West Africa Regional Workshop on Youth, Information and Communication Technologies and Global Challenges, 21 & 22 May 2014, Accra/Ghana
West Africa Regional Workshop on
Youth, Information and Communication Technologies and Global Challenges
21 & 22 May 2014
Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Accra/Ghana
Organizer:
International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges
supported by:
- National Youth Authority of Ghana
- Ministry of Communications, Ghana
- High Commission of Canada – Ghana Program DFATD
Workshop Objective:
Contributing to Youth engagement and Youth empowerment through modern Information and Communication Technologies in the context of Millennium Development Goals and post2015 Development Agenda with a particular focus on exploring the potentials and feasibility of IAAI’s institutional and technological innovation “Global Challenges Youth and ICT Centers” in West African context for Fostering Entrepreneurship and Action oriented Civic Engagement of Young people in post2015 Sustainable Development Agenda by providing Internet Access, Collaborative Space, advanced Information and Communication Technologies Infrastructure as well as Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Services in partnership with local, national and international private and public partners with particular consideration of United Nations programs and goals.
At the workshop a group of about 40-60 participants (youth representatives, ICT experts, social entrepreneurs, public sector, universities, ..) will discuss Information and Communication Technology (ICT) needs for youth led civic engagement in global Sustainable Development Action in West African context.
The workshop in Accra is a preparatory workshop for the International Conference “Sustainable Development, Innovation and Youth” taking place 4 – 6 June 2014 in Klagenfurt/Austria and shall explore how a planned “Global Hub on Youth, ICT and Innovation for Sustainable Development” based in Klagenfurt/Austria could interact and support youth engagement in Sustainable development action in West African countries’ context – especially so with regard to setting up a global network of Global Challenges Centers as local level ICT and knowledge nodes of a global action network for sustainable development.
The outcomes of the Accra workshop will be presented at above mentioned International Conference in June in Austria and guide further efforts on establishing pilot Global Challenges Youth and ICT centers in West African countries.
Draft Agenda (as of 11 April 2014, several speakers still to be confirmed):
Day 1 – 21 May 2014
9.00 AM Welcome by the Organizers and Partners of the Event and other VIPs
10.00 AM Tour de Table –
11.00 AM Coffee Break
12.30 Discussion
1.00 PM Lunch
3.00 PM Presentation of Youth, ICT and Innovation Programs and Initiatives – IAAI and Partners
5.00 Related ICT for Development programs of UN agencies, Official Development Providers and Foundations in West African countries and Youth Perspectives
7.00 Dinner and Social Program – meeting local culture, young social entrepreneurs, etc.
Day 2 – 22nd May
9.00 Presentation of Good Practice cases of Youth Led ICT Based Action for Addressing Global Challenges in West Africa and Identifying Key Enabling Factors
10.00 Working Groups on country specific GloCha Centers Establishment Action Plans
12.00 Presentation of outcomes of the working Groups and Conclusions
13.00 The End of the Workshop – The Beginning of a new promising Journey of West African Youth towards ICT empowered globally connected youth focused development
Local Organizer: Maxwell Adew, IAAI Representative in Ghana, maxwell (at) glocha.info; +233543688768
Accra Workshop Organizing committee:
– Miroslav Polzer, secretary general of IAAI polzer (at) glocha.info
– Jean Paul Brice Affana, Head of Youth programs at IAAI and IAAI representative in Cameroon jeanpaul (at) glocha.info
– Maxwell Adeo Adew, IAAI representative in Ghana maxwell (at) glocha.info
– Abdrahamane Ouedraogo, IAAI representative in Burkina Faso, oabdrahamane (at) gmail.com
– Purpose Osamwonyi Iserheinrhien, IAAI representative in Nigeria posaworld (at) yahoo.com
– Elizabeth Rasekoala, Executive Director, African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology (ACNST), Cape Town, South Africa, lizrasekoala (at) hotmail.com
– Ravi Karkara, Expert Advisor Children & Youth (Global), United Nations Human Settlements Programme, United Nations Millennium Campaign; Chair of the IANYD Sub-Working Group on Youth in Post-2015 agenda; karkara (at) un.org
– Antonio Palazuelos Prieto, Cape Verde Youth Federation; palazuelos.prieto (at) gmail.com
Accra Workshop on West African Youth, ICT and global Challenges is a +socialgood event
+SocialGood platform unites a global community of innovators around a shared vision:
The power of technology and new media to make the world a better place: www.plussocialgood.org
Annex
Global Challenges Youth and ICT Centers
Business Model / List of Services
(Note: this list contains a wide range of potential activities of GloCha Centers in line with long-term strategy and systems analysis considerations of IAAI/GloCha Global Action Network. Most activities for the time being exist only on paper and individual GloCha Centers will choose for their portfolio those activities which are most in line with their needs and potentials and develop them further in an open collaborative innovation and learning framework together with IAAI, IAAI’s partner institutions and other GloCha Centers who work on related activities)
Mission Statement:
Fostering Entrepreneurship and Action oriented Civic Engagement of Young people in post2015 Sustainable Development Agenda by providing Internet Access, Collaborative Space, advanced Information and Communication Technologies Infrastructure as well as Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Services in partnership with local, national and international private and public partners with particular consideration of United Nations programs and goals.
Vision:
Global Challenges Youth and ICT Centers network shall develop into a fast growing global “innovation ecosystem” and global “network of trust” that will empower Local Communities and Young People in developed as well as underdeveloped countries and locations to address in a Global Action Network framework concrete social challenges such as Gender Equality, Youth Employment, Equity and Sharing of Resources, Social Cohesion, Security and Conflict Resolution in the context of globally agreed post2015 sustainable development goals and global climate change mitigation and adaptation framework.
- Connectivity! – Internet Service Provider (USP: Satellite based connection) of particular importance for Africa and Asia
- Global Challenges Learning Hub
- Capacity Building, Verification and Quality Assurance Services for Mobilization of financial Resources from Local and Global Sources with Particular Focus on International Crowdfunding Platforms
- Basics: Workshops and Trainings on Challenges Mapping / Global Challenges Actionpedia (Social Innovation Mapping) / Crowdevaluation (in connection with c. and d.)
- Digital Entrepreneurship Training Programs
- Services facilitating Innovative Financing of Education for Sustainable Development Programs in Schools (in connection with Regiowiki & Citizen Science programs)
- Innovative Financing of Global Challenges oriented Social Entrepreneurs
- ICT Services for Youth engagement in eGovernance for Sustainable Development (incl. Foresight)
- Sports and Cultural Events Management in connection with Smart Sustainable Urban Development: Fostering Sustainable Developemnt and Global Citizenship through local contributions to global Games, Music and Sports competitions
- Practical Support and Space for Young (Social) Entreprenerus (Open Technology Lab type of self-organized services: providing an open space for creative and technology related activities of young social entrepreneurs); Funding: local and global Community Development programs, entrepreneurship promotion programs,etc.
- Diaspora Networking – Mobilizing intellectual and financial resources of diaspora communities for youth leadership in sustainable development action in their West African countries of origin (IAAI reference: Workshop Mobilize Diaspora 4SD in Sarajevo/Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011 http://www.glocha.info/index.php/latest-news/167-sarajevo-workshop
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Global Youth Hub on ICT and Innovation for Sustainable Development (YouthICT4SD Hub) Klagenfurt:
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The Hub’s draft Mission Statement:
(to be elaborated further at Sustainable Development, Innovation and Youth Conference in Klagenfurt/Austria 5 & 6 June 2014 based also on the outcomes of Accra Workshop)
Harnessing the creativity, skills, passion and entrepreneurship of global youth for global common well-being through research, technology development, knowledge management and capacity building with a particular focus on Information and Communication Technology
- – Research on global added value of youth local action and vice-versa
- – Become a global youth pulse – what are youth issues (twitter, FB, etc.)
- – Thematic lab on youth and global challenges
- – Research and Capacity Building on Innovation Management and Social Entrepreneurship led by youth on sustainable development
- – Youth online participatory platform
- – Annual gathering on youth led innovation (summer school and conference)
- – Open online courses on global citizenship, sustainable development and relevant ICT capacity building
- – Interaction with Global Challenges ICT and Youth Nodes around the World
- – Promotion of Youth Engagement in Wikimedia based Knowledge Collaboration related to Sustainable Development
