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.

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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.

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.

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.