The Youth Economic Participation Initiative (YEPI) aims to address the global youth employment crisis, characterized by high unemployment rates among young graduates lacking essential skills. The initiative emphasizes the importance of university-community partnerships, curriculum reform, and entrepreneurial training to better prepare students for the workforce. Key activities include providing grants, fostering a global community of practice, and enhancing innovative models to facilitate the transition of students into successful careers.

1. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Youth Economic
Participation Initiative

2. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Global Youth Employment Crisis
The global unemployment rate among 15- to 24-year-olds is estimated at 12.6% in 2013,
with 73 million young people jobless worldwide
(International Labour Organization)
University graduates are encountering:
1. A lack of job opportunities
2. A lack of skills and abilities necessary to access and succeed in the opportunities that are
available
• For example: South Africa – 600,000 unemployed university graduates and 800,000
unfilled vacancies in 2012 (The Economist 2012).
3. A university degree is no guarantee of employment
• Tunisia – 40% of university graduates are unemployed, compared with 24% of non-
graduates (World Economic Forum 2013)

3. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
The Talloires Network envisions universities around the world as vibrant and dynamic
forces in their societies, incorporating social responsibility into their research and teaching
mission.
From a long time, the TN has been hearing from universities around the world that are
already implementing innovative and creative programs that engage students in their
communities and prepare them to succeed in the workplace.
To date, very few of these current initiatives have evaluated, documented and disseminated
their learning in a way that would allow knowledge from individual programs to benefit a
wider, global audience.

4. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Planning Phase - 2011
1 year exploration with youth
consultancy firm DECODE
www.decode.net
90 peer-to-peer interviews with
students in 9 countries
International advisory committee
6 week online learning
community
Origins of YEPI
YEPI Launched in July 2012 with support from
The MasterCard Foundation
Mission: The MasterCard Foundation advances
youth learning and promotes financial inclusion
to catalyze prosperity in developing countries.
Serves 5 million people in 49 developing
countries, particularly in Africa
The Youth Learning Program Life Skills
(Report in your binder)
• Digital Literacy
• Agribusiness
• Manufacturing
• Retail and Hospitality
• Construction

5. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative

6. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Some Findings
• Consensus among students, graduates and business/community leaders that universities
could better prepare young people for the workforce:
– Students lack technical skills and soft skills (including verbal communication, team work , presentation skills)
– Access to networks and guidance from mentors is crucial
• Stronger partnerships across all stakeholder groups in the community (i.e. large and small
businesses, civil servants, policy makers, NGOs, NFPs, universities and student
representatives) are seen as critical for developing the most relevant and impactful solutions
for preparing educated young people for the workforce.
• Entrepreneurialism is a complex but critical component to the solution of “educated
unemployables” in the developing world, BUT Entrepreneurialism is not a preferred choice
for many risk-averse youth, although under difference circumstances many would pursue this
option as a means to serve their communities and, in turn, grow personally and
professionally.

7. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Focus on programs with:
• Strong university-community partnerships
• Soft Skills – Communications, teamwork, problem-solving, public-speaking, leadership,
negotiation, and creativity.
• Networks – Providing contacts, mentorships, guidance and exposure to the business
environment.
• Curricula reform – Collaborating with businesses and communities to bring offerings of
university in line with knowledge and skill needs of the market.
• Entrepreneurship – Teaching skills required to think creatively, launch a business,
providing resources to support enterprise, lower risks of entrepreneurship.
Why your programs?

8. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Selection Criteria
1. Strength of Program Design – with a focus on curricula reform, new pedagogies, multiple
complementary approaches, collaboration within and across the university.
1. Institutional Commitment and Capabilities – high level of expertise and experience with
collaborating, teaching and learning.
1. Partnerships, Collaboration with the Community – strong university-community
partnerships, strong networks providing contacts, mentorships and experience of the
business environment.
2. Youth Participation and leadership – young leaders and large numbers of students
participating in and shaping your programs.
1. Multiple complementary strategies - combination of multiple intersecting approaches;
strong mix of hands on experience, practical training and academic instruction

9. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
The YEPI goals and activities
1. Support universities to expand innovative models enabling upper-year students
and recent alumni to accelerate their transition to the work force.
1. Facilitate a global Community of Practice to promote the exchange of knowledge.
• Award 8 Demonstration Grants
• Create an online space for discussion and the exchange of knowledge about best practices
and brokering joint projects through the Community of Practice.
• Collaborate with the YEPI Learning Partners from the University of Minnesota to capture and
document learning
• Timeframe: 2013 – 2016

10. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
Discussion
(Your ideas)
What can we create together?
What is YEPI to you?
Why does it matter?

11. Welcome Workshop, 18-21 Nov 2013, Cape Town S.A.The Youth Economic Participation Initiative
The Model Virtual discussions
Webinars
In-person convenings
Progress reports
Monitoring and
Evaluation
 Peer-reviewed
publications
 Conference
presentations
 Final reports
 Online trainings
and webinars
 Exemplars
 University
exchanges
 Future funding
YEPI Partner
Universities
YEPI
Community
of Practice