Developing youth leaders

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Developing Youth Leaders in Technology and Nonprofits
Thursday 9/25 – AM Session
Moderated by: Katie Roper

Attending

  • Mike – Zero Divide
  • Romelia – Youth Together
  • Alberto – Youth Media Team
  • Dan – RYSE
  • Brian – Silicon Valley Council on Nonprofits
  • Raeanne – Quilted
  • Spencer – Community Technology Network

Key Take-Aways

  • Organizations represented in the group were focused on:
    • Developing and retaining youth leaders in technology
    • Developing and maintaining apprenticeship programs (particularly Quilted)
    • Developing intergenerational leadership
    • Developing internships for youth and pipelines to employment success

Discussion

  • Not many schools or programs teach about technology as it relates to non-profits, and there is an especially large gap in education about social justice and technology
  • Youth in technology-oriented programs have a variety of goals including
  • Staying in school, moving on to college/university
  • Employment
  • Barriers that many youth face include skills, but often are more hindered by a lack of communication skills
  • They still struggle to identify and seek support to know what they don’t know
  • Internships can help youth meet goals, but finding the right partners is challenging
  • Identifying the right partners is key. Good partnerships are built by:
  • Identifying partners that share in the organization’s values
  • Organization supporting partners in working with youth
  • Having a continuum of support before, during and after internship. Don’t forget the exit strategy…what’s next?
  • Having clear guidelines about what is expected from all parties, including timelines and milestones.
  • Consensus was that technical boot camps were fine, but in the end not really worth it…learning technology out of context can set someone up for *failure (i.e. they still lack communication, other professional skills, understanding business needs still)
  • Questions were asked about how helpful program manuals were
  • Consensus was that it’s really up to the need of the program. If they’re helpful (or required by funders) do them. They can be helpful for when *staff turn over, but don’t do them just to do them.