About Youth at Heart

Youth at Heart is the development cooperation strategy by the Kingdom of the Netherlands that puts young people at the centre of policies and programmes on education, work and youth participation. The program is oriented towards specific focus regions: the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). About half of the population in MENA is under 25, and around 60% in Sub‑Saharan Africa. At the same time, in Africa alone twelve million young people enter the labour market each year, while only three million new jobs become available.

The world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals for education and youth employment. Youth at Heart responds to this by focusing on education, work and young people’s voice. It aims to improve prospects for young people by bridging the gap between the skills they learn and what the labour market demands, and by strengthening their voice in policy and decision‑making.

Youth at the heart of Dutch development policies

©Guido Koppes
Youth at Heart focuses on young people in the focus regions, generally defined as people between 15 and 24, with a higher age limit of 35 for interventions supporting youth enterprise. The strategy recognises that young people form a diverse group with unevenly distributed opportunities and challenges. It pays explicit attention to young women and to vulnerable groups such as refugees, displaced persons, young people in vulnerable host communities and people with a disability.

©Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken - Bonnie Dubois

Youth at Heart aims to:

  • Improve young people’s knowledge and skills through more relevant, good‑quality education and training that prepares them for work and participation in society.
  • Increase opportunities for decent work and successful enterprise by better matching labour market supply and demand, supporting job creation and youth entrepreneurship, and improving the enabling environment for youth employment.
  • Strengthen young people’s voice by promoting meaningful youth participation in Dutch policy cycles, in partner countries’ policies, and in international dialogue and partnerships.