YEP “Bairro Pite” is the last center that NRC and partners have established in Timor-Leste since 2008 with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA). 

The YEP curriculum promotes “critical thinking” among youth. Structured group work activities give youth a chance to express themselves freely and openly and explore issues that affect their communities. Photo NRC/Andrea Naletto

“The Norwegian Embassy is proud to have partnered with NRC to provide Timorese youth with the opportunity to learn skills to get jobs and responsibly transit into adulthood”, stated Hans Peter Christophersen, Head of Mission at the Norwegian embassy section in Timor-Leste, speaking at the inauguration ceremony. Mr. Christophersen went on saying that “[you] the youth, are the future of this country; an investment in educating the young people of Timor is an investment in peace and prosperity for the whole of country”.

With a population of just over 1 million people, Timor-Leste is among the smallest countries in the world and Asia’s poorest nation. The 1999 conflict with Indonesia and the 2006 internal clashes have taken a major toll on this fragile country, displacing thousands of people predominantly in Dili, its political and financial capital. The effects of years of colonial rule and conflict in Timor-Leste have been particularly devastating for youth both in urban and rural areas. With an average population age of 21.8 years, Timor-Leste vast youth cohort can be a tremendous agent for positive change, but at the same time, if neglected, can become a powerful destabilizing force in the country’s slow progress towards a more peaceful and prosperous future.

Against this backdrop, NRC introduced its flagship youth program, the Youth Education Pack (YEP), in Timor-Leste in 2008, with the goal to enhance opportunities for the Timorese’s most precious asset: its youth! While there are several vocational training providers in Timor-Leste, NRC’s Youth Education Pack (YEP) program is uniquely positioned to meet the learning needs of the most marginalized and vulnerable youth.

YEP learners preparing Chinese-style appetizers as part of the hospitality training. State-of-art equipment and capable trainers provide YEP learners with cutting edge knowledge and practice that allows them to find jobs in the best restaurants and hotels in Dili. Photo: NRC/Andrea Naletto

“There are no programs [in Timor-Leste] that specifically target out-of-school youth with such low education background” says Tiago De Ferreira, trainer at YEP Gleno, in the district of Ermera, about two hours drive from the island’s capital of Dili. “YEP is by all means a gender-friendly program by giving priority of enrollment to single mothers and female-headed households”, adds Diana Boavida, also a trainer at YEP Gleno.

Since 2008, hundreds of conflict-affected youth have attended the year-long YEP program. About 40% of the YEP graduates have secured jobs, while other youth have either chosen to further their education or contribute to the family’s agricultural activities and/or household’s responsibilities. Employment options are scarce in Dili and even more so in rural areas; hence there are a number of graduates who have not got jobs. However, as Abenta Da Costa, center leader of YEP Camea in Dili argues “even those learners who have not yet gotten a stable job, are active in their communities. They volunteer, work the family’s land or pursue additional work experience. Long gone are the days when these youth were just waiting for something to happen in their life, and the only thing they could do was drinking, smoking or learning martial arts to join local gangs”. 

YEP learners, trainers and support staff at the YEP center in the district of Manatutu standing together for a group photo. Photo: NRC/Andrea Naletto

Andrea Naletto, NRC Education Adviser on a visit to Timor-Leste, told learners at the Bairro Pite inauguration ceremony that “you are now connected to the global NRC YEP community, composed of thousands of youth in several countries, who like you, have been given a second chance to receive the education and skills to become constructive members of your families and communities.” Referring to the Timor-Leste motto of “Unity, Action, Progress”, quoting the British philosopher Herbert Spence, Naletto reminded the learners that “the great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.” Indeed, with its emphasis on leadership, confidence-building and employment-readiness the YEP program has got a built-in call for action. Along the same lines, Therese Curran, the resident NRC Education Project Manager in Timor-Leste, reminded the youth that the YEP program “will provide you with the opportunity to learn and develop skills that will help you to create your own future”.

Last February, Dr. José Ramos Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1976), personally visited each one of the five YEP centers over the span of a week. Pleased with the high quality of the education provided in the centers, Dr. Horta praised the commendable work of NRC and partners and expressed his full endorsement to the program, committing himself to take all the necessary measures to ensure the continuation of the program after the NRC program ends. 

In line with its institutional mandate, NRC will phase out its country program in Timor-Leste in October 2010. However, the outcomes of the YEP program will be felt long after NRC’s direct management of the program ceases. In fact, strong linkages with government agencies and communities along with the involvement of some national and international organizations operating in Timor-Leste will ensure that the YEP centers will provide education and skills training opportunities for Timorese youth for many more years to come.