Youth Unemployment and the emergence of the discouraged job seeker

Young people remain particularly stricken by the global financial crisis. Currently, some 73.8 million young people are unemployed globally and the slowdown in economic activity is likely to push another half million into unemployment by 2014.

The youth unemployment rate – which had already increased to 12.6% in 2012 – is expected to increase to 12.9% by 2017. The crisis has dramatically diminished the labour market prospects for young people, and many experience long-term unemployment right from the start of their labour market entry, a situation that was never observed during previous cyclical downturns.

Currently, some 35% of all young unemployed have been out of a job for six months or longer in advanced economies. As a consequence, an increasing number of young people have become discouraged and have left the labour market. Long spells of unemployment and discouragement early on in a person’s career also damages their long-term prospects, as professional and social skills erode and valuable on-the-job experience is not built up.

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Round up of what’s new on Yipe!

Business Startup

How to Go about Setting up Your Small Business
For someone starting out in business, success is the ultimate goal. Many people have the desire to work for themselves or run a small business but often it’s knowing where to start that means people fall at the first hurdle.

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Events

Kenya’s National Youth Summit set to kick off a new era in youth development
Kenya’s National Youth Summit 2013 set to kick off from January 31st to February 1st 2013 will bring together 2,000 young leaders from across the country’s 47 counties to inspire pride, patriotism and social cohesion among the young people.

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Awards:

Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship 2014
The Skoll Foundation provides Skoll Awards every year to select few social entrepreneurs whose proven innovations have demonstrated impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems. The Skoll Award recognizes organizations with the potential to not only be individually successful, but also to catalyze large-scale, system-level change.

Kenya’s National Youth Summit set to kick off a new era in youth development

Kenya’s National Youth Summit 2013 set to kick off from January 31st to February 1st 2013 will bring together 2,000 young leaders from across the country’s 47 counties to inspire pride, patriotism and social cohesion among the young people.

According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, the youth aged below 35 years account for more than 70%. This is a significant cohort of the national population that can influence social, economic and political transformation. The youth are therefore critical in achieving the ambitous goals set out in the nation’s development roadmap known as Vision 2030.

With 2013 being a year for general elections, the National Youth Summit is informed by the need to rebrand and inspire young people to act as peace ambassadors who choose to take responsibility and make a difference in their communities.

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Call for Applications for Grants Applications Review Training and Volunteering

Deadline for Applications: January 20, 2013
Duration of Volunteer Assignment: 4 Days (January 28-31st 2013).
Target Number of Volunteers: Five (5)

Akiba Uhaki Foundation provides opportunities to young East Africans for on-job learning experience in a social justice grant-maker to develop and pursue a passion for promotion of human rights and social justice; to improve research as well as analytical skills and build knowledge in advocacy, proposal development, project management and grants administration.

In this regard, the Foundation is looking for in or out-of-university students for engagement in it’s grants applications review process. Successful applicants will be taken through a short training on grants proposals evaluation, grants budget review as well as M & E. At the end of the assignment, all the volunteers will be issued with a certificate. A small stipend will be provided for daily expenses. They will also be entered into Akiba Uhaki’s database for call-up for other future assignments that may arise.

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“Stimulating Change From Below” Strategy: Putting The People And Social Justice At The Centre Of The East African Community (Eac) Integration Process

Akiba Uhaki Foundation invites applications, from community-based or community-serving national organizations working on projects aiming to promote people’s engagement with/sharpening of the social justice agenda of the EAC integration process.

Geographical Focus

This CFP is open to eligible applicants from any of the 5 East African States (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda).

About Akiba Uhaki Foundation (AUF)

AUF is dedicated to supporting and accompanying Human Rights and Social Justice related organizations in tackling root causes of poverty, social injustices and human rights violations in East Africa. The Foundation believes that the basis of sustainable development is social justice and that until the East African Community (EAC) puts the concerns of the ordinary people at the center of all its negotiations and agreements, and truly people-owned, the ‘East African Community’ will remain elusive.

AUF support work that will result in: (a) empowered and assertive communities of people, (b) accountable governments and (c) effective monitoring and feedback mechanism by non-state actors on the integration process.

Stimulating Change From Below Intervention Strategy

The objective of the intervention strategy, which runs from 2009 to 2014, is to stimulate capacities of communities within East Africa to claim their rights in development.

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“Stimulating Change From Below” Strategy: Social Justice | Call for Proposals

“Stimulating Change From Below” Strategy: Social Justice | Call for Proposals | Yipe!.

ONE Africa Award 2012

Throughout Africa, there is amazing progress by civil society focused on ending extreme poverty and preventable disease. These new ideas and exciting approaches are designed and implemented by Africans who understand the complexities of bringing about change and transforming lives in their communities.

The ONE Africa Award celebrates these innovations and progress towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

ONE Africa Award Criteria

The ONE Africa Award aims to recognize, reward, and advance the exceptional work of organizations, founded by Africans and based in Africa, dedicated to helping Africa achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The $100,000 award will bring recognition to innovative African efforts to fight poverty (The award may be split into two prizes in order to award two smaller organizations better able to absorb a smaller monetary award.)

Award recipients can be exceptional individuals, organizations or other groups demonstrating commitment and success in assisting Africans in meeting one or more of the MDGs through innovative advocacy based programs.

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88mph accelerator program

88mph is searching for startups with ideas that can scale across english speaking Africa. The accelerator program is open to both local and international tech entrepreneurs.

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Youth Unemployment Outlook – August 7th 2012

Do ILO regulations contribute to youth unemployment?

The African Development Bank has claimed that labour regulations were “excessively rigid” and contributed to youth unemployment.

South Africa’s DA presents plan to tackle youth unemployment.

This is the second in a series of five thematic plans to grow the nation’s economy and create jobs. Helen Zille’s party’s campaign to tackle youth unemployment includes a voucher scheme for potential entrepreneurs, a youth wage subsidy and a programme for apprentices.

Scotland’s youth jobless rate reaches 49 per cent

In March this year, Scottish Borders Council missed out on Scottish Government funding worth £9 million to tackle youth unemployment.

South Tyneside’s UcanB program tasked with tackle growing problems created by rising youth unemployment

The project is targeted at young adults who have left school with little or no qualifications.

In China prospects for educated workers gets worse

The Chinese media is rife with tales of overeducated young people taking jobs as cashiers, assembly-line workers, even “night soil collectors.”

 

 

 

m:Lab East Africa – 4th Call for applications for new trainees

The fourth wave of m:Lab East Africa trainees will join the program beginning September 3rd 2012 for a four month program which runs upto December 31st 2012. The program aims to create mobile entrepreneurs through intense training on mobile technologies and business skills.

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