The local youth population of these host communities is exposed to increased criminal activity and high social risk, and they are often reluctant to express their cultural identities, therefore often losing the ability to recognize their culture and education as valuable assets. Unfortunately, the youth populations in the areas the RET works in suffer from the limited capacity of their communities to meet their needs. One of the primary challenges that youth are faced with is limited or no access to education, and the implications of this are vast, including social stigmatization, recruitment into violent gangs, severe lack of opportunities, drug abuse and domestic violence. This situation then generates problems of integration and discrimination that affect the positive development and co-existence of communities.

Local youth are also supported, so as to aid the reduction in discrimination in the area, thus the RET provides support to the whole vulnerable and at-risk youth community in which we work. The fostering of women’s rights, civic rights and community participation is something that the RET particularly focuses on in Panama, with provision of food security programmes and income generating activities for female heads of households, that give them opportunities to then send their children to school and provide socio-economic security for their families, as well as integrate into their host communities.