Adolescents and young people from the region tell us what skills they need to learn for their future
More than 7,000 adolescents and young people from Latin America and the Caribbean responded to the U-Report survey, stating that their aspirations and priorities should be at the center of educational transformation.
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Children and adolescents are growing up in a world in constant transformation, where technology, migration, climate change and conflicts are reshaping society, and forcing people around the world to adapt to these changes.
To face these challenges, this population needs education and skills to become lifelong learners, secure productive work, make informed decisions, and participate positively in their communities[1].
However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 60 million children and adolescents have been affected by the closure of schools[2] since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, with a regional average of 162 days without face-to-face[3]. Although this situation represents an unprecedented educational emergency, even before COVID-19, the Latin America and Caribbean region was already facing a learning crisis. This learning crisis represents not only a lag in fundamental learning, but also in key skills that children and adolescents need to succeed in life.
One way to address this crisis is skills development and to reimagine education alongside adolescents and young people, ensuring that their aspirations and priorities are at the center of educational transformation. In doing so, the region will move towards inclusive, sustainable, relevant education that prepares them for the challenges they face today and those they will encounter in the future. They are the key actors, who can provide ideas and guidance to make such an urgent and necessary transformation a reality.
[1] https://www.unicef.org/education/skills-development
[2] LACRO COVID-19 Education Response: Update 31: https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/media/30456/file
[3] LACRO COVID-19 Education Response: Update 31: https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/media/30456/file
In consequence,the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, through the virtual consultation tool U-Report, decided to investigate the perceptions of adolescents and young people in the region about the skills they consider necessary to realize their life projects and their present and future goals.
7,908
adolescents and youth
between 13 and 24 years old
answered the survey (U-report)
17 countries
of 3 regions: 1) Caribbean,
2) Central America and Mexico,
3) South America
Some key findings
According to adolescents and young people of the region, the skills to succeed in life that they most need are the following:
