Development Frontiers in Low Income Countries: The Role of Youth, Sport and Cultural Interventions

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This project investigates the role of sport, cultural and educational programmes in promoting sustainable development among young people in low-income countries (LICs), specifically to tackle poverty, conflict in fragile states, environmental sustainability, and gender inequality. These programmes are usually implemented by non-governmental organizations with support from other agencies.We have little unified knowledge from across different LICs, of how these programmes are implemented, and how they are experienced and interpreted by young user groups.This project seeks to fill these knowledge gaps, and thus has three broad aims: i) to enhance knowledge of these programmes with young people in LICs; ii) to improve programme efficacy in policy and practice; iii) to work with key stakeholders, to support these interventions, to secure social change.These aims translate into four research objectives: 1. To analyse the specific role of sport, cultural and educational interventions in tackling poverty, conflict in fragile states, environmental sustainability, and gender divisions in LICs.2. To capture the experiences and perspectives of young people on these programmes.3. To evaluate comparatively how these programmes are developed, implemented, experienced and interpreted.4. To identify how programmes may be changed to have stronger benefits for young people.Comparative research will be conducted in three small nations: Cape Verde, Nepal and Timor Leste. Data will be collected mainly through qualitative methods, including the innovative use of 'participatory action research' (PAR) to capture the voices of young people. We shall work closely with our research liaison group of non-academic and academic partners to deliver strong research impacts.The project is strongly interdisciplinary; will be undertaken by a UK Principal Investigator, three Co-Investigators (from UK, Nepal, US), and a Research Associate (UK); and, will have a duration of 18 months.