Quick Facts

• Project Duration: October 2012 - September 2019
• Budget: $12.77 million

Context

Youth, comprising more than half of Morocco’s population, are disproportionally affected by socioeconomic challenges facing the country. Lack of access to quality education, high rates of unemployment, and political disenfranchisement contribute to high rates of youth marginalization. This phenomenon risks an increase in crime, irregular migration, and vulnerability to violent extremism, all of which imperil Morocco’s peaceful reform agenda.

USAID Response

The Favorable Opportunities to Reinforce Self-Advancement for Today’s Youth Project (FORSATY) seeks to prevent youth delinquency and reduce recidivism among at-risk youth. The project works in the following areas:

• Social inclusion of marginalized youth: Utilizing a “positive youth development” approach, youth in selected marginalized neighborhoods benefit from education, life skills, and other youth-friendly services with the goal of ensuring school success or employment placements.
• Marginalized and disaffected youth enjoy a safer community environment: This approach not only enhances the livelihoods of youth but also their social and personal assets (physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional development), while involving. Furthermore, the approach strives to ensure the involvement of families and the larger community, and to build linkages to community-based and social service providers.
• Strengthen public and NGO youth-serving organizations: To ensure the sustainability and quality of services, the project improves the ability of youth-serving institutions to champion an assets-based approach to youth development.

Anticipated Results

• School drop-out rates among targeted at-risk youth reduced
• Recidivism rates among youth on probation decreased
• Employment or self-employment among targeted youth increased
• Organizational capacity of youth-serving institutions increased

Results to Date

A mid-term evaluation completed in February 2016 concluded that FORSATY is on schedule to reach its objectives. Since the start of the program in 2012, FORSATY has improved the lives of nearly 20,000 marginalized youth by increasing their confidence, providing professional skills and schooling opportunities, and helping them play a more engaged role in their communities.  In the past three years, over 3,000 youth have been placed in jobs and internships through the FORSATY program. According to the 2016 evaluation, replicating the FORSATY model shows promise, especially in areas that have levels of growing demand for skilled labor that are similar to those of Tangier.