Community Based Vocational Apprenticeship
Providing vocational education for older street youth in which they apprentice under established businesses, like carpenter's and mechanics, within their community. This opportunity is for youth who have not been given the opportunity to attend formal primary & secondary education.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
S.L.P. 63
Project City
Babati
Project Province/State
Manyara
Project Postal/Zip Code
n/a
Project Country
Tanzania
Your idea
Country your work focuses on:
Tanzania
Website URL
What stage is your project in?
Idea phase
YouTube Upload
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
<$100
Name Your Project
Community Based Vocational Apprenticeship
Describe Your Idea
Providing vocational education for older street youth in which they apprentice under established businesses, like carpenter's and mechanics, within their community. This opportunity is for youth who have not been given the opportunity to attend formal primary & secondary education.
Innovation
Describe your idea in fewer than 50 words.
Providing vocational education for older street youth in which they apprentice under established businesses, like carpenter's and mechanics, within their community. This opportunity is for youth who have not been given the opportunity to attend formal primary & secondary education.
What makes your idea unique?
Too many projects work outside of the community arena. They make projects which can absolve communities of their responsibility to tackle issues created in their community. By involving community partners, citizens have the opportunity to take ownership in community development. This also provides an opportunity for street youth to interact with the community in more socially acceptable ways and provides visibility of their capacity to become productive members of their community.
What is your area of work? (Please check as many as apply.)
Children & Youth , At risk youth , Education , Mentorship , Youth development , Economic development .
What impact have you had?
We have had an impact by providing street youth alternative solutions to their daily struggles and giving them a vision for a viable adulthood as part of mainstream society. This has been established by giving street youth education opportunities through the government regulated non-formal education program. In Tanzania this program is called M.E.M.K.W.A and roughly translates to "education program for those who missed primary school." We supplement this program with a feeding program.
Describe the primary problem(s) that your project is addressing.
We are addressing daily issues facing street youth in Babati, Tanzania. These problems include child labor, poor nutrition, inadequate health services and child abuse and exploitation.
We also address root causes of children fleeing to the streets by conducting seminars at the village level which address poverty reduction and teach child and adolescent care.
Describe the steps that your organization is taking to make your project successful.
-Our first step was to solicit volunteers who were committed to making a personal investment.
-We strive for community awareness through community literature and seminars.
-We actively collaborate with government at the local and regional levels.
-We solicit funds at the local level.
Impact
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Success in Year 1:
(1)Select street youth who have expressed an interest in learning a trade.
(2)Identifying appropriate mentor-teachers from established carpentry and mechanic shops.
(3)Provide selected youth with some basic tools of their trade.
(4)Conducting seminars with possible mentor-teachers to establish expectations, standards and to educate them about the needs of the youth they will be working with.
(5)Routine follow-up's with both youth and mentors.
(6)Evaluation at year's end to gain insight into success and possible need for modifications
Success in Year 2:
(1)Implementing changes gathered from year 1 evaluation.
(2)Routine follow-up's with both youth and teachers.
(3)Evaluation at year's end to gain insight into success and possible need for modifications.
Success in Year 3:
(1)Provide job-placement assistance.
(2)Develop business plans and promote entrepreneurship and collective organization so that graduates may be able to open their own shop as a group(s) if they desire.
(3)Possibly provide micro-loans to graduates to help start their independent ventures.
Do you have a business plan or strategic plan? (yes/no)
Yes- for organization as a whole.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization? STEP 1:
(1) Securing community mentor-teachers who are committed to working with street youth and understand the issues that can arise when working with street youth.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization? STEP 2:
(2) Flexibility and capacity to adapt to challenges that arise along the way. Never set anything is stone, but be open to making changes or investigating alternative suggestions and approaches if the old way is not working or a new idea seems more efficient.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization? STEP 3:
(3) Continuous monitoring and evaluation of the project and open lines of communication between all participants.
Describe the expected results of these actions.
The expected results from these actions is to:
(1) Provide street youth with vocational skills which will allow them to seek independent employment.
(2) Serve as a demonstration to the community that street youth are capable of and want to become viable members of the community if given an opportunity.
(3) Encourage other members of the community to mentor street youth.
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Understanding that when working with community development issues in Africa that your presence alone can lead the community to believe that you (Westerner) have brought the solutions to the community, thus diminishing their personal investment and ownership in community development.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
I am a passionate person who believes that in order for change to occur in our world we must be the ones who make it. I am proactive and embrace challenge. I am willing to work outside my comfort zone and seek to adapt to changing circumstances. I challenge the status-quo. I am in a cross-cultural marriage and this has helped me to grow as a person. Besides English I also speak Swahili. My wife and I spend time living between the United States and Tanzania. I believe that when working cross-culturally it is important to live in community. Among other things, this has helped to shape my view of the world and to recognize cultural insights that Africa has to share with the world but has often not been given the chance to. I believe that it is important to learn from others first, before teaching and that those who are most different from me, I probably have the most to learn from. I have a background as a mental health professional and social worker. I consider myself an intellectual and also a person of faith. I enjoy reading non-fiction and keeping abreast of current affairs. I relax in nature, camping, fishing and photography. I believe passion is like a fire, if it is not spread it will die out.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
I heard about Changemakers through a friend who is involved in non-profit work here in the United States.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Conflict between the youth apprentice and their mentor which would make the relationship untenable.
Financing source
If yes, provide organization name.
The Harambee Foundation (US) and the Manyara Holistic Centre (TZ)
How long has this organization been operating? (i.e. less than a year; 1-5 years; more than 5 years)
The Harambee Foundation: Less than a year
Manyara Holistic Centre: 1-5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
The Harambee Foundation: currently recruiting Board of Directors
Manyara Holistic Centre: B.o.D.
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs? (yes/no)
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses? (yes/no)
No
The Story
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government? (yes/no)
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Active partnerships with government provide added credibility within the community behind our efforts. They also provide added oversight to the local NGO, Manyara Holistic Centre. By forming local partnerships with established NGO's we at Harambee can work within the community context and maintain local ownership. This increases chances for self-sustainability and empowers the community to implement their own solutions.
How many people will your project serve annually?
Fewer than 100
What is the total number of employees and total number of volunteers at your organization?
Approx. 15
What is your organization's business classification?
Non-profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Have you received funding from any of the following groups? (Please check as many as apply.)
None of the above.
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