Realizing the potential of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean is essential both to their well-being and to the region's long-term welfare. Young people are often seen as the source of problems that plague the area, namely rising levels of crime and violence, unemployment, and drug use. However, there is little understanding of the problems young people face, the reasons that some engage in risky behaviors, and how best to support the most vulnerable. Youth at Risk in Latin America and the Caribbean attempts to fill this knowledge gap by identifying at-risk youth and providing...

Creating job opportunities for its large and growing number of young people, is a key development challenge for the government of Sierra Leone. It is also crucial for maintaining peace and promoting pro-poor growth. Young people ages 15 to 35 years old are at a particular disadvantage relative to today's children or adults, as they grew up during a war, thereby potentially stunting their development and their transition into adulthood. This transition culminates with secure employment and the resources to provide for oneself and one's family. History suggests that marginalized young people...

Although the Latin American region has shown an impressive growth in educational attainment over the past two decades, that education has failed to yield expected benefits. A mounting body of research and policy debates argues that the quantity of education is not an adequate metric of human capital acquisition. Rather, individuals skills what they actually know and can do should stand as policy targets and be fostered across the life course. Evidence from around the world shows that both cognitive and socio-emotional skills are demanded by employers and favorably affect a range of outcomes,...