Special Note from CIYDA: Thank You & Merry Christmas

Dear All,

Firstly I would like to thank you on behalf of the CIYDA team for your support in helping us establish an organization that is mindful towards youth development not only in Zimbabwe but in Africa.
CIYDA has in the last 12 months been frantically working to strengthen its founding principles as we prepare to enter into a year of delivering on some of our short term objectives. The past 12 months have seen CIYDA (achieved or moved towards finalizing): -

**Awarded the 2009 Jobzippers funding for future projects
**Established a monthly newsletter for our followers
**Website platform for news, events, knowledge sharing
**Blog to share in regular discussions on various articles
**Sponsorship package for prospective partners
**Partnered with Miss Ruvimbo Katiyo in her prospective charitable projects in Zimbabwe as she pursues her own dream to be Miss Africa USA 2010
**Engaged potential sponsors & partners
**Published the CIYDA Constitution (subject to amendment)
**Created the CIYDA Board of Trustees
**Identified and brought on board equally ambitious youths in various capacity (In Zimbabwe & Diaspora)
**Register as a Trustee and NGO in Zimbabwe
**Engaged the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment as well as Zimbabwe Youth Council in an effort to derive some synergies

However 2009 was fraught with its own challenges which have undoubtedly helped the organization be more focused and priorities on issues which are of more immediate concern to youth development in Zimbabwe.
CIYDA remains committed to working with all parties (corporate, governmental, non-governmental and private) that identify with our grave concern for youth development in Zimbabwe.

As we look to 2010 CIYDA is confident that all the activities of 2009 will prove to be an added spring in our step as we endeavor to…
“make today’s youths, tomorrow’s leader”

Here’s to wishing you a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year, for we the CIYDA team are certainly looking forward to one.

Fungai Alexander Mapondera
Founder & Executive Director
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA)
f.mapondera@ciyda.org
www.ciyda.org

2010 National Budget: Postive Outlook for Youth Development & Empowerment

The Minister of Finance, Hon. T. Biti this week presented the eagerly awaited 2010 National Budget. The 2010 budget took into account the need for the upliftment of our youths and women particularly in the often marginalized rural Zimbabwe.

In looking beyond the corporate structures, Hon. Biti pointed out the role youths and women can play in Zimbabwe's economic recovery. Hon. Bit wrote, "Government’s economic stabilisation and recovery strategy seeks to embrace the contribution of all citizens, from individuals and communities to the corporate and industrial sectors. In this regard, the role of women in the attainment of this goal
cannot be overemphasized given their contribution at the household level up to the corporate level."

In acknowledging the economic hardships faced by youths in rural Zimbabwe and the externalities which they contend with on a daily basis, Hon. Biti wrote:

Youths and women, particularly in the rural areas have very limited choices of engaging in meaningful income generating activities that will capacitate them to withstand external shocks such as adverse weather conditions, therefore Government [through the relevant Ministries such as the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment]will capacitate the rural communities through training and provision of start up capital for the implementation of various income generating projects.

CIYDA Says: Since its founding, CIYDA has lamented the lack of meaningful investment towards youth development in the past, particularly to those hard pressed in our rural communities. CIYDA therefore welcomes Hon. Biti's step towards addressing this problem. Having identified the harsh realities facing not only the rural youths but Zimbabwean youths at national level CIYDA encourages the government to go beyond its pledge and work towards a sustainable solution to youth development. The government should look to other entities namely, NGOs and the private sector in an attempt to address the lack of this sustainable solution to youth development.

The Hon. Biti identified external shocks such as adverse weather conditions as one of the problems youths are facing in an attempt to engage in meaningful income generating activities. There is however the issue of internal shocks such as positive & consistent informational engagement with the youths as well as commitment in advocating for sustainable youth solutions. CIYDA has been working to identify innovative approaches in the last year in readiness for 2010 that seek to work with both rural and urban based youths within its four pillars of information hub and project initiation.

Unlike our peers in other youth organizations purportedly looking to work with rural youths as highlighted in our article (Youth Development: Success beyond the bright lights)in the November issue newsletter, CIYDA has earmarked resources for 2010 to establish satellite points at universities within Zimbabwe. These points will act as informational hubs not only for the youths in educational institutions but for those that are in the rural communities nearby. With CIYDA working with these youths in information provision and project initiation as well as advocating for more support through the right channels in private and public sector, this guarantees to bridge that gap and maintain that push for sustainable solutions.

CIYDA has also committed to seeking and working with partners at private, corporate and governmental level that are equally ambitious and seek a sustainable solution to youth engagement and development in Zimbabwe. Our commitment has been evidenced through the organization being recently awarded almost $US2,500 which could rise to $US5,000 by the Swiss based organization, Jobzippers whose founder Mr Peter Vogel is a champion for entrepreneurial engineering as well as social entrepreneurship. Jobzippers has also reiterated its desire to continue being involved with CIYDA in working with youths at various levels in Zimbabwe. CIYDA also put itself foward in working with Miss Ruvimbo Katiyo the candidate for Miss Africa USA 2010 who identified the need to work with women at rural level in exploring various small business opportunities.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) (www.ciyda.org) is a non-profit organization founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. Through current globalisation trends and dispersion of Zimbabwean youths, CIYDA currently has a network connection of approximately 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Even Rome Didn't Fall in One Day

So often we focus on the creation of something without much thought as to how we can sustain for a longer period whatever it is that we are creating. Yes we have all heard the saying,

Rome wasn't built in one day...

Well neither did Rome collapse in one day either. It took years of minimal mismanagement through what was said to be building efforts for the Roman empire to come to its knees. Every little ounce of inefficiency was adding to the eventual bigger and overwhelming collapse. The underlying thoughts of this point were raised by Dr. Kjell Nordstroem (see yesterday's article: Facebook Not Sex) in reference to capitalism today and its recent fallen bigger players like General Motors and Lehman Brothers to mention a few.

However where am I going with this you might be asking? What has youth development in Zimbabwe got to do with the fall of the Roman empire, the folding of big companies etc? Well the message is clear, is our myopic and inefficient approach to youth development as a country and as a continent (Africa) to a larger extent compounding to that inevitable collapse of youth development structures in our country? What structures I hear you ask...well believe it or not these structures are there in some places albeit in accessible to the majority of youths. Earlier this week I mentioned the economic down-turn which has brought the plight of young people in our country even closer to our attention. However as we race to 'rebuild' Zimbabwe as so often lamented by the ' lets rebuild Zimbabwe' brigade are we taking into account the youths who yesterday were so often marginalised but yet today are sought after as part of the solution for a better Zimbabwe.

So I call upon all that are putting an effort into the building of Zimbabwe (the Rome so to say) not to sideline some of the important issues facing youths today. We might feel we have cracked it as a nation and are on a road to recovery, but aren't we putting unecessary effort into something that will eventually collapse as we are not putting the necessary effort in the right places.

We have a populace of educated youths, willing and able to take up opportunities, lets create these opportunities for them.

In its building efforts of youth development structures, CIYDA has opened itself to working with all entities that see the bigger picture and would like to avert that seemingly unavoidable collapse. CIYDA has also committed the meagre resources that are trickling in to establishing that contact with youths and acknowledge the developmental concerns that they have.

For more information on CIYDA & its efforts please don't hesitate to contact us info@ciyda.org or visit us at www.ciyda.org

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. Through current globalisation trends and dispersion of Zimbabwean youths, CIYDA currently has a network connection of approximately 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Facebook Not Sex: The “Funky Business” Guy...

It is rather astonishing to learn how far social networking online has come and how it has changed our approach to life and doing simple things like E-mailing etc. For instance, one can mobilise support for a cause or advocate for various issues at the click of a button. Many getting the satisfaction and artificial ‘high’ as I would like to call it, from having multiple networks and contacts on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Ning only to mention a few. I suppose one could go as far as saying the kind of satisfaction you would expect from sex.

No folks, this is not a class in Sex 101, therefore we will reel you back in

“Facebook has become so relevant in our lives and giving us somewhat more satisfaction than sex...”

These were the words of Dr. Kjell A. Nordstroem. Dr Nordstroem is ‘enfant terrible’ of new world business, ranked 13 in 2007 by Thinkers 50, author of many number 1 selling books including Funky Business: Talent Makes Capital Dance, which ranked at number 16 in Bloomsbury survey of the best business books of all time, with the book being featured on CNN, CNBC, in Fortune, FT etc.

For someone who is not easily alarmed by such claims I must say this caught me unaware, just as much as it did many other participants at this year’s MACE/MScom conference in Lugano Switzerland. However you gradually understand where Dr Nordstroem was going with this.

Many by default or perhaps through their own choosing find themselves in that situation to the extent of agreeing with what Dr Nordstroem was claiming. Far from it being just a claim this was actually derived from an official study carried out.

CIYDA Says: We were obviously on the right path when we sought to bring Zimbabwean youths to network more amongst themselves. By going beyond that border of immediate friendship it is undoubtedly that we will influence someone else’s life through the positives we bring in networking, after all one author said, “Learn what you need, share what you know...”.

If this means many youths are not pursuing unrealistic sexual endeavours and spending their idle time on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Ning etc. that’s undoubtedly and added bonus to be commended. Perhaps we wouldn’t have had the case of the students at Chinhoyi University of Technology that we commented on last month.
CIYDA has identified social networking sites amongst other tools as platforms that will shape the way we engage and harness youth initiatives.

Yes we still have a long way to go for our endeavours to reach full maturity but we can guarantee those influential in many institutions that in Zimbabwe that, yes give youths condoms with their health concerns at heart, and yes as well as those computers, but they will undoubtedly get more usage and lasting satisfaction from the latter.

Join CIYDA on:






Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. Through current globalisation trends and dispersion of Zimbabwean youths, CIYDA currently has a network connection of approximately 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Knowledge Tool for Youth Networking & Development

It is not so long ago that CIYDA launched the concept of a ‘Knowledge Center’. The main idea was to build on a library and links on helpful knowledge material by the youths and for the youths of Zimbabwe. This would have been a reference point not only for business start-up, but for, mentorship, volunteering and for social & cultural integration issues. CIYDA created a platform that helped you catch your own imagination.

CIYDA went even further when we suggested in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Zimbabwe Youth Council, the now postponed Zimbabwe Youth Development Festival. This would have been an opportunity to bring those with the tools & resources, public sector and private sector alike, together with the youths. The CIYDA director of volunteering, Munyaradzi Takawira, even went further into mooting the consolidating of these ideas and what we already have in our platform into creating a more diverse knowledge center.

In line with its information hub objectives, CIYDA would go on to create a knowledge and expertise hub to allow youths amongst themselves to provide much needed valuable services in collaboration with experts in different fields. CIYDA will go a long way into acting as an incubator for this project hence our effort into making this one of our central projects for 2010.

Having in the last week or so attended a workshop by the former head of Knowledge Management at Swiss Re, I felt this was a great potential. Mr Martin Eppler argued simply the need to create not only the cyber knowledge and information network but also that feel and touch and interaction physically. He was saying what we had already been thinking and how it had been successfully been implemented by an organization of Swiss Re’s calibre.

With the support of our prospective partners both in public and private sector, we are looking to turn this into a viable project for the coming year.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. Through current globalisation trends and dispersion of Zimbabwean youths, CIYDA currently has a network connection of approximately 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Moving Away from Helplessness to Empowerment: What Clinton Said Next

It is a well-known fact that we pick up some of life’s useful advice and developmental tools in the most unusual format and places. For CIYDA we have looked to establish various innovative ways of harnessing all the necessary information and tools to be a successful youth organization in delivering services to the Zimbabwean youths.

For this I was in Sankt Gallen, a Swiss Canton in the German speaking part of East Switzerland about a week or so ago when I had the privilege of sitting in an address by the former President Bill Clinton. The charismatic statesman was at the opening of the Center for Disability and Integration.

For me it was the mere opportunity to seek some form of inspiration from a former president of Mr Clinton’s stature, somewhat a rare opportunity to say the least.

Despite the occasion having an underlying theme of disability, it was the message that I went on to extract out of the theme and what former President Clinton said,

"shift from a system of helplessness to a system of empowerment, and to change the attitudes of society about how we should see the potential of people and how much we need to develop that potential."

It is undoubted that knowledge is power, not just the academic type, but that also of being informed. I argue that this prevents one from falling into that lull of artificial ‘disability’. In my mother tongue Shona they say, “Kusaziva kufa...” or literally translated to, “not knowing is acute to being dead...” Although I know as Zimbabwean youths we haven’t reached that stage of death yet, it is true to say many opportunities are going unclaimed and where they are being taken on, they are not being fully exploited. It is not to say we are not being proactive, but we have grown accustomed to a way of doing things whereby youths sit and watch and contribute minimally from the periphery of society. It had to take a near economic collapse to spur most of us into action.

However, in mitigation, there have been other external factors to the limitations. Both corporate and governmental entities need to step up and work effectively towards remedying this slow walk towards the ‘grave’.

Majority of the youths want to do something with their efforts. If there are no opportunities there can be put in place skills attaining workshops, volunteer opportunities amongst other things, which can be pursued in the meantime. Yes companies are reeling from economic down-turn, and feel engaging in extensive corporate social responsibility or any other activities that don’t bring immediate returns is not worthwhile at the moment. And yes the government is operating on tight budgets in all its ministries. However lets take the positive out of these situations and look upon it as period to take stock of where we have come from and where we need to go. Corporate organizations can engage youths just leaving education and those that have been idle for long. Access what is out there already in terms of talent and opportunities to be natured. When that economic upturn is upon us, we have already a willing and able youth populace to sustain the rebuilding momentum.

This article couldn’t have come at a better time with the current spate of xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans in South Africa yesterday. Most of those affected are undoubtedly young Zimbabweans who have crossed the border in search of a better life. A better life is not living hand to mouth but seeking sustainable financial security for one and their loved ones. This in itself should be a wakeup call for our influential to harness the very educated youth populace that we have and is sipping out of the country. Lets create opportunities for them to stop the mass exodus. For those that are remaining lets get them actively engaged at various levels of development. After all we don’t want them falling into that lull of artificial disability.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. Through current globalisation trends and dispersion of Zimbabwean youths, CIYDA currently has a network connection of approximately 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Youth Development: Affordable and Well Prepared Meals Just Not Enough

It is always a sad indictment for a society and educational institutions alike, when most of what they can offer to counter sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) amongst youths is an affordable and well prepared meal. It was with great distress that I read an article in this morning's Herald regarding an upsurge in student STIs at one of the institutions of higher education in Zimbabwe.

In response to questions regarding steps the university is taking in addressing the upsurge in STIs, Mr Musekiwa Tapera, director of marketing and public relations said, "The University was providing affordable and well-prepared meals to discourage students from seeking recourse to sugar daddies and mummies."

Undoubtedly students need an affordable and well prepared meal in order to see them through those grueling days of study, after all some us are were students recently and others still are, hence we can relate to what Mr Tapera said.

For the record,CIYDA commends the university in going some way in providing a nutritious and affordable meal for the students. However that in itself is not enough to see to it that students stay focused and do not engage in unproductive and self destructive extra-curricular activities.

In a previous post on this Blog CIYDA pointed out a few measures that governments can take in tackling idleness amongst youths by giving them an alternative that is paramount to their self-development. Amongst some of the suggestions were, engaging in business enterprise competitions with awards to viable projects as well as cost-paid voluntary activities within the community. The former gives youths an opportunity to explore their potential in different areas, after all, the sky is not the limit but one's scope is the limit. The latter will see youths putting their spare time into activities that enrich them socially while also gaining skills useful to them at a later stage in their lives as well as for employment. CIYDA understands that such initiatives don't happen overnight and will take a concerted effort from governments, educational institutions and NGO's alike.

In exoneration for Mr Tapera and the institution in question they have initiated other remote intervention initiatives such as STI workshops and most strikingly scholarships for students, although not known in what capacity.

In its current draft for 2010 youth engagement strategies and furthering its advocacy work for youth development, CIYDA is looking not only to have greater visibility in universities around Zimbabwe but also a greater impact. CIYDA will work to establish points of contact through its regional delegates that will work with youths in universities to promote productive projects such as business enterprise, volunteering and social and cultural activities. This is in conjunction with CIYDA's respective departments, namely, Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Youth Mentorship and Youth Volunteering.

Although far from being the remedy to increasing cases of STIs amongst youths, CIYDA is confident this will go a long way in keeping youths busy and involved in things that they not only enjoy but those that are central to their general development.

In an effort to realise maximum positive returns from this institution initiative, CIYDA will continue to listen and work with corporate and governmental organisations that share in our plight of youth development and want to contribute their resources. After all, a healthy and well-rounded youth populace will in the long run prove invaluable to both entities.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. Through current globalisation trends and dispersion of Zimbabwean youths, CIYDA currently has a network connection of approximately 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Youth Development: Looking Beyond the "Money"

I was reading some posts on the CIYDA Facebook discussion board and decided to comment on one of the discussions which was started a few weeks ago.

One of the members commented on how young people have to build a foundation as things change for the better in Zimbabwe as there is a lot of money to be made.

CIYDA Says: It is true that Zimbabwean youths have to step up to the plate and be part of the decision making process in building a strong and sustainable foundation. CIYDA is leading the way in advocating for youth development initiatives making sure youths are never again marginalised in Zimbabwe as they are the future.

However lets not be myopic in looking at this as just an opportunity to make a quick buck as things change for the better in Zimbabwe. In an article in the newsletter a few months back we pointed out the need for sustainable initiatives.

At CIYDA we want an environment that is conducive to long term success for youths. An environment where youths can be successful in anything they set their minds on without being constrained by externalities which we can work hard to change today.

For more on CIYDA's initiatives visit our website or get intouch (info@ciyda.org) if you want to get involved or have any innovative ideas to youth development.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Information Communication Technology for Youth Development

St. Gallen, Switzerland, October 09, 2009 - "The youth are really the generation we are talking about when we address the issue of ICT..." were the words of the President of Zimbabwe during the current TELECOM World 2009 Conference in Geneva Switzerland.

In light of the just ending Information Telecommunication Union's TELECOM World 2009 conference I recall an article that I published on this blog in July called, "Africa: Investment in Technology to Attract Youths & for Development". In this article I pointed out in line with CIYDA's effort the need for Zimbabwe amongst other African governments to develop Information Technology (IT) platforms for youths.

With IT at the heart of CIYDA's initiatives in youth development in Zimbabwe I took time out to follow proceedings at the conference in Geneva through various forms. I was quite eager to find out what the Zimbabwean delegation had to say about IT development and how it is paramount for youth development in Zimbabwe.

CIYDA welcomes the President’s effort in highlighting youths as one of the main reasons why IT is crucial not only for their development but to bring Zimbabwe as well as the whole continent at par with the rest of the world in IT use. It is true, in the article published in last month’s CIYDA Newsletter, how young people are acquiring more developmental tools from harnessing postive elements from the Internet etc.

As encouraging as such insights are it is easier said than done and it will take a lot of concerted effort from within Zimbabwe and outside Zimbabwe to bring the youths on board to harness the importance of IT in their long term development. Governments can only do so much and organisations like CIYDA can also only do so much in providing funds and initiatives respectively on the ground. At a similar gathering of the Information Telecommunication Union (ITU), in December 2003, the President of Zimbabwe said,

Mr. President, long after we have talked about the need for information and communication technologies as tools with which to contrive the information society, we are soon to discover that receivers and computers are powered by electricity which is unavailable in a typical Third World village. Long after we have talked about connectivity, we are soon to discover that most platforms for electronic communication need basic telecommunication infrastructure which does not exist in a typical African village.

What is worse, we will discover, much to our dismay, that the poor villager we wish to turn into a fitting citizen for our information society, is in many instances unable to read and write. Where we are lucky to find the villager literate and numerate, we soon discover that he or she is not looking for a computer terminal but for a morsel of food; an antibiotic to save his dying child; a piece of land on which to eke out an existence, in short, looking for a humane society that guarantees him food, health, shelter and education.

Despite the evident challenges highlighted in the statement above, CIYDA as a youth development advocate, through IT will continue striving to act as a youth information hub in all aspects of development for young people. This is in such areas as Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Volunteering and Mentorship. Through innovative and inclusive approaches son to be boosted by the current restructuring exercise within CIYDA, that will see delegates at regional level we aim to make a grass roots difference for ALL Zimbabwean youths by bringing them onboard to share in our developmental initiatives. We are confident with the continued right support internally and externally our initiatives will reach fruition. Sometimes it’s the small things that make a difference. As one writer once said, “It’s not about where you’re from but where you’re going that matters...” and at CIYDA we are confident we’re headed for better things as Zimbabwean youths.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Misappropriation & Mismanagement: The Contagion Effects on the Leaders of Tomorrow

September 16, 2009 - The Zimbabwe Herald published a story yesterday (September 15, 2009) under the headline 'ZIYON Boss In Court'. Having been dropped into my inbox by our Executive Secretary it didn’t make pleasant reading. I believe for the benefit of CIYDA members and those that passionately follow our endeavours I thought it best to place this story here and make a commentary about it as it hit home the challenges that not only CIYDA faces but many other youth organisations in Zimbabwe.

ZIMBABWE Youth Network boss, Danny Fletcher Kajokoto, appeared at the Harare magistrate court last Friday facing allegations of defrauding the non-governmental organisation of US$4 000 meant for rentals and website development.

Kajokoto (25) was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi, who remanded him out of custody to September 25 on US$50 bail. Outlining the State’s case, prosecutor Miss Stancy Makuyana alleged that in March this year, Kajokoto mooted a plan to defraud Deutscher Entwiecklung Dienst (DED) of funds.

He allegedly requested funds for ZIYON website development and presented a quotation for the development with the amount of US$1 500 that he said was from Web Solutions, a website design company.

He received the US$1 500, which he allegedly converted to his own use. On the second count, it is alleged that on July 1 this year Kajokoto received US$2 500 from DED, meant for office rentals from August to December this year, instead of paying rent he allegedly converted the cash into his own use. — HR (www.herald.co.zw)

CIYDA Says: Firstly I would like to say until the case has run its course in the Zimbabwean courts CIYDA will not condemn the accused individual or the organisation which he represents, after all a one is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. However the issue in question is one we can discuss in our plight to rid our country of such incidences ever happening.

Having come from a family background that consisted of individuals that strived to work towards making other people’s lives better some point out how perhaps the ideas I am driving through CIYDA were inevitable in one form or another. The most notable member of my family from whom I learnt from being my beloved aunt, Ms Esnit Mapondera (Zimbabwe Women’s Finance Trust) a fellow of Ashoka a world renowned organisation in the advancement of social entrepreneurs, and winner of the Desmond Tutu award in her advocacy for women’s causes in Zimbabwe and Africa. For me it is an honour to naturally inherit such a positive trait from within the family and the desire to be at the forefront of youth development in Zimbabwe. However it has gone beyond that through the extension in having the ability to identify and getting onboard equally committed individuals in the form of the CIYDA team and other associates of CIYDA to make our project a reality, and to whom I pay homage to.

Perhaps you're asking yourself why I am making a point of this, well the group of individuals highlighted above namely, the CIYDA team, CIYDA associates and the likes of Ms Mapondera would undoubtedly strongly condemn the use of public office and institutions as well as exploiting people’s needs as a route to a loaf of bread. I recall 6 years ago when I was fortunate enough to be in the presence of a knowledgeable prominent public figure at his home. We were discussing his work and my own passions. He said, “Real people do not go into public office or public institutions because they were fortunate enough to undertake studies in that particular field of work...real people go into public office because they want to serve a need for the benefit of their fellow country man and women”. He went on to highlight the problem that was prevalent in public institutions of mismanagement because people feel they have the right to plunder at will due to their position. It was a shame as I realised that he felt passionately about this and I am sure with enough people like him behind him Zimbabwe as a country would have turned a corner in this aspect and such cases as the one reported above would have been a thing of the past.

The case of ZIYON above further highlights the need to continue working to tackle this problem from a grass roots level and instil in young people the knowledge on organisational/corporate governance as part of their curriculum. Put it to them how self destructive paths not only distorts the fabric of their own development as an individual but it also drags the country’s collective efforts backwards and undoes so much work that others are working hard to achieve for the development of young people. This case although not in any way connected to CIYDA undoubtedly paints with the same brush all the up and coming youth organisations working hard to make the lives of their fellow youths that little bit better and bring their developmental plight on the door steps of relevant authorities. It further serves to give would be cynics both internal and externally ammunition when they take their usual, ‘we told you so...’ stance something we can’t let happen because of a few misinformed bad apples within our midst.

Although the habit of unusually stepping out to condemn mismanagement and misappropriation following news articles is not expressly carved into our objectives, it would be irresponsible of CIYDA not to mention it in line with our own services areas, namely, Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Mentorship and Volunteering. It is undeniable that for all these services to be successful in the long run a robust approach to organisational governance has to be attached to them as well as educating our colleagues be it at ZIYON or in educational institutions on its importance.

CIYDA will continue to reach out to the vast Zimbabwean youths, who are undoubtedly in the majority who want to see a well rounded populace of young people in Zimbabwe. These are the young people who continue to defy the seemingly infamous unwritten code and want to see a better country where youths are at the forefront development and not mismanagement and misappropriation.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, CIYDA Executive Director, CIYDA Team or CIYDA Associates.

For the purpose of this blog post CIYDA would like to put it on record that as an organisation it has not received any funds directly or indirectly from any national or international nongovernmental organisation to date. Any funds received will be rightfully declared to our members for the purpose of our continued commitment to transparency.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Trust Gets You Farther

September 10, 2009 - As one anonymous writer put it, "It takes years to build up trust but only a few seconds to destroy it...".

It wasn't until I read a blog post from one of my favourite writer on volunteering and NGOs (Mark Horoszowski), that a conversation I had with a colleague recently was jolted to the foremost part of my brain. The issue of 'trust' was raised in the general context of CIYDA as a young an innovative NGO advocating for youth development in Zimbabwe and its relationship with other institutions, both public sector (governmental) and corporate.

In his article today Mark Horoszowski outlines a list of people and things that he trusts and also dis-trusts. Amongst others in his trust list were family, friends, politicians, 'real people' etc and in the dis-trust list were corporations, most organisations, most politicians, 'fake people' etc. Mark goes on to state that, "Whether you have written it out or not like I have, I am sure you are like me in that you have a 'trust' and 'don't trust' list. So does everybody else".

When trying to convince people to donate or volunteer to and for your cause, are you on their 'trust' or 'don't trust' list? If you are on their 'don't trust' list, you have two options:

1. Earn Trust
2. Find a trusted person to represent you and your cause

Read Mark's blog HERE.

Now as I said earlier having had a conversation that touched on trust issues recently and then reading this article prompted me to think about CIYDA and where we stand and how young people view our endeavors. In line with its short term to long term objectives, CIYDA has always strove to maintain its position as a young, innovative and transparent organisation with a simplistic insight, for the youths and by the youth...of Zimbabwe. We have no claim to fame that points out at what we have achieved to warrant your immediate trust but CIYDA is an organisation that has identified a need amongst our Zimbabwean youths that we believe both public and private sector entities are partially culpable for in our country. We will stop at nothing to ensure effective tools to youth development are explored in Zimbabwe, we will knock on all the appropriate doors as we believe we have a tangible and sustainable solution and it will be a shame to play in the hands of skeptics and be selective of whom or what we decide to work with in pursuing something we believe is beneficial to Zimbabwean youths.

CIYDA reiterates its position in willing to work with anyone that seeks to achieve the same levels of youth development in Zimbabwe as it aspires for. This is why in our quest to do so we have approached the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment in the Inclusive Government, private individuals at home and in Diaspora, corporate organisations at home, other NGOs at home and in Diaspora, all of different backgrounds. We believe everyone has something to bring to the table and should be allowed to do so as this is what we hope to foster in our organisation. The time of skepticism has passed, we need to start pulling in the same direction, yes there will be disagreements along the way but it's through productive dialogue between the youths as a united and unfaltering force and the influentials both in private and public sector that will make the difference we aspire for.

I am confident that with you as a Zimbabwean youths in your effort to continue learning more about CIYDA while at the same time CIYDA as a transparent organisation regularly furnishing you with its progress, whether irrelevant to you at that time or very significant, we can build trust and a lasting relationship. We are a young organisation so grow with us, look back with us in 10 years and nod in approval to the undoubted achievements we would have ALL overseen.

After all it takes long to build and earn your trust (a path we are confidently on at the moment)and only a few seconds to destroy, hence we are not gong to compromise that by embarking on misplaced agendas that can only serve to divide us. So if we are in your 'trusted' list, excellent and through our continued advocacy and project initiatives we will strive to remain there. If we are in your 'dis-trust' list then again we will continue to do what we are currently doing as we are confident we are on the right path thanks to the support of other youths as well as stakeholders and hope that one day you will recognize our effort and share in our vision for Zimbabwean youths and place us in your 'trust' list.

Thank you for all your support as CIYDA followers and our communication platforms remain open to you all.







Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Arts festival showcases untapped youth talent

September 09, 2009 - Richmore Tera points out in his article how the annual multi-disciplinary arts carnival — the Young Africa Arts Festival — which took place in Chitungwiza at the weekend (September 5th - 6th) , was a reflection of the abundance of untapped talent that lies in most high-density suburbs throughout Zimbabwe.

Tera pointed out how in such places youths lack proper support in terms of instruments and infrastructure to use, yet they are gifted with some of the finest talents whose lustre only becomes evident after numerous stakeholders in the arts industry chip in with the necessary resources and expertise.

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: It is enviable how Zimbabwe is graced with various youth talent yet at the same time reproachable to note such talent going untapped. Naturally the ignominy is born out of such talent not being tapped into but the shame that CIYDA can rightfully attribute to this situation is that, not only do we notice the talent, but we do nothing about it until someone comes along and realises the potential before we do or it's too late.

At the moment young Zimbabweans performers feel the need to emigrate to "greener pastures" in order for their talents to be realised. I mentioned in our September newsletter of an artist, Chengetai who has come very far and is continuing in her work to be a world renowned musician, albeit in France. Thankfully stars like Chengetai are still willing to come home and perform in association with CIYDA and be an inspiration to other young people. But that shouldn't end there.

In his article Tera laments the lack of support with regards to instruments for performers, but I would like to extend this further and say there is lack of support in general from what we at CIYDA have gathered. In our quest to bridge that gap between such Zimbabwean talent and would be supporters, CIYDA established the Social and Cultural Integration department which seeks, amongst other things to provide a platform for such young Zimbabwean talent as well as information that helps them break through the clutter in performing arts today. CIYDA's new media drive and social networking will undoubtedly go a long way in bringing such talent to light in Zimbabwe and get young people talking amongst themselves, as further highlighted in the article published in the CIYDA Knowledge Center, on how youths can learn from each other.

With the proposed Zimbabwe Youth Development Festival (ZYDFest 2009) taking shape, CIYDA will not only look to give such youths a networking platform but one to perform as the festival day will be capped with various home grown cultural performances.

So lets wake up Zimbabwean people and realize the talent in our midst. If not for this immediate unfortunate stream of marginalized and gifted youths, lets do it as a first step in fostering effective realization and developing of talent as a country.

Disclaimer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

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CIYDA Gazette September 2009 Issue

Ciyda Gazette September 2009 Issue

View more documents from Fungai Alexander Mapondera.

The Importance of Building Foundations for Youths

August 24, 2009 - Leaders around the world have been urged to show interest in youth pressure and ways to reduce corruption among the entire society. The call was made by a non governmental organisation (NGO) African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiative (AFPLI)), which is based in the United States and Nigeria.

Speaking at the recent International Youth Day (IYD) celebration in Lagos, titled 'The role of youth in building a peaceful nation', the President of AFPLI, Dr. Titus Oyeyemi, tasked the leaders on the need to build a solid foundation and erect cornerstones for the emancipation of the youth in the new millennium.

The foundation and cornerstones include qualitative, unhindered, uninterrupted education opportunities, full employment, health care system, social security, political stability, provision and maintenance of good roads system, power supply, and communication.

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: With Zimbabwe going through a serious transition the our aspirations for the prosperous future and the success of Zimbabwean youths, together with that of the rest of Africa are strongly aligned with those of Dr. Titus Oyeyemi. Once we turn that corner as a country there is no looking back that is why CIYDA has taken it upon itself to actively advocate for a greater role and consideration of youths in the development of Zimbabwe. With a strong foundation of close relationships between youths, government and corporate sector free from unhindered, uninterrupted education opportunities, full employment, health care system, social security, political stability the future is undoubtedly bright for the Zimbabwean youths.

We should therefore seek to elicit positives from this situation we face as a country and take it upon ourselves to remedy some of the problems that have seen youths marginalised over time. In echoing Dr. Titus Oyeyemi's words, such endevours can only fail to be achieved when those in authority neglect, deny, refuse or fail to build on these new foundations, while instead pursuing selfish agendas, corrupt ambitions and risking shame and blame at the same time.

In its effort to play its part CIYDA is indefatigably working to see to it that it's information hub will meet the needs of every Zimbabwean youth in all possible areas needy of development such as business development, social and cultural integration, mentorship and volunteering, no matter where they are. CIYDA's information hub seeks to guarantee a constant communication platform between government, private sector and the youths.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

South Africa is full of ideological hypocrites

August 14, 2009 - South Africa is full of ideological hypocrites.
The storm surrounding ANC Youth League President Julius Malema's criticism of President Jacob Zuma's appointment of "minorities" to strategic economic positions, personifies this kind of hypocrisy and dishonesty.

Malema commented last week that all the security cluster ministers in President Jacob Zuma's cabinet were black while the economics cluster ministers were appointed from minority groups. And all hell broke loose.

Ministers Nathi Mthethwa, Jeff Radebe and Siyabonga Cwele are in charge of police, justice and state security respectively while Pravin Gordhan, Rob Davies and Ebrahim Patel are the ministers of finance trade and industry and economic development.

Read full text of what Julius Malema’s article HERE.

CIYDA Says: South Africa has long been cited as a ticking time bomb on many issues embedded in one common aspect, that of ‘race’. Post Zimbabwe land redistribution exercise there were stories in various respected media highlighting South Africa’s need for land redistribution as the poor black majority seemed marginalised and not party to the utilisation of the vast natural resources in South Africa. On the issue of land redistribution ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe was quoted in the Daily News as having said, “Equating land redistribution to "food insecurity" amounts to blackmail, and the land question will become a time bomb if not addressed”.

Despite its undoubted peace, tranquillity and economic growth there however remains an issue of the positive role indigenous blacks can play in South African society and its economic development and shaping its overall destiny as argued by Mr Julius Malema.

It is important to note at this stage that Zimbabwe in the past had minorities in what were arguable key ministries at the time as well as today, amongst them Dr Timothy Stamps who was the Minister of Health & Child Welfare from 1986 to 2002, Ms Fay Chung who was the Minister of Education from 1988 to 1993 and David Coltart who today is the Minister of Education in the Unity Government lead by President Robert Mugabe. Although express circumstances leading to the appointment of the above mentioned individuals are not known by CIYDA, we would like to think their credentials and record of delivery in these respective departments spoke for themselves. Furthermore being that Zimbabwe is a multi-race country a representative government was appropriate, something we are inclined to point out to Mr Malema in response to his comments on South Africa.

However in support of Mr Malema’s words on the need to build confidence in the markets that Africans are also capable of handling strategic positions in the economic sector [to banish the idea amongst] black youths not believing that one day they could work in the strategic economic positions. CIYDA says yes we need to encourage an environment that gives young indigenous African youths both black and white a platform that gives them positive aspirations to work towards the development of their countries. However we also need to educate the young people from an early age that being African is not synonymous with being black only, there is more to being African. It’s only through misinformation that young people can only be swayed by Mr Malema’s comments and actually believe that to be African you have to be black and to be seen to be an effective member of society you have to be white.

Black or white young Africans we can play a positive role in the development of our respective countries and Africa as a whole given a positive environment conducive to that agenda.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

How a rise in the share of youth in poorer countries could lead to unrest

August 13, 2009 - Is there foreseeable global instability from the rising youth (18 to 24 years old)figures in less developed countries?

Sandra Chin relays some recently published figures stating that:

Nearly 90 percent of today's 1.2 billion youth live in developing countries, says Carl Haub, senior demographer at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and co-author of the 2009 World Population Data Sheet, which was released on Aug. 12.

In contrast, back in 1950, 70 percent of youth, or 323 million, lived in developing countries.

In some poorer countries, the youth population may more than double between now and 2050.

A relatively large youth population can be a good thing when it swells the working population. With the right investments, health, education, agricultural development, and training, a youth "bulge" can offer a country a chance to develop and drive its economic growth engine, according to a recently released Population Bulletin from the Population Reference Bureau.

Yet certain conditions could lay the groundwork for greater security challenges, whether within countries or globally. The lack of jobs or development within a country can lead to problems down the line, says Haub. "It all depends on whether the expectations of youth are met," he says.

When a large number of young working-age people can't find work, trouble often lurks on the horizon. Young people with few job prospects may resort to fomenting unrest or joining armed conflicts. Recent turmoil in Greece, Iran, France, and China has been linked to a lack of opportunities for young people to advance.

Some countries try to rein in population growth to promote stability...

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: I acknowledge that it is a challenge in itself trying to meet the needs and expectations of the youths but one that we can't stop looking for a sustainable solution to. The article highlights the rural to urban migration as compounding to the challenge by swelling the numbers of those seeking opportunities. That shouldn't be the case if governments and the private sector realised the potential in the rural areas and invested adequate resources in areas such as education, skills training, business start-up etc. Not only does this in itself create jobs and aspirations for the young people in that particular area but serves to stem the influx of youths into urban areas where they are faced with a lack of prospects.

With organisations like CIYDA looking to move within the rural areas of Zimbabwe and establish working centres there, working alongside young people and offering advice in various aspects of business start-up, volunteering, mentorship e.t.c. I am confident such a proactive step will play a crucial part in attempting to meet the basic developmental needs of the Zimbabwean youths in the rural areas. Undoubtedly with such a sustainable initiative that will see a stream of empowered youth emerging, it wouldn't be surprising to see a shift in the trend when urban youths start looking to the rural areas for aspirations.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Youth Empowerment: A Sustainable Life-Long Security

August 10, 2009 - "Youth participation and empowerment are a sustainable life-long security for any nation including The Gambia," the Gambian vice president said. According to her, the youths are the building blocks for The Gambia's development process.

This comes hardly as a surprise as most countries across the world move to position their youths for future success by equipping them with the relevant tools for development. The vice president further reiterated that the sky is the limit for any young person who is willing to embrace positive attitudinal change to become a productive asset of his or her own country.

Undoubtedly the sky is the limit for an young person wishing to pursue their dreams and become a positive asset for the nation. Unfortunately for years that phrase has been churned out to youths in educational institutions as well as in the community. But the phrase can only mean so much when embraced but with little support from government and private sector working together to put in place structures that allows one to aspire to reach for the stars.

It's well and true to say the sky is the limit, but honestly, the lack of adequate support and investment towards youth development is the real challenge and limit.

At CIYDA we seek to eliminate that challenge or invisible barrier for one to aspire to reach for the sky by trying to flatten the playing field, bring young people in, harnessing developmental resources as well as working hand in hand with governmental agencies and the private sector.

Youth participation and empowerment are a sustainable life-long security that Zimbabwe along with any other African country shouldn't take for granted.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

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Idle minds, social time bomb

August 4, 2009 - In her m&g.com article on idle youths in South Africa Primarashni Gower pointed out nearly three million of the 6,7-million young South Africans in the 18-to-24-year age group were unemployed or not receiving education and training in 2007 -- and they pose a threat of “serious social disruption”.

The research funded by the Ford Foundation and undertaken by the Cape-based Centre for Higher Education Transformation and the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Further Education and Training Institute found that the Reasons for young people not being in education or jobs include:

1.Lack of a diverse post-school public or private college sector;

2.Reduction in educational opportunities because of institutional mergers;

3.Failure of the sector education and training authorities to provide ?adequate learnerships;

4.Less labour market absorption because the government is not meeting the Asgisa target of 6% annual economic growth; and

5.The uncontrolled introduction of more than two million relatively well-educated foreign workers into the labour market.

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: Being that South Africans are our neighbours it's easy to see how this problem would easily mirror what is happening or has been happening in Zimbabwe for a long time. In 2002 unemployment in Zimbabwe amongst those 18-24 year old stood at 25%. From the 5 reasons cited above, two are of great significant to the situation in Zimbabwe, these are number 3 and 5.

With regards to point number 3 the same is true for Zimbabwe. Internship and apprenticeship opportunities have not been forthcoming for young people of lately. Without these most have seen themselves being swallowed into informal trade that gives them no adequate key skills for future employment prospects or any form of reference point in their young lives. Yes it's true most companies have not been willing to take on interns or apprentices due to the harsh economic situation but that is an invalid excuse. Internships and apprenticeships don't have to be costly for companies as most of these young people will work just for expenses as long as they attain the key skills and experience. This is where the government can come in and work with these companies and give them tax breaks or subsidise the cost of hiring an intern or apprentice. This staves the youth idleness and guarantees a ready and fully equipped populace of youths to place into work when the opportunities arise.

It is fair to say point number five has become a problem to South Africans thanks mainly to the educated and hard working Zimbabwean youths crossing into South Africa to obtain employment. There is however both sides to this coin, on the one hand as the government has avoided social time bomb of the same magnitude as that predicted here through this outlet valve of youths puring into South Africa it's nothing to be proud of. We have a serious problem on our hands as this massive brain drain will be difficult to stem in the near future unless something drastic is done. Again by creating beneficial apprenticeships and internships this could be the first step in trying to plug this leak. However more can be done in trying to nature our own entrepreneurs through business start-up support thereby creating not only a source of income for both the individuals and the country but creating jobs. If investing in one youth's project will mean indirectly stopping 5 youths from leaving to seek opportunities in South Africa then that's a positive start. This can only become a reality if the government takes it's role in youth development beyond it's current state and seek to work with the private sector and other visionary organisations like CIYDA.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.