Youth Social Technopreneurship تصغير
The WSIS Geneva Declaration of Principles states in Para. 11 that young people must be «empowered as learners, developers, contributors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers» in the emerging Information Society. This statement has been further strengthened by Para. 25 of the WSIS Tunis Commitment which acknowledges that youth should «actively engage... in innovative ICT-based development programmes and (be given) opportunities... to be involved in e-strategy processes». According to the 2005 UN World Youth Report, young people's affinity to ICTs should be tapped creatively in advancing sustainable socio-economic development. However, much remains to be done to concretize these statements.
Young people, especially those in developing countries, remain largely marginalized in development policy formulation and, most importantly, in program implementation. There is a poverty of genuine opportunities that empower youth to create digital futures at the grassroots level. Access to start-up capital, networks and mentorship is dominantly lacking, if not non-existent, for young people based in rural areas and poverty-stricken communities who are aspiring to become social technopreneurs.

Objectives

  1. Create opportunities for Information Society policy engagement of young people, especially in the field of social technopreneurship in the rural areas and impoverished communities of developing countries.
  2. Build the capacities of rural, economically disadvantaged young people aspiring to become social technopreneurs and connect them with potential financiers, mentors and networks.
  3. Showcase socially-oriented technopreneurship ventures led by young people to inspire other enterprising youth in the use of ICTs to reap social dividends.

Deliverables

From October 2006 until end of 2006, the core activities of the proposed Community of Expertise shall be to broaden membership among youth networks and youth-serving organizations engaged and/or interested in social technopreneurship in developing countries as well as to start developing and planning specific Community interventions and programs for sharing to targeted Community partners and supporters.

For 2007, the proposed Community envisions to achieve the following:

  1. Expand Community membership to include donor agencies, like-minded networks, social investors or angelic financiers, and well-known social technoprenuers.
  2. Develop concrete work programs and secure seed funding especially for capacity-building and networking workshops, and national-level policy campaigns and engagements.
  3. Hold capacity-building and networking workshops for potential social technopreneurs in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
  4. Create a website (or webpage) for the Community.

For 2008 onwards, it is envisioned that, aside from continuing the initial Community work programs, multi-year core funding shall be secured to further expand Community outreach, develop knowledge products and deliver a high-impact action plan benefiting more potential youth social technopreneurs. It is envisaged that in 2009 a global conference on youth social technopreneurship will be organized celebrating the Community's achievements and lessons learned, and re-energizing the movement.

Lead organization

Commonwealth People's Association of Uganda

Partners

  1. Youth Action for Change (Italy)
  2. United Nations Association of Uganda (UNAU)
  3. Prime Resources (Ghana)
  4. The Bangladesh Youth Forum on ICT
  5. Burundi Youth Training Center
  6. Philippine Resources for Sustainable Development, Inc. (PRSD)
  7. Sustainable Development Association (Egypt)
  8. Youth and ICTs Mali
  9. Paradigm Initiative (Nigeria)
  10. Lagos Digital Village (Nigeria)
  11. MadeinKenya.org
  12. Singapore International Youth Council
  13. Africa Youth ICT4D Network