On February 24th, 2011 the YPARD coordinator discussed youth issues with interested colleagues at FAO. The aim of the discussion was to look at potential areas of collaboration between the two organisations and to promote greater involvement of young people within FAO.
Two main areas were discussed: how to make agriculture more attractive to young people and addressing some of the challenges that face young people working in agricultural research for development organisations.
New connections were made, areas of collaboration were identified and discussion surrounded ways to further reach young people and take advantage of what they have to offer. Many people in FAO are interested in connecting with a youth network and also incorporating youth into their programmes. YPARD tried to emphasize the approach of ‘two-way learning’ – where it is not only the youth who will learn from the more experienced professionals, but also the experienced professionals who will gain from exposure to youth and what they have to offer: new ideas, energy, innovation and a fresh outlook.