YES Leader: Mr. Alvaro Casas
Email : alvaro@yesweb.org

Vision : Respond to youth employment problems by promoting a multi-stakeholder approach to developing programs and designing policy.

Background : Uruguay has a population of 3.314.466 with young people comprising of 15.5%. Its Index of Human Development according to UNPD is about 46, third in the Latin American Region. Livestock, agriculture, Forest Industri es, Tourism are its many economical activities. The unemployment rate in the country is 7.6 % and the youth unemployment is 20.2%.

About the Network : YES Uruguay includes actors who think and execute programs as actors of the Public Field. Thus, the Network also includes the participation of some prestigious NGO's: "El Abrojo", "Foro Juvenil", "Youth fo r Christ" and the "National Commission of Rural Enhancement" (CNFR). For example a school dedicated to young people called "Dos Margaritas" is being developed by "Foro Juvenil" in small cities of the country, aiming to promote and sustain young integration in education, work and in different organizations, through the training in agro ecology. YES Uruguay works at different levels: national, departmental and municipal. Based on the framework of 7 E's of YES, the Network has strengths in the areas of employment, equity, empowerment and education.

Current Major Initiatives :

• YES Uruguay is developing a green project with young people who work in garbage decomposing in the capital of the country- Montevideo. It is an initiative which involves the PROJOVEN Program, the ministry of Work, the Ministry of social development and the municipality. The aim of the project is to offer training and work experience in enterprises of different fields, as gastronomy, logistic, gardening, etc.
• CNFR develops a green project with young livestock-agro producers who live in an ecological protected zone that might be an experience to replicate and expand.
• A specific policy aimed at young people is being discussed by means of workshops in all the countries, with the support of UNPD and the coordination of the national young institute for young people. This consultation expects to design a national plan of youth.
• Institutional changes will impact its work. The recent creation of the National Institute for Employment and vocational training is a new instrument to improve what has been done in the field of vocational trainings programs to youth. The Network is involved in these changes, by means of PROJOVEN Program.

Key Accomplishments :

• In the recent years, the Network has been working at the heart of the program called“PROJOVEN”, an official program who involves 2000 young people per year, developing their capacities to obtain a decent job.