www.aed.org

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) is an independent, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC.  AED experience and expertise includes an effective blend of International and United States based programs.

Internationally, AED works closely with national and local government agencies, NGOs, the private sector, and communities to encourage advocacy for reforms and to support improved program quality and access.   Stakeholders and beneficiaries are the focus of implementation strategies that have proven effective in health, education, and environment programs that are transferable to youth-specific programs.  Many of the efforts to increase participation of children and youth in education bring projects into direct contact or close proximity to target populations.  Education sector analyses include an assessment of the non-school population of children and youth and health projects that focus on maternal and child health and HIV-AIDS programs also reach the target group.

AED is a leader in youth development programming in the United States, including school-to-work transition, service learning, youth worker training, employability for out-of-school youth, youth leadership development, youth and community relationships, and youth with disabilities.  AED’s National Training Institute for Community Work (NTI) designs and conducts extensive training for youth workers and NGOs; including an ongoing association with Ford Foundation to work with youth development NGOs in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Palestine.  The Center for Youth Development and Policy Research has refined the strategy for Community YouthMapping (CYM).  AED’s National Institute for Work and Learning (NIWL) works to increase the participation of youth and stakeholders, including government, to foster ‘service learning’ programs. 

Some illustrative international projects follow:  (i) Life Skills Education and Workforce Preparation:  Through the USAID IEQ II, AED assisted Honduras to develop low cost, high quality, alternative lower secondary education for out-of-school youth and young adults at sites supported by community and private sector. Learning activities are integrated into themes such as health, environment, or workplace communication that are relevant to the world of work or life skills.  The USAID Nicaragua Youth-at-Risk Pilot Project addresses the needs of youth who lack life survival and are prone to violence, crime, drug use, sexual exploitation and disease, including HIV/AIDS through constructive, high-interest alternatives that provide youth with positive life options.  The LearnLink Project has used technologies to improve education (formal and non-formal) and outreach activities for out of school youth in Paraguay, Ghana, Benin, and Bulgaria. (ii) Social Entrepreneurship: The USAID Young Leaders for Peace and Development (YLPD) in program offers Georgian and Abkhazian young people skills in conflict transformation, English, computer technology and business skills, including operating supplemental “Weekend Schools,” for younger children. (iii) Leadership and Civic Participation: The Community Action Investment Project (CAIP) in Kazakhstan and western Kyrgyzstan helps help prevent conflict and promote dialogue and participation in communities; as well as providing market-driven workforce skills training for youth. In Nigeria, the YES Nigeria project supported by USAID and ChevronTexaco works with ethnic communities in the Delta to encourage youth to continue learning by linking school with community improvement and entrepreneurial activities.  (iv) Child and Youth Trafficking: For USAID/E&E, AED developed an inventory of best practices and lessons learned in combating trafficking in persons. AED also maintains the State Department EAP Region humantrafficking.org Web site that features best practices, laws, regulations and procedures that help prevent trafficking; as well as protect and rehabilitate victims or potential victims.  (v) Adolescent Reproductive Health & HIV/AIDS: With support from UNFPA/Niger, AED launched a five-year adolescent reproductive health program for youth in Niger with emphasis on HIV/AIDS prevention. The Healthy Futures project in Kenya (1998-2000) was implemented with a women’s organization support for local girls’ clubs which provide opportunities to participate in a life skills curriculum and income generating projects.