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 Needs We Address
Needs of Young People Globally
Inspiration, information and involvement: three key ingredients that young people generally lack, but need to effectively participate in social issues. Youth are not apathetic by nature, but many are instead uninspired. They lack information about the issues, and a personal connection or imperative for action. Even if inspired, many youth lack a pathway to action, such as comprehensive and accessible information on opportunities for participation, models to replicate, funds to access and networks to join. Rarely do youth participate meaningfully in policy development, meaning they lack frameworks, support and legitimacy for sustained action.
Needs of Youth-Led Initiatives
The youth movement itself needs greater connectivity. Young people lead organizations with mainly volunteer staff and most with scarce resources. A chronic lack of communication between initiatives leads to duplication, stretching scant funding, limited visibility and a reduction of impact. At the same time, youth groups increasingly focus on global issues and memberships. For effective engagement of their global peers, they need more sophisticated knowledge and access to network management technology. These tools must be collaborative and accessible in order to create a critical mass or to disseminate information, to justify their significant cost and upkeep.
The Needs of Students and Educators
Students and educators need effective technology applications to increase the relevancy of international education of technology. Educators now seek to increase and mainstream their focus on global studies, while students are seeking increased relevancy - project based work with an impact outside the classroom. In our knowledge based economy, schools must equip students with technology skills and an understanding of the global context of all curriculum areas.
The Needs of 'Digital Divide' Programs
The vast majority of the world lacks access to computers and the Internet. Many current efforts aim to bridge this divide. We believe these initiatives - from commercial internet-cafes to classroom computers, to non-profit telecentres - need both greater context and community. Yet, too often, these initiatives lack relevance, understanding and community buy-in. Online activities need a direct connection to offline programs or needs, while technology access points should foster collaboration and community-building.
The Needs of International Organizations
International organizations need support in developing and delivering youth programs. These groups, including the United Nations, now realize that young people are vital participants in all forms of development. Unfortunately, they have minimal experience developing youth programs, and what little outreach that is conducted is left to marketing staff or wastes significant funds on developing unimplemented or ineffective programs. More specifically, far too many international youth events are held each year, with little or no attention to the follow-up - which should have been the first consideration.
Overall - The Need to Bridge the "Continuity Gap"
School used to provide a sense of continuity for young people, a place to make choices, learn skills, find peer-groups and rewards for long-term efforts. Yet increasingly, the best learning and development initiatives happen outside the classroom. The problem with these initiatives, due to funding, is that they are often one-off projects. Organizations run their conference, camp, project, trip, workshop or volunteer day but think little about follow-up. What follows goes beyond their mandates, it's after the project. There is no incentive or mechanism for organizers to connect youth with other experiences to further their interests or involvement. Young people often go away inspired, but without a pathway to continued involvement.
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