what possible interventions could we give to out-of-school youths?

Show them what they can do. If they are out of school and are determined not to go back, introduce them to someone else who dropped out. Someone who was successful and who made a decent living for themselves. As for nation-building, you have to give them a reason first. I think it's important that they understand there IS something they can do. Most of them probably believe that nothing they do will make a difference, make sure they understand that's not true.

I think one of the most important contributions to their individual lives would be to show them that there is always someone worse off than you are. They need to see that they have something to offer someone else that would help them as well. The youth of today seems to have the idea that they need to be entertained and that is all that they should do. But we are here to help one another as GOD in JESUS said that we should not just carry another's burden only 1 mile but carry it two. This is in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-8 in the HOLY BIBLE.

I've found that young people respond well to interaction with senior citizens, despite their initial negative response. I am currently designing a program that sends teenagers into retirement homes and senior centers to interview residents and record their life stories. I'm sure you could adapt this to your group, especially if you used video. (Find a sponsor to donate a bunch of FlipCams.) I'm providing participants instruction in interview techniques plus a list of interview questions. They will eventually be using the information they gather to write life stories for the seniors, which we will publish in paperback format. If you used video and had access to computer equipment, the kids could edit the video themselves. Of course, all this depends on getting funding from various government agencies or sponsorships from companies, not an easy task in this economy. Good luck!