1. Youth Empowerment initiative in Arab Region: AjialCom Najat Rochdi Regional Coordinator

2. 2 Outlines  What is ICTDAR  Youth empowerment initiative  Case study: Morocco  Challenges  The way forward

3. 3 What is ICTDAR?  Information & Communication Technology for Development in the Arab Region  As a result of AHDR on knowledge  Started in October 2003  Based in Cairo  Coverage: All Arab Countries

4. 4 Link to AHDR2  Access, sharing and dissemination of Knowledge,  Skills development,  Arabic Content development,  Strategy formulation Arab Region

5. 5 Service lines  Awareness raising  Stakeholders campaigns and participation  Capacity development  Strategy formulation and implementation  Employment generation  Pro-poor initiatives

6. 6 ICTDAR Regional initiatives/projects –Mashrouati: ICT Hub to support SME’s –WRCATI: Women empowerment –AjialCom: Youth empowerment –e-Governance (REGI, Arab Regional e-gov Institute) –ICTARB: ICT for Blinds and visually impaired –Policy formulation –Knowledge sharing platform (egov@ASP, Bawabat Achabab, regional workshops, regional events, LAS/Arab Working Group, )

7. 7 Outlines  What is ICTDAR  Youth empowerment initiative  Case study: Morocco  Challenges  The way forward

8. 8 Project Development objectives –To develop Skills –To address unemployment, underemployment, and population loss in rural area –To enable local development –To access to knowledge ~~~~~~~~~~~~~to give them a channel to voice their opinion, to participate and to act ~~~~to develop leadership, entrepreneurship and a enlightened citizenship (rights and duties)

9. 9 Information services  Provide adequate information to enhance their knowledge about issues of their concern: drug, sexual education, HIV/AIDS, human rights, election ~~~~~play an active role in the local community.  Link all relevant national and international information sources  Networking and collaborative platform  CoP  Arab Youth Portal (Bawaba Achabab)  Trough one platform: AjialCom

10. 10 From a Concept ~~~~ To a Franchise AjialCom

11. 11  Access to knowledge  Awareness Raising and advocacy (development issues: HIV, Drug, workforce development, unemployment, entrepreneurship,..)  Skills development  Job creation/Address unemployment  Entrepreneurship Development  Networking (Youth for Youth by Youth)  In partnership with NGOs  Income generation ~~~~ SME

12. 12 ICTARB

13. 13  Visually impaired empowerment  Access to knowledge (use of audio and Braille technologies)  In partnership with NGOs/local authorities  Skills development  Social rehabilitation  Access to new job opportunities

14. 14 Outlines  What is ICTDAR  Youth empowerment initiative  Case study: Morocco  Lessons learned  The way forward

15. 15 Project description  Community Access Center  Service provider  ToT (IT, business management, french, english, “know how”,..)  Local development dynamic  10 centers year 1  PPP  Sustainabilty  Monitoring: SC  Phase 1: April 04-June 05

16. 16 AjialCom today:  Figures  Manuel of procedures  Value added services/Income  Franchising AjialCom  Toolkits  Synergies

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18. 18 Membership Boys/girls

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21. 21 Source of Income

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23. 23 Photo Gallery..\My Documents\Projects\AjialCom\Photo Gallery..\My Documents\Projects\AjialCom\Photo Gallery..\My Documents\Projects\AjialCom\Photo Gallery

24. 24 Pb faced  Management (turn over)  Location of AjialCom  Local community ownership  PPP  Content development (NGOs,..)  Monitoring

25. 25 The way forward in Morocco  100 AjialCom centers by December 2005  Based on requests from parliamentarians  Franchising AjialCom  Solidarity funds (wealthy centers to subsidize difficult locations)  50 centers per year (2006-2008)  Connect with other national initiatives (outlet to introduce ICT in schools, SMEs, )  Specific centers for vulnerable groups (single mothers, prisoners, centers to resist violence against women,..)

26. 26 Outlines  What is ICTDAR  Youth empowerment initiative  Case study: Morocco  Challenges  The way forward

27. 27 Challenges  High demand  Monitoring  Local community involvement and buy in/ownership  Management/Business approach  Go beyond IT/Content

28. 28 Implementation strategy  With UNDP COs  Policy combined with quick wins projects/initiatives  Business model for replication  Business plan for sustainability  Partnership with NGOs, private sector (PPP): Microsoft, CISCO, Sakhr, national private sector;

29. 29 Outlines  What is ICTDAR  Youth empowerment initiative  Case study: Morocco  Challenges  The way forward at the Arab Region level

30. 30 The way forward  Mainstream ICT in existing national Youth programs  Consolidate existing initiatives and start replicating/expanding them in the region  Youth portal/CoP launching  Special focus on Youth empowerment and SME

31. 31 More on www.ictdar.org www.ictdar.org