Think about this: 40% of the human faces that greet the new millennium will be less than 20 years old. The profound changes signaled by this demographic shift will challenge the human family in such areas as social stability, security, economic development, and the environment. Eighty percent of this young population will be in developing, emerging, or transition economies. Their lives, and the resources they have to fulfill their potential, shape our common future.

GPYD brought together business, government, NGOs, and people in new ways to address the opportunities created by these young ones. GPYD was all about partnerships-the dynamic relationships that empower the development of a better, more productive, future. We have the notion that we can build a better future together than we can even imagine alone.

The new millennium belongs to the young, and GPYD seeks to make it worth owning. We choose the pathway to a brighter future.

Pathways of Opportunity

The specific objective of GPYD was to study, promote, and invest in good examples of tri-sector partnerships in youth development around the world. The four pillars through which GPYD will meet this objective are:

• Learning about what works and improving existing models 
• Building the infrastructure, both global and national 
• Mobilizing new resources, both global and national 
• Investing in scaling-up and strengthening best practices in youth development

Partners included:

American Express, Ayala Corporation, Business and Youth Starting Together, Cisco Systems, Financial Times, Hill & Knowlton, International Youth Foundation, Iridium LLC, Kellogg Company, Lions Club International, Microsoft, Nike Corporation, Petroleos de Venezuela, Quest International, Shell International, UNESCO, USAID, Visteon Automotive Group, World Bank Group, World Vision, Youth Service America.

GPYD was co-convened by the Kellogg Company, the World Bank Group (WBG), and the International Youth Foundation (IYF).

IYF provided a coordinating and leadership role in realizing successful outcomes for GPYD goals and objectives. IYF also served as the Secretariat for the partnership, coordinated communication strategies, developed and maintained a global information base, and provided progress and financial reports on the activities of GPYD. IYF assisted in the coordination and implementation of focus projects, provided specialized training and technical assistance, and provided additional management services.

Activities included:

Travel and Tourism Programmes, Brazil (American Express) American Express offers young people opportunities in the travel and tourism industry by creating partnerships between schools and tourism authorities.

Enhancing economic and social opportunities for out-of-school Filipino youth, the Philippines (Ayala Corporation and the Children & Youth Foundation of the Philippines) Supports a program combining school, training and work opportunities for the 11.2 million Filipino out-of-school youth.

Supporting entrepreneurship for underprivileged youth, India (Business and Youth Starting Together, BYST) Fosters entrepreneurship and employment generation for youth by providing business mentors and loans.

Networking Academy Programme, the Philippines (Cisco Systems) Cisco's vision is to change the way people learn, through a programme of networking academies throughout the Philippines to train youth to design, build and maintain computer networks.

Breakfast Feeding Programme, South Africa (Kellogg Company, Lions Club International) The Kellogg Company plans to conduct a school-based breakfast feeding programme targeted at 20,000 nutritionally at-risk children.

Nuevo Mundo Project, Venezuela (Petroleos de Venezuela) This project attempts to improve the quality of education received by children in Venezuela by improving the skills of elementary teachers, and by promoting collaboration among teachers, principals and students.

Rural Career Programme, Thailand (Shell International) This programme aims create agricultural career opportunities for young people returning to their home villages from the large cities.

Global Initiatives