What’s possible when we create a global network of community leaders
In Istanbul, Turkey, young leaders at Kodluyoruz (“We Code” in English) are creating pathways to economic opportunity and upward mobility by training disadvantage youth how to code. They recognized that the jobs of the future include robotics Veterinarian, holoportation Expert, ethical Hacker, emotion Designer, data Miner, or artificial organ Manufacturer, all of which will rely heavily on the “Language” of the digital world: Coding.
In fact, according to the biennial OECD Digital Economy Outlook, two out of every three children will have jobs that do not even exist today. In order to compete in the economy of tomorrow, an increasingly digital world, today’s youth will need these skills. Gulcan Yayla, and his partners at Kodluyoruz are closing the skills gap in the technology sector and addressing Turkey’s high youth unemployment rate in the process. Gulcan published a blog discussing their learned lessons for other workforce development organizations.
While Gulcan works in Turkey, Aisha Flores and Daniel Flores are working in their community of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Aisha and Daniel run Buttercup STEAM Camp, which provides a unique week-long adventure for girls to code in a fun and supportive environment.
Aisha is a developer, engineer, and creative, who told Voyage ATL, “Being a woman of color in the technology industry, I have experienced adversity and various challenges. I want more than anything to help girls understand that they can explore their interests, to not be afraid, try new things and never give up no matter what challenges they encounter.” So, she and Daniel created a week long camp for girls to learn and build code so they can also compete in the economy of the future. After each session is over, each girl takes home her robotics creation.
The Pollination Project recently gave $1,000 seed grants to both Kodluyoruz and Buttercup STEAM Camp, therein introducing them to a network of like-minded community leaders. To date, our 300 grantees are working on issues like code training programs similar to these projects and many others, including:
Cynthia Dailey, Justin Dailey, Keevan Dantzler, Pierre Estes, Alyson Shaler, James Miletello. Say Grace Initiative. Chicago, IL, USA. Revitalize Chicago’s South Deering, Roseland, and Englewood Communities by convening community residents, leaders, and officials in one-day community planning charrettes.
Cadre Jockus-Paralegal and Biira Sarah. Sensitizing women on their land rights in rural area. Kampala, Uganda. Empowers 760 women in western Uganda by creating land rights awareness meetings among women at village levels, monitoring women land rights violations, and mediating conflicts with alternative dispute resolutions (ADR) and without resorting to formal and judicial mechanisms.
Teri Schmidt. Project Becoming our Best Challenge. Magnolia, TX, USA. Partners with local nonprofits and fitness professionals to become their best through family volunteering and family fitness challenges.
EldoHub. Digital Literacy for Rural Youth. Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Trains youth between the age of 18 to 30 years where they learn how to start and grow businesses by leveraging on technology.
Peter Achombom Vugar and Chia Vivian Fien. Improving Nutrition, up scaling care for HIV/AID Patients. Bamenda, North West Region, Cameroon. Provides nutritional care and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Njinikom subdivision.
Dr. Rose Cardarell and Danielle De La Fuente. The Amal Alliance. Chios, Greece. Empowers displaced youth through health education and social development programs at refugee camps around the globe.
Heather Dahman, Karen Asp, and Dani Wagner. Fort Wayne Veg ‘n Brew Fest. Fort Wayne, IN, USA. To produce the first vegan festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which takes place on October 6, 2018.
Kiddiepreneur — Education, Employment and Environmental Protection. Kiddiepreneur, Afife, Ghana. Provides women and the youths in the community with employable skills for the future.
Valli B, Marthand B, Naseeruddin Shah. SunGanges (SuryaGanga). Fremont, CA, USA. Produces a 90-min panoptic documentary film on a journey through the vast Indian landscape documenting big energy projects such as hydro, coal, solar, and wind and their impact on rural lands, freshwater systems and marginalized people.
Suubi Health Center. Increasing water supply through Rain Water Harvesting. Luuka, Uganda. To fund the purchase of a 10,000 liter rainwater harvest tank that will serve the facility, patients, caretakers, thereby reducing waterborne disease burden rates among the patients/caretakers/local community.
Jamii Soccer Academy. Kitale, Kenya. Recruits disadvantaged youth with football talents and train them to become seasoned football players.
Zuzana Chovanec, Stephanie Younis, Jonathan Townsend, and Kate Blalack. Tulsa Little Free Libraries, Transporting Education and Literacy into Open Spaces (TELOS). Tulsa, OK, USA. Aims to close the literacy gap by putting Little Free Libraries in city parks in areas of Tulsa, Oklahoma with under-performing elementary schools and limited access to books.
Consider that you’re not alone in your activism. There may even be someone doing great activism in the same neighborhood. Share with us your changemaking idea, join a network of individuals and organizations making a positive impact, and apply for your own $1,000 seed grant from The Pollination Project.
