Unemployment rates among youth in Sierra Leone are around 60 to 70 percent. In order to address this challenge, the IRC is working with the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MEYS) to revise the Junior Secondary School (JSS) curriculum so that JSS teachers will be equipped to deliver entrepreneurship and life skills training as embedded components of all subject syllabi. Entrepreneurship skills include financial management and project management, while life skills include problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, communication and conflict-resolution. Given the complex nature of challenges faced by youth in Sierra Leone, this combination of life and entrepreneurship skills helps young people navigate obstacles and shocks to livelihoods produced by social, political and economic changes.
Carrie Berg
Youth and Livelihoods Program Manager
Carrie.berg@theirc.org
