Youth Action for Change (YAC)

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The Idea:

What will change in the world because this Project happens?

YAC is a global, youth-led organisation harnessing the power of ICTs to inspire and empower young people worldwide to become active changemakers in their own communities.

Since 2005, YAC has been offering young people in over 120 countries worldwide free online courses on a vast array of subjects – so as to equip them with the knowledge, tools and skills they need to design and implement youth-driven community development projects.

As of now, YAC has empowered over 1,000 young people, mainly in developing countries and economies in transition.

Thanks to our online courses, young people have been able to reach out to their communities and empower them, have successfully lobbied for local policies, have created new organisations and socially-minded businesses and above all, have gained self-confidence and a renewed hope and understanding that everyone can ‘be the change they want to see in the world’.

To be able to help young people worldwide even more, YAC is currently planning for three new and exciting projects that should: 1. help young people speak up for themselves and their communities at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, 2. organise initiatives and programs thanks to a brand-new, fully interactive website with innovative features and 3. help young people from conflict areas share their perspectives and story.

What information will people interact with to make this change?

Thanks to YAC online training courses and the above-mentioned programs, not only will hundreds of young people from all over the world have the chance to acquire new skills and bring about positive changes locally, they will most importantly be able to share their perscpetives and concerns at the UN and globally, hone their skills and become witnesses and speakers for the plights of their peers and communities. To be able to engage a global audience in young people’s projects and struggles, YAC will train young people to produce videos, podcasts, vodcasts, interviews and much more to showcase their work and projects. At the same time, it will provide them with interactive online tools to help them advance their ideas and initiatives. Global audiences will also be able to fully pertake by getting further information and materials by young people themselves, and will have the chance to engage in their work and help them in several ways, online.

What else have you done in this Cause Area?

We have offered several educational activities. Our activities are designed and supervised by young experts, and are effectively completed by the use of chats, wikis, forums, videos and more. We have designed and delivered activities in collaboration with several organisations, like UNFPA, Amnesty International and MTV. Because of its groundbreaking initiatives, YAC has received awards from the Ashoka Foundation, Nokia and the Council of Europe.

Cause Area:
Project URL:
http://www.youthactionforchange.org
Supporting Organization:
PNYV!, ICCHRA, International Youth Foundation, Earth Charter International, VITA Europe
Financial support?:
Yes
City:
Mezzago
State/Region:
Mi
Country:
Italy

The Assessment

What kind of help or resources do you need to turn your project idea into a completed mashup?

Marketing and PR, Advocacy, Fundraising, Technical Expertise.

Mashup Data Sources

The Team

Submitted by selenebiffi on March 14, 2008 - 6:58am

Comments

Possible collaboration

Great project Selene! I just gave it a star.

I too am Italy-based, and I work with small businesses in developing countries. Youth is very important in so many aspects. Look forward to telling you more about it.

Meanwhile, I have submitted a mashup project called Biz-o-mat which you can see here. It helps small businesses in developing countries.

If you like it, please give it a star before COB today.

Thanks! See you in California in May!

Submitted by Tora on March 14, 2008 - 3:18pm.