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.”

 

 

 

Youth Unemployment Outlook – August 2nd 2012

Ireland’s youth unemployment numbers fall slightly

The standardised unemployment rate was unchanged at 14.8 per cent.

Young Spaniards leave the country seeking a brighter future

With Spain’s unemployment rate for people under 25 at an astonishing 53 percent, many are seeking jobs elsewhere.

The latest African Economic Outlook warns about youth unemployment

Generation U will impact severely on the capacity of African states.

UK: Youth unemployment in Salford to be tackled head on

The new Salford Futures initiative, launched by City Mayor Ian Stewart will promote jobs and apprenticeships for young people.

The share of American 18- to 24-year-olds who were employed fell to 54 per cent last year

Picture of the Day: Youth Unemployment. From the Financial Times

2013 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA)

The 2013 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), aims to contribute towards developing new products, increasing efficiency or saving cost in Africa.

Researchers will be invited to propose projects that unlock new African potential under one or more areas which include manufacturing and Service Industry; Agriculture/agribusiness; ICTs; Health and Wellbeing; and Environment, Energy and Water.

The organizers expect the prize to promote among young African men and women the pursuit of science, technology and engineering careers and business applications.

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African Social Venture Prize

The Orange African Social Venture Prize will reward three projects or enterprises addressing needs of the ‘bottom of pyramid’ market in Africa through technology.

The digital projects range from e-health and mobile banking to digital and mobile applications for education or agriculture. They therefore represent huge opportunities for social development.

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Anzisha Prize

The Anzisha Prize is a youth innovation competition that promotes entrepreneurial projects amongst young people (age 15-20) in Africa. Finalists will win an all-expense paid trip to the African Leadership Academy campus in Honeydew, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa to attend a weeklong entrepreneurship conference. Grand prize winners, selected from these finalists, will share $75,000 USD in cash prizes to take their projects to the next level. This year, there will also be a special $10,000 award given to an Anzisha finalist with a renewable energy related project, courtesy of Silicon Valley Community Foundation Donor Circle for Africa.
The Anzisha Prize celebrates young entrepreneurs in the private and social sectors – both for-profit efforts that generate employment for other members of the community, and non-profit efforts that address entrenched social problems in the community. Applicants will be evaluated on the impact, ingenuity, and scalability of their entrepreneurial efforts.
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Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World Competition

The Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard have come together to organize this joint initiative called “Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World.” This competition aims to help young changemakers create a better world of opportunities for women and girls in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

The competition seeks entries from 18-35 year olds to submit a 5-minute platform to pitch their inspired idea to the world. There is an opportunity to win a $25,000 grant.The grant must show creativity and sustainable impact in the lives of women and girls across Asia, Pacific, the Middle East or Africa through entrepreneurship.

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2012 TechWomen Mentorship Program

Harnessing the power of business, technology and innovation, TechWomen brings emerging women leaders in technology sectors from the Middle East and North Africa together with their American counterparts for a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading companies in the United States.

Overview of the Initiative

The TechWomen  program will occur over five weeks from early September through October 2012. The program will commence in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and will conclude in Washington, D.C.

Professional Mentorships

TechWomen Mentees will take part in three-week project-based mentorships at leading companies in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. Each Mentee is matched with a Professional Mentor who partners with the Mentee on a technical project at the host company and provides professional guidance and support.

Professional Enrichment

As a complement to the mentorships, TechWomen Mentees will participate in professional enrichment activities. In 2011, TechWomen participants attended leadership and entrepreneurship workshops, “Tech Talks,” and served on panels at community events. They participated in “tech meet ups,” TEDxSoMa, and other networking events.

In 2012, TechWomen Mentees will attend the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing, a conference organized by the Anita Borg Institute focused on supporting women in today’s technology fields, including computer science, information technology, research and engineering.

Cultural Enrichment

Each TechWomen Mentee has a Cultural Mentor who facilitates activities to help showcase American culture and deepen mutual understanding. In 2011, Mentees volunteered with incarcerated girls in juvenile halls and attended neighborhood festivals, book readings, art exhibits and dance performances. They also visited national landmarks in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Interested? Apply Now!

The 2012 TechWomen application is now open. For eligibility requirements and to apply, please visit http://www.techwomen.org/how-to-apply/

The application deadline is February 15^th

2012 MILEAD Fellowship for young African women leaders – Call For Applications

Who is the most outstanding young African woman leader you know ?

Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa (Moremi Initiative) has announced its call for applications for the 2012 Moremi Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD) Fellows Program.

The MILEAD Fellows Program is a one-year leadership development program designed to identify, develop and promote emerging young African Women leaders to attain and succeed in leadership in their community and Africa as a whole. The program targets dynamic young women interested in developing transformational leadership skills that help them tackle issues affecting women in their communities and society as a whole- by equipping them with the world class knowledge, skills, values and networks they need to succeed as 21st century women leaders. Applications are welcome from young African women living in Africa and the Diaspora.

The MILEAD Fellowship will be awarded to 25 outstanding young women with exceptional qualities who have exhibited leadership potential in their community, organization, and/or profession.

To be eligible for the one-year program, an applicant must be African, living on the continent or in the Diaspora; agree to participate in all required activities related to MILEA- including a three-week residential Summer Institute in Ghana; and commit to a community change project.

Applicants must be between 19 – 25 years of age. Specific requirements of the program and related dates are outlined in the application package. Please review program and application guidelines carefully, before completing your application.

Please note that this is not a full-time fellowship. Selected candidates may remain full time students or work full time for the program duration, except during the 3–week summer institute. The 3-week summer institute is an intensive and full-time residential program and all fellows will be required to attend. The rest of the program involves community-based, online and other distance activities.

How to Apply:

The application package and additional information is available online at www.moremiinitiative.org

Application forms must be downloaded and filled-out in word document format. Completed application form must be submitted with two letters of recommendation and CV. All applications and supporting documents must be submitted by email.

Deadline for applications. March 15^th 2012.

Find more fellowship opportunities

Free online short course on “Africa Youth Leadership, Sustainability and Ethics”

Course Dates: January 9th- February 13th 2012.

Application Deadline: 26th December 2011.

The challenge facing the many African countries is to pursue development by addressing environmental degradation as well as poverty reduction. Efforts to achieve sustainable development in the continent have been hampered by conflicts, insufficient investment, food insecurity, catastrophic climate change and limited market access opportunities. The threats of environmental problems, such as deforestation, pollution and climate change triggers a fettering fear of our future generation. The society can hugely benefit if young people actively participate in all aspects of life such as environment, governance, and economic activities to promote sustainable development.

The Africa Youth Leadership, Sustainability and Ethics Online Course aims to equip African young people, aged 18-30 years, with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to make conscious choices aimed at achieving and preserving a continent which both they and future generations will deem fit to live and work in. The participants will develop a culture of sustainability and they will be able to realize that they have a role to play in achieving a sustainable era in the region. It will help promotes values, principles and practices that help young people to respond effectively and confidently to current and new development challenges. It will emphasize creative thinking, innovation and the long-term perspective, particularly youth responsibility towards future generations.

The course will further increase the awareness of the themes of Rio+20 Conference and build the capacity of young people to engage with the National, Regional and UN preparatory process and the conference itself. The Agenda 21 recognizes that education, public awareness, and training are critical for sustainable development and that participation and involvement of young people is essential in its implementation. Being both a major human resource for development and key agents for social change, they will help enrich the debate and policy dialogue.

The ultimate aim is to further develop the capabilities necessary to conduct Earth Charter inspired action projects in the participants’ own communities and link the participants with the wider youth community working for more sustainable future.

Register your interest in participating in this online course by completing the online application form at http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=ONMNNG_3d3769a0  by 26th December 2011. Successful participants will be notified in the first week of January 2012.

About the Course Sponsors:

Organisation of African Youth: a continental movement that unifies all individual young people in Africa with a view to encourage active participation in policy-making channels, sustainable development, democratic processes while promoting peace, openness and good governance. We exist as the umbrella organization of all independent minded youth in Africa. Learn more by visiting http://www.oayouth.org

Earth Charter International: guides and liaises with efforts to bring the Earth Charter to the fields of education, youth, business and religion, manages communications with the larger Earth Charter network, and promotes the use of the Earth Charter as an international soft law document.