Title: ICT must be used in improving the employability of youth
Author: Tyrone Hall
Source: ICTWorks
Date (published): 07/11/2011
Date (accessed): 10/11/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"The use of ICT to strengthen youth employability in the developing world ought to be pursued vigorously. To be clear: ICTs aren't the only route to improving the employability of youth, but it should be used as a key tool because of the anticipated growth potential and youth employability crisis experienced by most societies in the developing world.

Youth constitute more than half of the world’s population, of which 81 million are unemployed− 7.8 million more than the number in 2007− a disproportionate number as youth only make up a third of the world's working population. No where is youth employability constraints worse than in the developing world, where a majority of the world’s youth live.

This is a huge development challenge. Clearly, a deeper engagement with youth is needed to foster more sustainable futures. That must start with efforts to equip young people, a demographic force, with marketable ICT skills because of the immense employment and wider economic opportunities ahead.
…
As the World Bank's flagship ICT initiative for Africa, the New Economy Skills for Africa Program: Information and Communication Technology (NESAP-ICT), puts it: “The lack of skilled manpower is a binding constraint to realizing the potential of the sector. Even India which has 30% of the global labor supply suitable for the industry expects a shortfall of 0.8 to 1.2 million skilled workers for its ITES industry by 2012.” The onus is therefore upon Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing parts of the world “to boost its "talent" profile so as to benefit from this burgeoning market opportunity”"

Title: Salim’s ICT4D advice part 1: consider both process and passion
Author: Linda Raftree
Source: Wait… What? (blog)
Date (published): 01/08/2010
Date (accessed): 03/08/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Plan’s Kwale District office in Kenya has been very successful in building innovative community-led programming that incorporates new ICTs. I had the opportunity to interview Salim Mvurya, the Area Manager, last week, and was really struck by his insights on how to effectively incorporate ICTs into community-led processes to reach development goals and improve on child rights, child protection and governance.

See also: Salim’s ICT4D advice part 2: innovate, but keep it real

Title: Digital Natives with a Cause?: A Knowledge Survey and Framework
Authors: Nishant Shah and Sunil Abraham
Pages: 56 pp.
Publisher: Centre for Internet and Society
Date (published): 11/11/2009
Date (accessed): 27/06/2010
Type of information: report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Allthough there is much attention for the potential impact of youth as e-agents of change, there is limited knowledge about the subject and this knowledge is mostly focussed on Western societies. Hivos has partnered with the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, to assess the state of knowledge on the intersection between youth, ICT and engagement worldwide and with a specific attention for developing countries. The report Digital Natives with a Cause? charts Digital Native scholarship and practice in order to create a framework that consolidates existing paradigms, and informs further research and intervention within diverse contexts and cultures.

Title: New Innovators in the Field of ICT4D
Author: Siena Antsis
Source: Youthink! but do you know?
Publisher: The World Bank Group

Date (published): 15/03/2010
Date (accessed): 23/03/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
...I wanted to introduce a few projects, most “new” in the field...:
* iHub
* Voices of Africa & Rural Internet Kiosks
* Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach (BOSCO) Uganda
* Open Action
* Digital Hero Book
...
All these projects have one key similarity: flexibility. While most operate as traditional non-governmental organizations with donors to report back to, there is breathing room for change.

Title: Youth Promotion through ICT
Authors: Rodgers Mulenga, Justin Somi, Martine Koopman, Saskia Harmsen
Pages: 8 pp.
Publisher: International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
Date (published): 22/10/2009
Date (accessed): 26/02/2010
Type of information: research brief
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This Thematic Brief describes the lessons learned of the Chawama Youth Project (CYP), a Community based skills training centre in Lusaka, Zambia. The project shows how ICT can be integrated into youth promotion and particular in vocational training. These lessons are intended for practitioners in the field as well as organisations that would like to learn from the experiences of this project and implement similar activities.
Most of this brief’s content is based on results from monitoring and evaluation exercises that have been performed with support from IICD and Travaillant Vers Une Economie Liberale (TEL), a local Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) partner over the last two years. This M&E system, which was developed by IICD, consists of quantitative and qualitative assessments. Each year, questionnaires are filled in anonymously by the end-users of the project (a representative sample). The answers are then analysed to discover more about end-user profiles, levels of use and satisfaction, and the impact of the project. This process is complemented by periodical Focus Group discussions which are attended by project staff and end-users in order to reflect on the data that has been collected through the questionnaires and discuss successes and challenges relating to the project, and possible solutions.

Title: In Search of Community Champions: Researching the Outcomes of K-Net’s Youth Information and Communications Technology Training Initiative
Author: Kristy Tomkinson
ISBN: 1712-4441
Source: The Journal of Community Informatics; Special Issue: CI & Indigenous Communities in Canada—The K-Net (Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Kuhkenah Network) Experience
Date (published): 07/12/2009
Date (accessed): 12/02/2010
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
The Youth ICT Training initiative (YICT) has been providing IT skills training and short-term employment opportunities to First Nations youth in Ontario's far North for 15 years. Initially funded by Industry Canada, YICT is developed and guided by the Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) based in Sioux Lookout Ontario. This study, initiated through the partnership between a University of Guelph graduate student and K-Net, has evolved from an evaluation of program outcomes to a search for community champions. This journey in research has revealed the importance of capturing the stories of individual creativity, ingenuity, needs, and relationships for community IT development.

Title: The role of Social Entrepreneurs in Deploying ICTs for Youth and Community Development in South Africa
Author: Chijioke J. Evoh
ISBN: 1712-4441
Source: The Journal of Community Informatics; Vol 5, No 1 (2009)
Date (published): 22/07/2009
Date (accessed): 04/12/2009
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
This study presents the case study of an innovative program designed to use ICT to meet the educational needs of disadvantaged young people in Cape Town communities in South Africa. This study illustrates the methods and experiences of Ikamva Lisezandleni Zethu, a youth organization that harnesses the potential of ICT for educational, youth and community development in South Africa. The case highlights the best practices of social entrepreneurship with less financial and technological resources within the context an African society. The major challenges facing the young organization are highlighted and its successes are also identified. The activities of the Ikamva youth organization reveal that, South Africa and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) need effective multilateral initiatives to meet their educational aspiration as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Rather, ICTs, if properly and innovatively applied by the public and the civil society groups, has the potential to improve the quality of and expand access to secondary education in Africa.

Title: Technology for employability in Latin America: Research with at‐risk youth & people with disabilities
Authors: Joyojeet Pal, Jay Freistadt, Michele Frix, and Phil Neff
Pages: 94 pp.
Publisher: Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington
Date (published): 06/11/2009
Date (accessed): 20/11/2009
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, there has been an increasing interest in technology training centers to build employability options of socially excluded groups in Latin America. This study examines the recent investment into computer centers providing basic technology training for people with disabilities and at‐risk youth. Using primary research in five countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela, we discuss the ways in which technology training impacts the employability concerns of two populations with diverse needs and histories of social and economic exclusion from formal labor markets. The goal of this report is to provide scholars and policy‐makers an expansive survey of the landscape of issues around technology employability for socially excluded populations. Our findings are broadly divided into three segments. We first examine the environmental factors that impact such projects including the aspirational environment and the discourse of technology. We then discuss the short‐term impacts of these programs including the creation of pathways to employment, community‐building, as well as impacts on selfesteem and stigmatization and the potential of mismatched employment expectations from access to these programs. We finally turn to factors that influence the success of such programs including cost, certification, and accessible technology.

Title: Training on Communication and Information Technologies, Employment and Youth: The Case of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico
Author Editor: Judith Mariscal, Antonio Jose Junqueira Botelho, Luis Gutierrez
Pages: 12 pp.
ISSN: 1544-7529
Source: Information Technologies & International Development, Volume 5, Number 2, Summer 2009, 19–30
Publisher: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Date (published): 10/07/2009
Date (accessed): 13/11/2009
Type of information: peer-reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML and pdf)
Abstract:
As information and communication technologies (ICTs) become widely used in most economic sectors, there are increasing opportunities for marginalized groups to join new productive processes. These career advancement opportunities are particularly attractive for poor, young individuals; however, this increased adoption may also widen social and economic gaps by providing few access points to already-marginalized groups. This study examines ICT training by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in three countries in Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Specifically, the study analyzes the use and effects of such training as a strategy for integrating marginalized youth groups into the knowledge-based economy. NGOs may play important roles as liaisons for effective adoption of ICTs. Professional training skills required by current market demands are, undoubtedly, a factor that contributes to the ability of marginalized youth to search for and secure employment. Today, these groups are socially and economically excluded. They face numerous obstacles, including a lack of both the quality education and the skills currently required by industries using ICTs and the support networks to obtain either employment or self-employment. ICT training offers unique opportunities for integrating marginalized youth into the new knowledge-based economy.

Title: Generation Mobile: Online and Digital Media Usage on Mobile Phones among Low-Income Urban Youth in South Africa
Author: Tino Kreutzer
Source: tinokreutzer.org
Date (published): 21/05/2009 (last updated)
Date (accessed): 11/11/2009
Type of information: blog post and research documents
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML and many documents of the project)
Abstract:
Growing mobile access to media and the Internet is often considered a boon for Africa. But how far are we already? A case study on how to obtain these badly needed numbers. The opportunities associated with increasingly ubiquitous access to mobile technologies by the youth in Sub-Saharan Africa are widely understood but unfortunately little to no quantitative data is available for this age group.

Project phases:

* Pilot study: a township high school (published May 2008)
* Urban in-depth study: Cape Town metro area (published February 2009)
* Regional/National study
* Other countries