Young people's resilience and involvement : possible elements of the European Union's Structural and Investment Funds in addressing youth unemployment?

This paper explores the role of the EU's Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) in addressing youth unemployment. This paper looks beyond the now well established repertoire of ESIF interventions. It considers evidence on two possible areas for intervention: the involvement of young people in the design and delivery of programmes, and the development of young people's personal resilience as a determinant of successful labour market outcomes. Findings are presented from a large scale evaluation of a €130m seven year programme (called Talent Match) in England which is being funded by the United Kingdom's Big Lottery Fund (the main distributor of Lottery funding in the UK). It outlines the opportunities and constraints from both involvement and resilience approaches, and how at first sight, the two approaches appear to stem for quite different conceptions of the determinants of youth unemployment. In conclusion, it suggests how by using Sen's capabilities approach, youth involvement and personal resilience may be reconciled and the possible response for the ESIF.