By Kimberly Absher, guest youth blogger, www.howmany.org. A recent Guardian article said youth unemployment “is an issue set to destabilise fragile economies, become a breeding ground for extremism, and leave a generation permanently scarred.” Indeed, it is cause for concern when not only considering today’s out-of-work young people, but also the workforce of tomorrow. According to
[continue reading…]

By Kimberly Absher, guest youth blogger, www.howmany.org. After looking at sexual education challenges in South Africa and in the U.K., it seems appropriate to examine our sexual education picture in the United States. Currently there are no national standards for sexual education. Instead, the width and breadth of what students learn is determined on a state
[continue reading…]

By Kimberly Absher, guest youth blogger, www.howmany.org. My last post discussed sexual education in South Africa, and this week I am in the United Kingdom, where sexual education is a hot topic. I recently spoke with Simon Ross, Chief Executive of Population Matters, an organization promoting small family size and mindful consumption. They are part of
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org How does the old adage go?  Youth is wasted on the young, right? It is only wasted if the world chooses to not support and invest in young people.  Today, there are more youth than ever before in the history of humankind.  The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in its just
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Last week, on International Day of the Girl– a day recognized by the UN “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives” – the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to two people working on behalf of children’s rights. Malala Yousafzai, the teenager shot by the Taliban two years
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org An unsettling article in the New York Times recently highlighted how the world is failing to protect and educate youth, especially girls.  At the same time, the article underscores how important education is for adults too, in order to help them protect children. The piece – Struggling to Keep Afghan Girl
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There has been much news lately on the 270 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last month by the terrorist organization Boko Haram.  It took some time to hit the airwaves, and it partly took a Twitter campaign that began in Nigeria to make the headlines. Once it did, advocates from Michele Obama to
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York. Child marriage is a difficult issue that is complicated by culture and religion, and especially by poverty. It takes time and effort to change culture, but it is possible.  Ending poverty is something that many people, organizations, and governments have tried to end for decades, but the challenge is enormous.Yet the will
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org If there was ever an issue that should galvanize the international community to take action – no matter politics or religion – child marriage has to be near the top of the list.  One in three girls in the developing world is married by age eighteen. The United Nations states that
[continue reading…]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Perhaps more than almost anyone else, girls all over the world deserve a day of recognition.  This October 11th is International Day of the Girl, a special day intended to highlight an issue of global importance.  Girls, who are all too often ignored or devalued, could use some international support. The purpose
[continue reading…]