final presentation: opportunities for youth … · final presentation: + 2 + 3 why focus on youth?...

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

FINAL PRESENTATION:

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Why focus on youth?

Around the world, youth are struggling to find work. And although the reasons are well known—poor education, poor governance, poor economies—the problem is only growing. In both developed and developing countries, youth-centric solutions are scarce.

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Why is this true?

For many, whether they be policy makers or potential

employers, unemployment is seen an adult problem. Adults

have families, homes, financial burdens. Youth, those between

15 and 24 years of age, have seemingly fewer responsibilities,

fewer dependents, and fewer skills. This makes them easier

dismiss—whether from a single job, or from the larger political

conversation. And that dismissal is only increasing

Between 2008 and 2009, when the global economic crisis

was at its peak, the number of unemployed youth increased

by an unprecedented 4.5 million—striking when compared

with pre-crisis numbers of 100,000 youth per year. By the end

of 2010, there were an estimated 75.1 million young people

in the world struggling to find work – 4.6 million more than

in 2007. And currently, youth are three times as likely as

adults to be unemployed. This represents a waste of not only

of a generation, but of an enormous human resource.

Youth are at a critical inflection point in their lives. They are

the midst of a highly transitional period, one that influences

a young person’s worldview and that actively shapes who

they will become. Youth are open to change, comfortable

with risk, and intimately connected to their creativity and

ambition. They are filled with eagerness and energy, and

they are ready to work.

What happens to youth without employment, without an

outlet to this energy? What are the possibilities for those

whom education was never an option ? As increasingly

despondent and disenfranchised youth let their frustration

show from Egypt to Tunisia to the United States, the world is

beginning to find out.

The youth of today will define the tenor, capacity, and

capabilities of our future workforce. They will come to

define the success of our economies and the well-being

of our world. So to gain global stability, the issue of youth

employment must become a priority for all governments. Old

problems must be reframed, and new perspectives sought.

So how might the Rockefeller Foundation start to solve for

this crisis? How might we put the world’s next generations to

work?

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IndiaOne of the densest countries on the planet and home to 20% of the world’s total youth population

TanzaniaA weak agriculturally-based economy experiencing rapid urbanization

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Old Problems, Reframed

We were inspired by the people we met and the places we explored within our research. These firsthand experiences gave us new perspectives on issues within youth employment, and led us to reframe three big problems:

1. Information Access2. Small Business Growth 3. Employment Readiness

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Information AccessPROBLEM 1:

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Problem 1: Information Access

Existing ProblemThere are more people than jobs.

Current ApproachCreate more jobs or create more skilled employees for a competitive market.

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What we learned�

“When I came to Dar my much more expensive and difficult than I

expected.”

– Martin, driver

Urban jobs for rural migrants are

often unstable. Most people find

work but it is intermittent and

inconsistent, and life is more

expensive.

“When I came to Mumbai my only option was to get a job in a restaurant because that’s where everyone from Bangalore worked.”

– Krishna

People who go to the city and

return to the village tend to be

risk-takers and early adopters.

“Once young people see that they

can really increase their income

through better farming practices,

they no longer feel they need to

go to the city.”

– Nicoleta, SwissContact


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MartinAt fourteen Martin left school and began to farm full time on his family’s land. He grew and sold enough maize to open a small shop, and made just enough money to set out for Dar and find a higher paying job as a driver. But the dream of a better life proved to still be a long way off. He had a hard time finding a job and for two months he found himself homeless, living in a bus station and off of his savings.

After Martin located his sister, he found a driving school, but getting a license was much more expensive

and difficult than he expected. He stuck to it and earned his license but could only find part time, piecemeal work as a helper on Pepsi delivery trucks. Finally, many years later, he has saved enough to rent a taxi from a friend and pay for the parking space outside of the Kempinski hotel where he waits for customers. Now

32, Martin makes enough to support his wife and two young kids who live with him in Dar es Salaam.

“When I came to Dar I didn’t know where to start. I couldn’t find my sister and I couldn’t find work. I ended up sleeping in a bus station for two months.”

Age: 30

Occupation: Driver

Aspiration: Provide for his children so

they can be educated


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“City life is unpredictable. It’s good when you have a job, but it’s one of the worst experiences when you don’t.”

ZakiiZakii grew up in a village in northern India. Moradabad was the closest big city, so he decided to migrate there when he was 21 despite the warning of his friends that the jobs most migrants found were dangerous and unstable. Once in the city, it took him awhile to find a job, and coping with urban expenses was difficult. When he finally found employment it lasted only for a few months because the factory he worked at shut down after a fire. After a few weeks without finding another job, he decided to go back home.

Going back to the village meant going back to the farm. Zakii became an early adopter of new farming technology that made his farm much more productive. “Farming is the best job,” he says. “You work for yourself, you provide food to your family, and,

if you have the right tools, you can make more money.” Now, Zakii encourages his neighbors to stay in the village and increase farm productivity through better practices. He is looking forward to expanding his farm and his business.

Age: 24

Occupation: Farmer

Aspiration: Ramp up his farming business


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Youth believe that better and more diverse employment options exist in the city. But how available are those opportunities for migrants?

Rural youth are migrating despite very limited employment leads and personal connections in the city. What if young rural migrators were able to clearly see what options awaited them in the city?

Rural youth who choose to move to the city are often risk takers with bigger ambitions What if these young people are tomorrow’s entrepreneurs?


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What if?

BOARDJOB FORCASTING

Imagine creating a job navigator, a platform where employment information is readily accessible to potential young migrants.

Enable migrators to better plan ahead by

including current and projected job postings.

Expand their natural social and professional

networks by providing updated and accurate,

information about job availability.

Young migrators are preparing to leave for

cities with information that is obscured and

unreliable.

From To

Imagine fostering returning leaders, leveraging the skills of reverse migrants and supporting them to create diverse opportunities within their rural villages.

Create more diverse and desirable options in

rural areas by encouraging returning migrants

to become business leaders within rural

communities. Leverage qualities and skills

and support them through entrepreneurship

centers and advisory services.

Young migrators often move to the city alone,

leaving social safety nets behind. Many would

return to the village if they had alternative

employment options or ways of increasing

their income on the farm.

From To

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BLOOMBERG

Uses financial software to predict

stock market performance

INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION

Helps migrants to integrate into

new communities and facilitates

voluntary returns

BABAJOBS

Connects informal workers with

possible employers in India through

an online and mobile platform

LINKED IN

Connects employers to job

candidates and allows individuals

to build employment profiles

MEBTI

Provides training and advice to

rural entrepreneurs

Analogous Inspiration

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Existing ProblemThere are more people than jobs.

Current ApproachCreate more jobs or create more skilled employees for competitive market


So, the traditional framing....

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Reframed:

Markets are inefficient in their ability to connect and reveal opportunities.

So instead, focus on connecting migrants to better information around existing job opportunities.

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Theory of Change

Ambitious young people facing bleak prospects in the village will often seek opportunities in cities more readily than older people with dependent families. Yet employment opportunities for these young job seekers are largely disconnected, leading to flows of misguided migrants.

By revealing more reliable and actionable information about employment, migrating youth have better job options and the labor market runs more efficiently.

Youth constitute a significant part of all migrants“Indian data suggest that 29.9% of all rural-urban migrants are between 15 and 25 years old.” - United Nations Development Programme, 2009

Rural-Urban migration will still be dramatic in the future“Urban population will increase by 2 billion people and one of the main driving forces will be rural urban migration”

- Committee on Populations, National Research Council, 2006

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Additional Problems• Overpopulation in cities, stress on

infrastructure, urban poverty

• Depletion of manpower and resources from rural areas

• Loss of social safety nets in urban areas

• Cash flow issues of migrant workers

• Housing scarcity/quality of housing for newly arrived migrants

• Additional transition challenges

Learning Questions

• What types of employment information (e.g. location, pay, qualifications) are missing for migrants and other job seekers?

• What are innovative and effective platforms for this kind of information sharing?

• What are the most important, effective and used modes of communication among young migrators?

• Beyond information, what other resources do youth need in order to take advantage of unrevealed opportunities?

• What incentives do employers have to contribute to this initiative?

• How might the quality and accuracy of information be ensured?


Employment opportunities and vulnerable job seekers are largely

This reframe helps us think about the problem of information access within a larger system.

migrants.

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Organizations

Highlighted below are organizations that create digital, mobile, and/or analog platforms for connecting people to jobs, use geographic reference points to organize information, leverage social meda to increase access to information, or forecast data. Also included are organizations that sell or provide rural technology and business incubation.

B A B A J O B S

Connects job seekers with potential employers in the informal sector in India through an online platform

U S H A H I D I

Collects open source information and displays real time data geographically and visually

C A R O L I N A

F O R K I B E R A

Acts as an employment agency for people living in Kibera, connecting them with job opportunities

M E B T I

Supports rural entrepreneurs with training, resources, and advice to launch businesses

T E C H N O S E R V E

Helps turn farms into businesses by improving practices and connecting farmers to markets to increase profitability

N F T E

Runs entrepreneurship programs with youth and helps them identify business opportunities

G O O G L E

Uses information available through their online platforms to predict patterns such as flu trends

I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R G A N I Z A T I O N F O R M I G R AT I O N

Facilitates flow of migrants and voluntary returns


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Small Business Growth PROBLEM 2:

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Existing ProblemSmall businesses are not as productive as they could be and are not growing as a result.

Current ApproachCreate access to capital so businesses can invest in needed assets through debt or long savings periods.

Problem 2: Small Business Growth

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Problem 1: Employment Access

The laundry workers at Dhobi

Ghat. Mumbai’s largest open air

laundry share their facilities with

over 200 families.

“Kids have ideas but they don’t

have access to anything to help

them grow.”

- Chen, MEBTI

“They donated this sophisticated

woodworking machinery to the

center. We can’t envision when

these boys would have access to this

eqiupment in the future, so we don’t

train them how to use it.”

– Joe, Dogodogo Centre

“The skills to shoot and edit

video are pretty basic, but the

hardest thing about getting into

film production is the cost of

the equipment. And equipment

becomes obsolete really fast.”

- Irene, Get Real Training

A significant amount of space in

the slum of Dharavi is used for

production. Roofs are centers of

industry, full of workers drying

plastics, dying fabric and collecting

metal.

What we learned�

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“Owning a taxi would let me earn more money, but saving for it takes much time.”

RamRam is a dedicated driver and a loving father often stretched thin by financial challenges.

He is originally from rural India, a place more than eight hours away from Delhi. When he was 16, his brother invited him to come to the city so he could train him as a driver. Now 34, being a driver is the only profession he has ever had.

In India, being a driver can be tough. It is a relatively unskilled job and competition is high, so taxi car

owners take advantage by seizing nearly all profits. Not surprisingly, Ram longs to have his own car. “I’d like to buy a taxi,” he says. “But school for my kids is first.”

And he manages to send them to private school. “Education is most important,” Ram says. “So for me to buy a taxi will take many, many years, maybe even in my next life.”

Age: 34

Occupation: Driver

Aspiration: To own his own

transportation business


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ShakerShaker is a man of many talents who has managed to have a world of experiences without needing to leave Mumbai. His friendliness, curiosity, and mastery of English has made him fast friends with many who arrive in India as tourists.

He works part time as a tour guide in the slums of Dharavi (where he also lives), DJs occasionally at clubs, and picks up freelance work as a photographer and a photographer’s assistant, including working with The New York Times. He is entirely

self-taught. “Tourists would ask me to take photos of them,” he explains. “So that’s how I learned how to use a camera: one photo at a time.” After several years of saving, he now owns his own. Despite his passion for photography, Shaker says he does not consider it a viable course of employment because it requires significant investment and lacks community and stability. “And right now,” he says, “I’m focused on saving up for my sister’s dowry.”

“It took me a really long time to save up, but the day I bought my first camera was the best day of my life. I actually cried.”

Age: 24

Occupation: Varied

(photographer, tour guide, DJ)

Aspiration: Work on a ship to

be able to see the world, or a

government job


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Vulnerable youth are risky choices for banks, and the amount of time it takes to save for assets is lengthy if not entirely prohibitive. What could youth do if they had access to assets without taking on debt?

Underused assets are everywhere. What if these assets could be leveraged to increase business opportunities for youth?


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What if?

Imagine pooling resources to create collaborative assets, enabling vulnerable youth to become productive faster.

By sharing collective assets and using them

on lending or rental basis, we can shorten the

timeframe for a young person to become more

productive, self-employed, or an entrepreneur.

If youth currently have to save for a long

time to own a productive asset, how might

we evolve the idea of collective consumption

to include shared assets and collective

production?

From To

ASSET ACQUIRED ASSET ACQUIRED

Imagine giving youth rights to community assets and challenging them to launch businesses creatively.

Designate space for youth to design their own

businesses. Create programs that allow youth

to reimagine and transform underutilized

spaces into places of income generation.

Provide youth with legitimized revenue

streams by granting them rights to work as

self-employed entities (e.g. concession sales,

waste picking) within existing spaces.

Cities claim to be centers of efficiency, but

there are many spaces within cities that go

underused. At the same time, vulnerable

youth have very limited access to productive

spaces and assets. How might cities and

communities, reimagined, become allies of

youth employment?

From To

Imagine mobilzing diverse assets amongst villages, increasing productivity and business opportunities for youth.

To shorten the distance, put productive assets on

wheels. Create mobile resource centers that travel

along a designated route, providing villagers access

to tools and technologies that can be shared or

rented through lending programs. By making the

assets mobile and serving many villages at once,

the population density needed to make this is a

sustainable business model is achieved.

Villages are limited by their small scale

and undiverse economies. Large distances

and limited transportation options often

make travel between villages prohibitive for

collaboration and trade.

From To

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MOBILE COMPUTER LABGives computer lessons in a truck equipped with computers andsatellite connection

TECHSHOPGives access to industrialtools and equipment to its members

GLOBAL VILLAGECONSTRUCTION SETAllows the fabrication of 50 different industrial machines with the same initial parts

TRACTOR SHAREEmpowers farmers in developing nations bylending tools for increasedproductivity

DHOBI GHATWashes clothes in an open laundry space. It employs about 200 families. The space was a grant by the British government to wash the soldier’s clothes


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Existing ProblemSmall businesses are not as productive as they could be and are not growing as a result.

Current ApproachCreate access to capital so businesses can invest in needed assets through debt or long savings periods.



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Reframed:

Youth can’t build and grow small businesses because they don’t have the money neeeded to invest in productive assets--and they are risky investments for banks.

So instead of focusing on capital, provide less costly and more immediate access to assets.

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Theory of Change

Healthy economies thrive on the growth of small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures—but both need productive assets and creative people behind them in order to grow. Young people often have that kind latent creativity, drive, and talent, but have no access to productive assets. And acquiring those assets can be a challenge, as youth are both risky investments for banks and impatient when it comes to saving.

Designing new avenues for young people to gain rights, acquire assets, and use spaces allow youth to both start new businesses as well as help existing small businesses to grow and thrive.

Traditional solutions are expensive and out of reach of youth “Microfinance rates vary from country to country, on average they are above 35%” - Consultative Group to Assist the Poor

Underutilized assets abound “Italy went through an exercise identifying underutilized public assets. Even when half of the municipalities failed to provide necessary information, the value of the assets was about 30% of Italy’s GDP.”

– International Monetary Fund Working Paper, 2000

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Additional Problems• Social disconnection within and amongst

communities

• Lack of access to other types of resources (health, food, energy, sanitation)

• Lack of economic diversity in rural areas

• Mistrust between youth and public/business and government

• Rural isolation: villages unconnected to markets and other villages

Learning Questions• What assets are generally underutilized with

a single owner?

• What assets are technically and economically feasible to share/to own collectively?

• What assets are most desired and useful for youth entrepreneurs?

• What are innovative ownership structures for shared asset consumption?

• How can youth be mobilized to build businesses and take advantage of assets?

• What other support (e.g. training, advice) could be coupled with assets to create sustainable businesses?


This reframe helps us think about the problem of small business growth within a larger system.

migrants.

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M A P K I B E R A

With help of the community they map the largest slum in Africa

K O U N K U E Y D E S I G N

Transforms impoverished communities by building productive public spaces

U S H I R I K A U S A F I L A I N I K I B E R A

Runs a community kitchen in the largest slum in Kenya

Z O O M T A N Z A N I A

Allows people to rent their assets through an online platform

D R E A M C AT C H E R S

Empowers youth to start social enterprises

R U D I

Facilitates farmers to co-own warehouse facilities

J U M A V E N T U R E S

Connects youth with social enterprises that place youth in income generation activities

T R A C T O R S H A R E

Lends equipment to farmers in Mexico and the Caribbean

Organizations

Highlighted below are organizations that public concessions to encourage sustainable businesses that share assets or facilitate the sharing of assets in both urban or rural areas.

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Employment ReadinessPROBLEM 3:

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Existing ProblemFormal education is not producing youth with foundational skills like confidence, teamwork, and critical problem solving--skills that employers need.

Current Approach Focus on fixing the formal education system to deliver foundational skills.

Problem 3: Employment Readiness

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“School replaces critical

thinking with memorization. In

the end, it really does more harm

to these kids than good.”

– Ravi, director of Manzil

“Schools are not producing

candidates with life skills, and

really that is what we desire

more than anything.”

– Sumit, HR director at Godrej

Employers occassionally

recognize students from informal

schools, although this tends to

happen on a very ad hoc basis.

“I was trained as a teacher, but

when I graduated from university I

learned very quickly that I should

take any job I could get.”

– Pancrasia, program officer

at CAMFED Tanzania

“In ten years, schools as we know

them may be obsolete.”

– Sonali, Youth Ventures

What we learned�

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KhushbooAs a child, Khushboo was abandoned by her family at a boarding school in Gujarat. At 12, she renounced her father’s tuition and chose to become a ward of the state. Now she runs her own non-profit to help other young women coming out of orphanages enter into the mainstream. “These girls have a really hard time of it after living in an institution for so long,” she says. “Some of these girls don’t even know how to use money, and they certainly don’t know how to go about finding a job.”

Khusboo herself wants to study but the pressures of working and going to school forced her to drop out of university. She still thinks school is important but wants the her life and work experience to count, too.

“Young people aren’t getting the exposure they need,” she says. “At school you only get one side of the coin. But at [the afterschool program] Youth Venture, we learn to identify our passion. We learn that everyone has a talent. We learn compassion, empathy, those kinds of things. And those are the things that I use in my own work every day.”

“At school you only get one side of the coin. At Youth Venture we learn things you can’t learn in the classroom.”

Age: 22

Occupation: Admin Assistant + NGO Founder

Aspiration: Build her social enterprise to impact

more women


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“The most important things I learned at boarding school were things I taught myself.”

AkshayAkshay is a seventeen-year-old with the savviness, charm and wisdom of a much older man.

He has an obvious independent streak and speaks frankly about being poor. As a kid he attended boarding school and had little to live off of, so he polished other student’s shoes for money. “It was embarassing because I was working like this in a nice school,” he said. “But it taught me how to be independent, and showed me I could make it on my own.” He also found a music

teacher and a soccer coach at school that he saw as mentors. “They taught me how to be confident,” he says. “I was eager to graduate. They told me that once you go through those gates, that’s when real life starts.”

Due to ongoing issues with his father, Akshay ran away from home and now lives alone in the slum of Dharavi, supporting himself. He is currently enrolled in university but has dropped out several times because of lack of money. “I know English, though,” he said. “So I should be able to find a good job even without a degree.”

Age: 17

Occupation: Tour Guide + Student

Aspiration: To get a government job or

run his own business


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Youth are often finding formal education doesn’t teach them what they need to gain employment. What if formal education isn’t the answer?

Some youth are gaining foundational skills through indirect experiences and informal institutions. What if employers knew how to find and hire these young people?


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What if?

Imagine designing a new employment standard, a system where foundational skills are recognized and lead to employment.

Create an employability system that shares

vocabulary around acquiring, measuring, and

recognizing foundational skills in the labor

market.

Today, despite the fact that the formal

education system is not producing candidates

with solid foundational skills, the diploma

still acts as a proxy for employability. Formal

schools are expected to create employable

citizens, but they are graduating youth without

the right skills.

From To

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KARATE BELT SYSTEMUses multiple informal and independent schools to teach and gauge skills worldwide

BOY SCOUTSUses a badge system to signal the member’s skills and coordinates local chapters at a national level

SLOW FOODCoordinates efforts among organizations in the food industry at a global level to preserve and promote traditional cuisine

YELPUses people’s reviews to evaluate local businesses

G.E.D. Grants degrees equivalent to high school education


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Existing ProblemFormal education is not producing youth with foundational skills like confidence, teamwork, and critical problem solving--skills that employers need.

Current Approach Focus on fixing the formal education system to deliver foundational skills..



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Reframed:

Foundational skills are being developed, but it is happening outside the formal structure and at a small scale.

So instead increase access, capacity and recognition around foundational skills outside of formal education.

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Theory of Change

Employers need employees with solid foundational skills. Some resourceful youth are finding these skills through programs, experiences, and institutions outside of the formal education system.

By developing a common vocabulary to recognize and measure foundational skills, and increasing the capacity of informal institutions to provide them, many more vulnerable youth will have access to a broader range of employment options.

For many youths, education does not mean employability“90% general college graduates cannot find a job in India” - National Association of Software and Service Companies (India), 2009

Most employers are looking for foundational skills“All employers are looking for the same soft skills, whereas professional skills vary among sectors” - The World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 2011

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Additional Problems• Employers lack robust pool of qualified

candidates

• Employers don’t know much about potential candidates

• Judgment and class divide that exists between employers and vulnerable youth

• The formal school system is overburdened

• Informal institutions lack coordination, capacity, and possibly cooperation

Learning Questions• How can informal institutions participate

collectively in linking foundational skills with employment?

• What is the range/reach of successful informal institutions that provide solid foundational skills?

• What are the ways that employers could recognize skills acquired outside of formal education?

• What are the best channels to communicate the importance of foundational skills to youth?

• What are innovative models of standards/certification that are recognized as high quality?

This reframe helps us think about the problem of employment readiness within a larger system.

migrants.


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Organizations

Below are organizations that build foundational skills, develop or implement educational standards and certification, and develop and/or facilitate rating systems


M A N Z I L

Informal school that teaches foundational skills, English, and computer skills to marginalized youth

V I D Y A A N D C H I L D

Uses art, media, exposure and peer support as a way to teach foundational skills in youth

I N T E R N A T I O N A L Y O U T H F O U N D AT I O N A L

Implements innovative education models globally

E D U C A T I O N F O R E M P L O Y M E N T

Teaches foundational and vocational skills in youth • Connects youth to employment opportunities

A S P I R I N G M I N D S

Tests youth’s skills and shares the results with employers that use them for recruitment

B U R R P . C OM

Provides a online platform to evaluate products, services and establishments

B O Y A N D G I R L S C O U T S O F A M E R I C A

Builds foundational skills in youth and gauges them through a badge system

A M E R I C A N C O U N C I L O N E D U C AT I O N

Develops the GED tests, which certify high-school academic level

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1. Connect young migrants to better information around job opportunities

2. Create less costly and more immediate access to productive assets for youth

3. Increase access, capacity, and recognition around foundational skills outside of formal education

Three Reframed Opportunities

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Thank you

final presentation: opportunities for youth … · final presentation: + 2 + 3 why focus on youth?...

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