Conclusion

So whilst the challenges of a non-engaged youth are central to the discussions in this monograph, the positive engagements of youth in the different states are also discussed. [...] The significance of youth and the danger of marginalisation, evident in the causes of the civil war in Sierra Leone, underline the importance of engaging the youth. [...] Another theme underlying the discussions across the different contributions is that of the manipulation of youth populations by the political elite. [...] An argument made in the context of South Sudan is that the youth populations are the products of the environments in which they live. [...] A prevailing argument in all the chapters has been that effective strategies for engaging the youth must focus on the structures and the culture of violence that characterise the lives of many youths.