YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS INNOVATION BY WATER

Contextualization

The challenges and trends presented in this session were the inclusion of young people in water sustainability projects, the encouragement of entrepreneurship and also the participation of women in projects of various technological trends. More specifically, the key challenges have been that society around the world still does not value the strength of young people in public policy participation and decision-making. It is well known that young people genetically bring the quality of responding more quickly and creatively to problems due to natural resilience in pursuit of survival. However, the low youth representation in councils and colleges, for example, induces a vicious cycle of youth exclusion. Digital inclusion is still a problem in connecting young people from low-income communities to training and participation opportunities. An organizational challenge to recruit and manage young volunteers in social initiatives. Nevertheless, youth participation experiences are developing around the world and can inspire other youth initiatives. In El Salvador, a project proposes small-scale water abstraction through simple units that are easy to handle and maintain by the community or even families in remote areas. The involvement of women leading the implementation and maintenance of these projects has been of great value and the results presented suggest the larger scale dissemination for this type of realistic and economical solution. In Brazil, an important project (Fa.Vela) was presented to encourage young entrepreneurs in underserved communities through education and projects that provide income generation, digital inclusion and the multiplication of new entrepreneurs. In Egypt, a simple and cost-effective project to set up mobile septic tanks for communities without this service, whose youth involvement is central to the success of the detailed proposals. In Cambodia a sanitation project heavily focused on youth education, turning them into a force for population change to new health practices.

Recommendations

It is recommended to increase youth representation. In addition, we have two aspects that should be considered: the presentation of economical projects that are easily accessible and easy to maintain, within a very realistic perspective and consistent with the economic conditions of the regions where these works are implemented; and projects must be able to be maintained and managed by the communities themselves, always through capacity building and appropriate training.

Conclusions

All countries, within their peculiarities, should implement actions for innovation and youth participation in their own way, always guiding by the basic principles all conception and philosophy presented at the World Water Forum itself. Each country has a different challenge, as paradigms and the adoption of new ways of living with water resources face different and difficult historical barriers and resistances to overcome, and only through the education and training of young people and also with the involvement of women barriers can be overcome. Fundraising through international agencies and organizations is also of utmost importance for the continuity and expansion of these projects that still have limited scope. Finally, the involvement of youth and women as agents of social transformation, gradually adapting families to a new conception where the rational and sustainable use of water resources should permeate the daily life of all users of this vital resource for the preservation of life.