering

evaluation and monitoring efforts