This toolkit from USAID examines youth participation in violent conflict and draws out lessons for development programming. It asserts that those (particularly young men) who are uprooted, intolerant, jobless and have few opportunities could represent a ready pool of recruits for ethnic, religious and political extremists. Avoiding future conflict means drawing positively on the energy and capacity of youth as the leaders of tomorrow’s societies. Youth employment has jumped to the forefront of the international development agenda, especially with regard to stabilising fragile states. The provision of jobs and the idea of youth employment are of paramount importance for the stabilisation of fragile post-conflict states. This document: 1) examines key issues related to youth participation in violence; 2) discusses lessons learned in developing programs for at-risk youth; 3) presents a range of program options; and 4) identifies relevant USAID mechanisms and implementing partners.