Youth as agents of change
The campaign involves creating awareness on vocational skills among youth who dropped out of school due to poverty, training the youth on vocation and business skills, setting up working space (resource center) where the youth can make various items such as solar lamps and cook stoves from recycled materials and they can sell the items to earn a living.
The campaign also involves teaching the youth on various financing models so that they can get micro financing to expand their business ventures.
The campaign helped build skills, capacity and entrepreneurship among youth with low income.
It was also aimed at reducing crime and drug use among youth.
HOW THE OBJECTIVES WERE ACHIEVED
The objectives are achieved through training and setting up a youth resource center - a working space that will offer vocational, technical and business/micro-entrepreneurship training to youth with informal education, and provide them with seed funding to invest in micro-businesses that utilize the skills- with special focus on green (renewable energy) businesses, agribusiness technologies, arts and ICT.
Involving unemployed youths with informal education to set up and successfully run businesses using modern methodologies and technology is unique.
Letting the beneficiaries be the designers, modelers, implementors and key decision-makers of all the activities of the project, with limited external influence, is different from other projects.
The project is a wholesome approach not only to empower youths with knowledge but to also support them to create sustainable businesses and then link them to market opportunities.
This project is a unique model of creating a vocational skill based incubation hub, as opposed to the many ICT based hubs in major cities.
The impact of the campaign is creation of employment to youth and increased income levels for them, improved vocational, business and life skills among the youth, and also the development of positive attitudes and behaviors among the youth brought about by the training offered at the youth resource center.
Another impact is reduced involvement of youth in crime and drug use. Unemployment is also reduced.
Long term impact is increased involvement of youth in economic, social and political activities, as informed and empowered youth will make better decisions and not rely on handouts.
Interference from some leaders who are used to benefiting from idle youth.
Lack of adequate funds to expand the campaign as fast as possible.
Projects targeting youth should be translated into a language and lifestyle they understand, and be implemented by youth themselves in order to achieve maximum impact.