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mlundberg@worldbank.org |
| Sujet: |
Fw: Week 2 Discussion, models of youth engagement, and provocative question
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| Envoyé: |
Jul 9th, 2007 - 12:40:29 |
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When I sent this email just now, the address for the World Development Report
for 2007 disappeared. It's http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2007.
M.
___________________________________
Mattias K.A. Lundberg
Human Development Network
Phone: 202-473-2442
http://www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth
http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2007
http://econ.worldbank.org/
----- Forwarded by Mattias K. A. Lundberg/Person/World Bank on 07/09/2007 12:31
PM -----
Mattias K. A.
Lundberg
To
07/09/2007 wbyoh (at) groups.takingitglobal.org
12:29 PM cc
32442 HDNCY
Subject
Re: Week 2 Discussion, models of youth
engagement, and provocative question
Hello all,
Thank you to all concerned -- organizers and participants -- for the Youth Open
House. I was delighted and impressed with the discussions, as well as the
passion, committment, and achievements evinced by all the speakers. My only
regret is that we had so little time for discussion.
I have recently joined the World Bank's lamentably small Children and Youth
unit. Prior to that I was one of the authors of the World Development Report
for 2007, Development and the Next Generation. I joined the C&Y team in order
to pursue some of the issues, both operational and research, that were raised by
the Report. You can download the Report at .
Mitty Steele has asked us to consider alternative models for youth engagement.
How do we do it? What's most effective, under different circumstances and for
different goals?
But I would like to ask a different, more fundamental, and quite provocative
question:
What is participation for? Why do it? What do we get out of engagement? How
does participation make things different from what would happen in the absence
of participation?
To me, participation is a means, not a goal. If it makes no difference at all,
don't bother. And I must confess that I'm bothered by the fact that everyone
agrees that it's essential. When everyone agrees on something, my iconoclastic
instinct leads me to run the opposite direction.
But I can think of two reasons why that one might participate. The first is to
make a difference to the outcome, the second is to make a difference to the
participant. I believe the first reason is fundamental; the second is
(possibly) instrumental, but I'm less convinced about that.
(We also have to understand what engagement / participation is -- in what, at
what stage, with what intention/duration/intensity, etc.)
So what do we know about engagement, really? It's great that youth service
organizations provide opportunities to contribute to the community -- but do we
know what the participants would have been doing if the organization wasn't
there? Is there simply a shifting about of resources, or do we really get
increasing returns from a collaboration that would not have happened otherwise?
I'm looking forward to outraged emails in reply, explaining to me why my
skepticism is unwarranted.
Thanks and best wishes to all,
Mattias
___________________________________
Mattias K.A. Lundberg
Human Development Network
Phone: 202-473-2442
http://www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth
http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2007
http://econ.worldbank.org/
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