Case Studies: Education in Focus

education focus

Case Studies:
Education in Focus

EDUCATION CORE PROGAMMING

YTF Academy

Impact: “Before I enrolled in YTF Academy, I was very shy and could not speak in front of large crowds. YTF Academy not only equipped me with the hard technical skills, but also the soft skills like communication skills and leadership. Because of YTF, I am now an excellent public speaker”. – Emmanuel, 19 year-old participant

YTF’s flagship curriculum comprises five programs designed to help people dream, develop a “can do” attitude, and succeed in life. YTF Academy includes a curriculum that is tailored to youth living in poverty, encourages a participatory approach, promotes creativity, and emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving.

YTF Academy changes lives, helping participants realize the potential they were born with. As a result, youth return to or stay in school, make successful transitions to primary, secondary, university, and employment or entrepreneurship, gain control over their futures and income, and eliminate a life lived in poverty. YTF provides inclusive opportunities for school and university teachers to gain new pedagogical and digital literacy skills that improve the educational experience of their students.

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3D Africa

YTF Commitment: changing the economic landscape from ‘Aid to Africa’ to ‘Made in Africa’

Impact: “I can now model and print consumables and electronic components. I have been printing jewelry like rings and bracelets and selling them to my classmates. The world needs more female innovators to tackle the toughest challenges we have today”. – Treasure, 15 year-old participant

Partners: Women Enhancing Technology (WeTech), Engineering Information Foundation (EIF), Autodesk, 3DSystems, HP, SolidWorks, MakerBot, Stratasys, McNeel North America, GE

We launched 3D Africa in Nigeria and Kenya, bringing 3D printing and innovation to 400 youth.

The labor market in Sub-Saharan Africa fails to guarantee its youth sustainable livelihood opportunities. Youth are predominantly trapped in low-growth, low-innovation businesses that make use of older technology or no technology. Entrepreneurship is the greatest source and hope for sustainable employment and income generation.

3D Africa pioneers a maker movement across the African continent to inspire young people to create the world they want to see and to use innovation to develop their own entrepreneurial businesses.

The 3D printing industry is estimated to grow from $3.1B (2013) to $30B (2022)—one of the fastest-growing income generation opportunities for Sub-Saharan Africa. YTF is the only social enterprise leading the way by teaching youth, girls, and women to use 3D printing and global online marketplaces to create and grow their businesses.

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PeaceOpoly

YTF Commitment: YTF is equipping a cadre of youth leaders that are empowered to use appropriate technologies to monitor public services, gather data, evaluate and mobilize their communities and leaders to act in efficiency of public service delivery

Impact: 250,000 youth across six geo-political zones are learning to use social media and data for peace and accountability in Nigeria. YTF PeaceOpoly program manager recognized as a United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Generation Fellow for 2015.

Partners: Ford Foundation, United States Institute of Peace

PeaceOpoly is a demand-driven accountability initiative designed to improve governance and transparency by empowering youth and women to play a role in their nation’s democracy.  

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GirlsRock!

YTF Commitment: high-quality education and integrated technology training that leads to personal empowerment and control over sexual health and reproductive rights and control over income now and in the future.

Impact: “I’ve learned how to use the Internet to research on important issues. In my community, the problems of drugs, early teen pregnancies and rape are common. I have learned to research these issues online and document the issues using PowerPoint. I have also developed communication skills to share what I’ve learned confidently with my family and community”. – Maura Lizeth, 14 year-old participant

Partner: Softchoice

We taught 148 internally-displaced girls to use technology to solve the health, early marriage, and community challenges they face in Colombia.

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Learning and Libraries Project (Project LLP)

YTF Commitment: digital literacy and technology training that leads to sustainable employment and livelihoods.

Impact: Moses, a participant in this project, was hired almost immediately as a teacher in a local secondary school thanks to the skills he acquired in the program.

Partner: Beyond Access/IREX

We partnered to provide digital literacy and entrepreneurship education for 513 students at Nigerian state libraries in 2015.

Libraries play an important role as neutral, trusted public spaces.

As a place of shared knowledge, libraries are critical connectors for communities and others.

Project LLP participants not only learned about computers but also how to apply the knowledge for their education, livelihoods, and for income generation purposes.

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She Will Connect

YTF Commitment: digital literacy training and networking skills that leads to sustainable employment and livelihoods and increases family well-being

Impact:  “I just received the results to my entrance examinations to the University and did very well and I attribute that to the digital literacy skills that gave me the confidence to excel in school and life”. – Blessing, 18 year-old participant

Partner: Intel

We provided digital literacy skills education for over 12,023 Nigerian girls and women in 2015.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, 43 percent fewer women than men are online and 25 percent less are likely to use the Internet for job-seeking than men. Once women get online, the digital empowerment gap narrows between female and male users.

By teaching women and girls digital literacy skills and how to use the Internet for information, employment, and entrepreneurship, their families and communities are educated on far-reaching benefits. They are able to connect to information on health, government, and education, find economic opportunities, and locate gender-specific resources. When women and girls understand the impact of the Internet, it empowers us all.

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EDUCATION RELATED ACTIVITIES

Africa Code Week

YTF Commitment: bringing equity to all of Africa’s girls and women to be the innovators, changemakers, and leaders they are, creating ongoing awareness of and programs to redress gender disparity issues.

Impact: “Learning how to use Scratch was amazing and eye-opening. I want to study engineering in the university and when I graduate from school, I will open an institution for children to teach them how to code. I want people to know that they can be creators not just users of technology”. – Salome, 14 year-old participant

Partner: SAP

We taught coding to 280 secondary school girls in Nigeria and Kenya. Many girls in Africa begin to disconnect with STEM due to cultural messages, poor primary-university schooling experiences, or being out of school. Disengaging from STEM during adolescent years can be reversed by providing enrichment opportunities, problem-based learning, hands-on learning, and empowering girls to solve real-life needs.

The focus of Africa Code Week is “to empower future generations with the coding tools and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century workforce and become key actors of Africa’s economic development.” At YTF, participants are encouraged to develop technology-enabled solutions to meet local needs.

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Girls in ICT Day

YTF Commitment: bringing social and economic equity to all of Africa’s girls and women, inspiring girls to realize their full potential and to be the changemakers for today and tomorrow, creating ongoing awareness of and programs to redress gender disparity issues.

Impact: “I now understand how the Internet can be used most effectively to learn and how 3D printing is empowering young people, like me, to design and create the world we want to live in”. – Elizabeth, 12 year-old participant

Partner: Cisco

We held two International Girls in ICT Day events for 450 girls.  Cultural and systemic biases towards girls discourage them from realizing their full potential.  97 percent of girls who walk through YTF doors want to make the world a better place.

International Girls in ICT Day is designed to encourage and inspire girls to pursue careers in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) fields. YTF’s Girls in ICT Day offers girls the rare chance to experience the latest technology, learn about ICT careers, and be inspired by women leaders in ICT.

 
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