IMPACT 5000 by 18 district tour begins

Unemployment amongst the youth in Nagaland has been on the rise. In the past, young people study only to get a job in the Government sector and these jobs are saturating every year. Nagaland has the highest school dropout ratio in the country. The ones that manage to graduate are also unemployed or even unemployable. There are thousands of graduates each year; however, only a few hundred jobs are available. This is a serious concern for young people and the state,and if we cannot provide opportunities and alternatives for our young people in Nagaland, the consequences will be dangerous.  

One of the mechanisms to create an opportunity for young people of Nagaland is the IMPACT 5000 by 18 campaign, which is a five-year joint programme of YouthNet and Government of Nagaland, launched in 2013. For the 2016-2017 Impact campaign, YouthNet has partnered with Accenture’s ‘Skills to Succeed’ global initiative through Quest Alliance. Quest Alliance is a non-profit trust working to bridge the education and skills divide by enabling self-learning for young people 10-35 years old. It is an organization that is fuelled by research, strengthened by partnerships and driven by innovation and technology.    

Through this partnership YouthNet plans to visit the 11 districts in Nagaland in the months of August, September and October this year which will be followed by a year-long skill development training program in various sectors.  

The campaign focuses on entrepreneurship, career awareness, skill building and livelihood for the youths of Nagaland, and aims to help over 3,000 youths make informed career decisions about their future, train and provide jobs to 300 youths over the year, build business acumen skills of over 100 entrepreneurs and connect them to better opportunities, and help 20 top start-ups from across Nagaland with mentorship, information and guidance to develop their enterprises.   During the district tour, YouthNet through their young ambassadors will also advocate with the local communities to advocate for clean and fair election which is the epicenter for any progress and development of the state.  

The IMPACT 5000 by 18 district tour will reach out to about 4000 young people who will comprise of students, drop outs, unemployed youths and entrepreneurs. This is an important step to empower our students to move beyond traditional professions, propagate the importance of Dignity of Labor,  encourage the youths to take up skill development training and address the urgency of the need for a healthier and stronger private sector and thereby facilitate socio-economic prosperity of the youth and the state.  

YouthNet