FIGURE C
Future Forward Innovators in Focus: Sectorally Diverse The following chart features the sectoral focus of 324 social entrepreneurs within the network, particularly those elected as Ashoka Fellows that focus on youth development in Africa.
Economic Development 19.4% Education 45.4%
Six Paradigm Shifts Integral to Addressing Youth Unemployment in Africa Social innovators - both social entrepreneurs pioneering their own organizations and intrapreneurs leading within existing organizations - are working to shift paradigms - the fundamental approaches or assumptions that shape practices across every level of society. Paradigm shifts influence cultural mindsets, institutional structures, policies, and market dynamics - and are what can catalyze society-wide change down to the individual level. Through interviews and case studies of over 45 Ashoka network social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in 17 countries, six major paradigm shifts have been identified as integral to addressing the historical and cultural marginalization of young Africans, and ultimately changing the ecosystem for youth employment in the region. These shifts also present specific innovation opportunities in the region, and are already being applied by the social innovators featured in this report in order to create impact: 1. Don’t Exploit Youth or Create Entitlement: Reward Meaningful Contributions: creative forms of compensation and personal opportunities ensure young people create a culture of self-sufficiency in return for personally investing their own time or money—no matter how under-resourced their background may be. Strategies for creating a fair exchange for meaningful contributions include creating new currencies, offering paid work experience, offering non-monetary benefits and requiring payment for services (not offering free classes). 2. Design Classrooms Beyond Walls: Youth Rapidly Skill-Up Through Community Problem-Solving: removing the barriers between classrooms and real-world experience ensures that youth work in teams to problem-solve and gain essential skills for the workplace such as empathy, critical thinking,
YOUTH UNSTUCK: SO CIAL IN N OVATIO N G UID E // 11
Civic Participation 12%
Health 10.2%
Human Rights 9.3%
Youth 4.97%
Environmental 3.7%
collaboration, creativity and leadership. 3. P romote Purpose and Holistic Health as Foundational for Career Development: activities that lead to a self-discovery of personal purpose and strengths, as well as support of every dimension of health—from financial and physical to social and mental—ensure youth are more driven as future employees, find greater success in self-employment, and are better positioned to apply to multiple jobs as a result of being focused on transferable skills. 4. R edefine What Counts as a “Good” Job: what makes for a successful career or livelihood? The main pathways to radically shifting the mindset of both young people and the wider society include elevating informal jobs as viable respected livelihoods, leveraging alternative industries to redefine what constitutes a “good” job, and promoting a shift in focus from jobs to entrepreneurship. 5. Revive Intergenerational Teamwork: fostering deliberate opportunities for individuals from different generations to form sustained relationships and collaborate creates avenues for the younger generation to be more successful in securing their own livelihoods and wellbeing. New structures for intergenerational support include decision-making units, cross-grade family units, learning circles, and incentivized mentorship programs. 6. Don’t Just Serve Youth—Trust Youth to Lead: moving from serving youth in a top-down approach that creates a culture of dependency and leaves youth ill-prepared to secure their own livelihoods to trusting them to make real decisions and have their voices heard consistently shapes youth as engaged, active and meaningful contributors to their communities. Critical enabling ingredients include cross-generational or peer-to-peer teams, adult champions, ensuring adult accessibility, and crafting effective experiential learning opportunities.