Helping young people develop
23 February 2004
The Youth Development Trust and the International Youth Foundation have announced a three-year extension to the Make a Connection programme, based on a joint commitment from Nokia, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Embassy of Finland in South Africa.
The parties agreed to help address the unemployment challenges faced by young people in South Africa by investing more than US$1-million into Make a Connection, a programme that prepares young people for the world of work.
The extension, announced last week, signals a new phase of the programme that has changed the lives of more than 400 young people in South Africa since its inception in 2000. As a result of the initial programme, more than 65% of the participants have found employment.
With the additional funding, Make a Connection will strengthen the existing training programme in life skills, entrepreneurial skills, and information and communications
technology.
Training is already under way in the Gauteng, North West and Limpopo provinces, and will be expanded to new participants through universities and high schools.
"This programme addresses one of the most critical challenges facing South African youth, namely employability and entrepreneurial skills", said Maurice Radebe, chairman of the Youth Development Trust. "Investment in this second phase of the programme endorses its growth in terms of quality, sustainability, advocacy and measurable outcomes."
Make a Connection seeks to promote positive youth development by giving young people an opportunity to make a connection to their communities, to their families and peers, and to themselves.
The programme, active in 17 countries worldwide, improves young people's educational opportunities, teaches them life skills and helps them make a positive contribution to their societies.
The Youth Development Trust is a leading organisation in the
provision of solutions to the youth sector in South Africa. Founded in 1987 as the Human Resource Trust, it became the YDT in 1996.
The International Youth Foundation, established in 1990, is dedicated to supporting programmes that improve the conditions and prospects for young people where they live, learn, work and play. Currently operating in nearly 60 countries, IYF and its partners have helped millions of young people gain the skills, training and opportunities critical to their success.
The US Agency for International Development is a government agency that has provided humanitarian assistance and economic development worldwide for more than 40 years.
Source: Make a Connection
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