Empowering young people is a process in which children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take steps to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values and attitudes. The empowerment of young people aims to improve the quality of life. Youth empowerment is achieved through participation in youth empowerment programs. However, scholars argue that the implementation of children's rights must go beyond learning about formal rights and procedures to give birth to a concrete experience of rights. There are numerous models that use youth empowerment programs to help young people achieve empowerment. A number of youth empowerment initiatives are underway around the world. These programs can be through non-profit organizations, government organizations, schools or private organizations. Youth empowerment is different from youth development because development focuses on the development of individuals, while empowerment focuses on creating greater community change depends on the development of individual capacity. Empowerment movements, including the empowerment of young people, originate, gain momentum, become viable, and become institutionalized. The empowerment of young people is often addressed as a gateway to inter generational equity, civic engagement, and the building of democracy. Activities can focus on youth-led media, youth rights, youth councils, youth activism, youth participation in community decision-making and other methods.
Youth Empowerment Programs
There are several types of empowerment programs around the world that empower young people through different tactics and programs. Programs can work in a variety of environments. Most programs operate in more than one scenario, which can be a key factor in their success. The beneficial outcomes for youth empowerment programs are improved social skills, better behavior, higher academic performance, greater self-esteem, and greater self-efficacy. There are programs that aim only at empowering women and girls. Regardless of specific objectives or methods, empowering effects include improving women's well-being, self-esteem and self-efficacy, and improving social status by teaching technical and organizational skills.
Other youth empowerment programs focus on poverty alleviation. Living standards for those living in poverty are declining, causing forms of deprivation in relation to food, resources and education. Programs aimed at training the poor youth, working for the protection of livelihoods or the promotion of livelihoods.
There are also empowerment movements using the social action model, with the aim of empowering, organizing and educating disadvantaged people to create change. These programs advocate constructive confrontations to improve the social power of people considered to be disadvantaged. Another model is the 5C model that focuses on emphasizing competence, trust, connection, character and care. A sixth C contribution to society was added later. This model focuses primarily on commitment as a key marker of positive youth development, emphasizing the need to foster initiative. Youth and adult associations are another type of empowerment method used around the world. This method has been defined as a development process and a community practice. The alliance involves people of different ages who work together on community issues over a period of time. The method emphasizes reciprocity between adults and young people with a focus on shared decision-making and reflective learning. The concept of shared control is key to empowering young people.