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  • Five young Chinese women using social media
932k

video views
in 2019

Addressing barriers online

Our experience, building online communities and harnessing the power of digital media in our SRHR and Citizens’ Voice programmes informs the development of our new In the Works programme. Economic inclusion is the specific focus of our Egypt-based Masaraat platform, first launched as a pilot project in 2019.

Economic inclusion has also been addressed in various ways by our Citizens’ Voice platforms. Yaga Burundi, for instance, implemented the #Bdiemploi campaign inviting young people to think about the structural problems that lead to high unemployment and pushing successfully for the opening of a Youth Investment Bank. In Yemen, our Manasati30 platform is collaborating with UNESCO on an EU-funded project creating economic opportunities for young Yemenis through the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

Our In the Works programme contributes to the SDGs promoting decent work for all, the eradication of poverty and the achievement of Gender Equality.

In the Works

Economic inclusion for youth

About 40 million young people enter the labour market every year meaning some 600 million productive jobs are needed over the next 10 years to provide job opportunities for currently unemployed youth and for the new arrivals on the labour market each year. The global youth unemployment rate is estimated at 13.6% but rises to as high as 30 percent in some parts of the world with unemployment rates for young women higher in most regions. And in many developing countries young people are often working in poverty, defined as earning less than US$3.20 per day.

Decent jobs and income are essential if young people are to participate fully in their societies and realise their potential. Barriers to youth participation in the labour market include poor education, lack of skills and a mismatch of skills. Our In the Works programme aims to address these barriers, with a specific focus on young women.

In The Works – Factsheet

62.2k

followers
in 2019

Skills, opportunity and talent

In the Works will address the key barriers to youth employment and youth inclusion in a variety of ways.

Connecting Talent with Opportunity: Information gaps prevent qualified job seekers from learning about promising job openings, and employers cannot find the talent they need. The lack of reliable and affordable information services about job opportunities limits the opportunities available.  Through online campaigns and virtual job fairs we connect young job seekers with employers and employers with job seekers.

Skills Development: Many young people are unemployed because they lack technical skills in demand. Together with partners, RNW Media facilitates training and capacity building, linking young people with services providing technical skills training. We complement this with training in the soft skills needed for employability and job readiness.

Entrepreneurship and advocacy

Youth Entrepreneurship:  We connect young entrepreneurs to a variety of online and offline business development services, including business mentoring, advice and coaching. The online approach fosters peer networks where young entrepreneurs can learn from each other’s experiences. Virtual business plan pitching will connect young people with potential investors and funders both locally and internationally.

Advocate for Change: Data collected from platform users, and their collective voice on issues of greatest relevance to them, can be powerful tools to advocate for changes to policies and practices that impact their lives.  RNW Media will address decent working conditions and implement online campaigns to make young people aware of their labour rights (safety, exploitation, non-discrimination) with linkages to service providers for adequate recourse.

5.16 million

visits
in 2019

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In the Works projects

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