Solutions
Since YOUNG-Africa's aims to inspire, equip and engage Africa's youth in creating
innovative and marketable solutions, we use a three-pronged approach to achieve those goals in order to implement our goal of seeing Africa
as a place where young people are encouraged to dream, and are provided the resources
and avenues through which they can see their dreams nourished into reality. However, these approaches listed below are not the only avenues we
use.
For example, YOUNG-Africa has partnered with members from the House of Representatives in Liberia including Rep. Edwin Gaye to draft a bill
aimed at promoting the sciences in Liberian colleges and high school, called the YOUNG-Africa Inventors and Entrepreneurs Act. The Speaker of the
House has pledged support for the bill. If passed, the bill will focus on providing incentives for students to explore engineering and the sciences
and financial support for those programs. This will be crucial in a country with a tiny number of graduates coming from a science or engineering
background.
Motivation
Our weekly hour-long radio programs aired over Liberty Radio in Monrovia and Voice of Tappita in Nimba
buttress our national awareness efforts. Additionally, We display and distribute posters and brochures depicting black inventors and entrepreneurs
at our resource centers, schools and other public places. We also conduct a yearly series of motivational workshops across the country
with guest speakers including accomplished inventors and entrepreneurs. Winners of our business idea competition have also served as guest speakers
at schools. Additionally, YOUNG-Africa is a certified partner of the Ministry of Youth & Sports, giving us access to the ministry national newsletter.
Resources
We are currently in the process of building our two resource centers (in Tappita and Monrovia) to be equipped with computers and internet service
to allow our bourgeoning entrepreneurs access to the many resources that the internet provides. We're also working with our partners to create a catalog of various
business education courses and workshops available in the country. Please let us know if you would like to
be added to our contact list to be updated on the availability of these resources.
Competition
In 2010, YOUNG-Africa launched a business idea competition for inventors and entrepreneurs that drew entries from 40 teams across the country resulting in the
President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, presenting the awards to the winners. The winners have already been presented their prize monies ($US 2,000 for
1st Place, $1,000 for 2nd Place, and $500 for 3rd Place). Additionally, they have drawn the interests of multinational companies operating in the country, some of
which have pledged support for the winners, including Delta Airlines and Firestone Rubber Company.
