YES Leader: Ms. Claudia Vanessa Siliezar Turcios
Email : vanessa_siliezar@yahoo.com.mx ; claudiasiliezar@hotmail.com
website : YES-Honduras

Vision : is to promote the political participation of the youth developing on the principles of equality of rights and opportunities for all.

Background : By 2008 Honduras had the Index of Human Development at 115. The young people represent 37.21% of the population. Out of 2,631,204 inhabitants, half of the economically active population of Honduras is comprised of the youth. Most of the youth live in urban areas (50,9%) and about (49,1%) in rural areas.

About the Network : YES Honduras has actively participated as a community organization working with various institutions (Program Interagency UNFPA, UNICEF and PAHO, local governments, NGOs and forums throughout Honduras). The governing body established the Instituto Nacional de la Juventud as its host agency and the YES Network has been involved directly in all its affairs, consultations and working sessions. Its 4 focal areas have been youth employability, entrepreneurship, equity, empowerment, and education. We also work in the areas of HIV / AIDS and Sexual Reproductive Health, and the human rights of young people.

Current Major Initiatives :

• Implement projects in conjunction with the Secretary of Labor, Center for Human Development in Honduras (CADERH), in job-training processes in companies aimed at young unemployed and underemployed to improve their employability, and training within the same companies or in others.
• Strengthen volunteerism among young people, involving the private sector through projects on social responsibility and promoting the rights of young people. Promote youth employment and provide training to empower youth.
• Work in conjunction with the Instituto Nacional de la Juventud (YES Honduras host agency) to meet the following objectives:
  1. Raising awareness of the population to encourage youth to integrate and contribute fully to economic growth, political and social development of Honduras.
  2. Creating a legal framework that does not prohibit, restrict or limit the rights of youth.

Key Accomplishments :

• The project, “Generation of Sustainable Ways of Life”, created by the Foundation E, Mexico which was launched in Honduras from August 2006 to January 2007 was an ambitious initiative consisting of several workshops, modules, lectures and practices, aimed at developing skills at a minimum of 459 unemployed people in the north of Honduras
• Network members are scattered throughout the country. We have a comprehensive online database (YES Honduras E group), which has been a useful tool to convey information about employment, progress in enterprise creation, scholarship opportunities, international events and projects to each of its members.
• YES Honduras is actively looking for ways to strengthen alliances with social and political groups (government, private sector, civil society, academia, international agencies and universities), to unify efforts in the country and region in addition to monitoring the regional strategic plan and country.
• Key partnerships were achieved not only for increasing information in the database for youth to get a real job, but put into practice their knowledge and engaged companies.
• Another contribution by the YES Network is - becoming a representative on the Alliance Childhood, Adolescence and Youth of Honduras. The Alliance was signed in 2005, with the candidates for president and mayor signing a pact for establishing responsibility for the political leadership to establish processes to achieve full human development and the welfare of all Hondurans. YES Honduras is working to ensure the rights of children, adolescents and youth and creating an ethical mandate and essential conditions for
  economic, political and social development.