Developing youth leaders

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.