Working Together
for
​Youth Development

Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasional
Young people working together for Youth Development

History
Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Násional (JDN) was formed by Timorese young people aged 17-24 to engage our peers in discussion and action to develop services to increase our economic independence.  Early in 2014, twelve of us began meeting to develop our understanding of young people’s views about unemployment problems, other youth issues and possible solutions.  Since then, with assistance from two advisors from Australia, we have formed a national NGO that was registered with FONGTIL and the Ministry of Justice in 2015/16 and we continue to develop the skills needed to achieve our personal and organizational goals.
 
Our priorities for 2021 are:
  • Engaging an increasing number of sexual harassment activists in community-based education and action.
  • Advocacy for the introduction of a Code of Conduct for all drivers of buses and taxis to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment on public transport.
  • Continued training of youth nutrition educators to provide community-based peer education of young people, particularly young mothers.
  • Community-based education of young people on COVID-19 prevention and vaccination promotion.
  • Leadership development of JDN members so we can respond to the major issues affecting young people.

​Vision
The vision of Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasionál (JDN) is that all young people in Timor-Leste can live with dignity and equality. 


​Below: Workshop participants tasting the results of JDN Nutrition Educator's  cooking demonstration.
Who We Are
Members of JDN are either continuing post secondary school studies, working or looking for work. Eight members are currently working on a full-time or part-time basis to coordinate JDN's leadership development opportunities and project activities with assistance from our two advisors. Everything we do aims to build the skills, knowledge and capacity of JDN members and other young people who participate in projects organised by JDN.  

​Our Board meets quarterly to review organisational and project developments and provide advice.  The Board consists of JDN members Elga Maria da Silva, Ines da Costa, as well as Mr Manuel Dos Santos, Ms Sonia Lay, Mr Nelson Mesquita, Ms Bernadette McEvoy and Ms Jenny Lauritsen.   A coordinating group of 12 JDN members are responsible for implementing activities that respond to JDN's annual priorities.

What We Do
In order to achieve our vision Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasionál:
  • Develops programs and services to assist young people participate in training and obtain employment.
  • Provides non formal education for young people living in Dili and the municipalities about the issues that affect them, including gender equality, nutrition and health,  preparation for employment.
  • Provides leadership development training for young people 17-24 so we have the capacity, skills and knowledge to look for solutions to our own problems.
  • Builds the organisational development skills of JDN leaders so that we have the capacity to achieve the goals of JDN.

​In the course of a year’s work JDN aims to address the systemic issues that persist in creating obstacles for the healthy and productive development of young people and their society.
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Important achievements during 2019 and 2020 include:
  • An Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) curriculum, which was developed and piloted with 170 secondary students, was approved by the Minister of Health for national roll out in 2021.
  • A proposal for a Code of Conduct for public transport drivers that we discussed with female Parliamentarians was presented in National Parliament in September 2020.
  • Provided on-the-job skills development in the each of the areas shown in the table below.
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