1. Talloiresnetwork.tufts.edu
Mastercardfdn.org
Discussion:
What do partnerships that foster shared value look like?
What are the intersections of civic engagement and entrepreneurship?
How can youth economic participation sustain and invest in their local communities?
What are the proven and potential impacts of engaged universities on their local economies?
What are the essential elements of curricula and programs that prepare students for the job market?
68 applicants from 27 countries
20 Finalists from 15 countries
6 to 8 Demonstration Grants
YEPI Program Stats
Conclusion:
The Talloires Network will continue to use the global coalition of 280 universities in 68 countries – enrolling over 6 million students – to facilitate sharing of knowledge about the role
of higher education in promoting the economic participation of educated youth. Exchange of best practices, brokering joint projects, collective action to build civic engagement
programs will be strengthened through the Talloires Network Community of Practice as a tangible outcome of the Youth Economic Participation Initiative. The Community of Practice
is a concerted strategy to facilitate the sharing of knowledge among universities around the world about the role of universities in promoting youth employment strategies. It will
both enable the Talloires Network to integrate YEPI findings and recommendations into all Network activities, and also include a series of activities, such as a web platform and
moderated online discussions– specifically dedicated to the exchange of knowledge about youth economic participation.
Expected Results:
Universities will implement institutional, programmatic and curricular changes intended to educate students for civic and economic participation. Six to eight Demonstration Grants
will be awarded to institutions that show a record of success in implementing innovative community-based programs, and that propose creative approaches to facilitating students’
transition from university to employment and job-creation. Projects will document lessons learned that we will disseminate among Talloires Network institutions and encourage
them to use skills training, business incubation, curricula reform, assessment and evaluation, inter-sectoral activities, student leadership and global exchange of experience.
Measurements will inform perceived level of university support for facilitating students’ transition to the job market, support for youth-led entrepreneurship activities, and number of
women and youth involved in grant management and decision making. Extensive collaboration with local community groups is a major ingredient. The community engagement
experiences that prepare students to become responsible, active members of their community also confer many of the skills and resources required to become successful
participants in the economy. Each award university will employ an evaluation team to monitor and report on impacts of university-community engagement programs, impacts on
societal conditions and also on students’ capabilities. Web platforms and moderated online discussions will facilitate the exchange of knowledge about theory and practice.
YEPI aims to:
• Support universities to develop and test university-led models
that prepare students for the work force.
• Support civic engagement programs that train students for
innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Support universities and communities to bridge the gap
between curriculum and skills.
Problematic:
The youth consultancy firm DECODE conducted a multi-country youth outreach effort based on 90 peer-to-peer interviews in ten countries. Ten university
professors and administrators from around the world participated in a six week online ‘Learning Community’ discussing the role of universities in promoting
economic opportunities for educated youth. Findings included employers frequently noted a pervasive lack of ‘soft’ skills among university-educated youth,
the gap between university-educated youth and employment. Even where technically proficient, too many students lack the day-to-day skills necessary to
thrive in a globalized workplace. Skills such as, communication, leadership, critical thinking, public speaking, negotiation and debate, and teamwork. Gaps
are listed below in the diagram:
Description:
The Youth Economic Participation Initiative was launched in 2012 as a program of the Talloires Network to:
• Award 6 – 8 demonstration grants of $350,000 to $465,000 to universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
• Understand the complex and context-specific obstacles young entrepreneurs face in the markets.
• Facilitate the exchange of knowledge in a global Community of Practice.
Burkina Faso
Chile
Egypt
Ghana
Hong Kong
Laos
Liberia
Kenya
University-
Educated
Youth
exclusion from key
networks
access to training
lack of soft skills
obstacles to seed
funding
Leadership
and Soft
Skills
Jobs
Malaysia
Mexico
Pakistan
Rwanda
South Africa
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Youth Economic Participation Initiative (YEPI)
Mobilizing Universities to Address the Global Crisis of Youth Unemployment
By: Robert Hollister, Jennifer Catalano, Rantimi Oluwasegun, Amy Newcomb Rowe, and Edwin Nelson
75 million youth
worldwide are unemployed
2012 McKinsey Report
YEPI will build a greater foundation of factual data
to guide the decisions of universities and
augment support by other sectors.
Introduction:
The Youth Economic Participation Initiative responds to the universal gap between the realities of the job market, the ability of university-educated youth to successfully participate in
the economy, and emerging definitions of civic engagement as it relates to employment, vocationalism and leadership development. Understanding that universities hold an important
responsibility to address these issues, YEPI aims to apply the extensive expertise and collaboration of university civic engagement programs to tackle the youth unemployment crisis.
Strategically changing how institutions of higher education prepare their students can significantly improve the ability of educated youth to engage in local job markets, either through
employment, or through entrepreneurship.
2013 Global University Network for Innovation Conference
May 13 - 15, 2013 Barcelona, Spain
Entrepreneurship
Civic Engagement
6 to 8 universities from Africa, Asia and Latin America will successfully link students to employment through
community-based learning and entrepreneurship, and share their methods with a global network of engaged universities.