Nust launches Havana Youth Café
The Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) launched the Havana Youth Café, a community tech outreach, aimed at creating space and systems were unemployed and marginalized youth can strive and be empowered through training.
Acting vice chancellor of Nust Delvaline Möwes said the alarmingly high unemployment rate among Namibian youth and the general lack of job opportunities requires an immediate investment into alternative interventions and livelihood models.
“Currently, the estimated youth unemployment rate in Namibia stands at 41.17%. The majority of our unemployed youth reside in informal and rural areas. A trend, if unabated, will continue to directly affect the country's socio-economic system, stated Möwes.
She added: “Plenty unqualified youths are being excluded from the mainstream economy, as they do not meet the current job market requirements and if collaborative measures are taken, they can be transformed into productive human resources by unlocking their untapped potential, energy, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and technological genius”. Möwes highlighted that the youth café will be a place where the youth can meet, work on projects and where training can take place.
Funded by the Finish embassy, the concept of the youth café builds on a success story of Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs), a South African award-winning non-profit company, established in 2009 to reconstruct communities through creating environments where people are impacted, empowered and transformed through hope, innovation, technology, training and economic opportunities.
In a speech read on her behalf, the ambassador of Finland to Namibia, Pirkko-Liisa Kyöstilä, said the project was chosen among 42 applications based on its objectives to create livelihoods for the marginalised communities and the strong youth focus of the project.
“The project exemplifies the ‘Leave No One Behind’ principle working towards a more equal and inclusive society that does not discriminate based on gender, disability, poverty, religion or any other factor that contributes to marginalisation in society,” she stated.
Kyöstilä believes the Havana Youth Café will consolidate the important goal of giving opportunities facilitates to young people for training.
“The youth of today understand challenges and have the necessary drive to learn and engage new technologies to build a better future. It is up to the rest of us to support those ambitions, to listen and to closely work with those young minds.”
As one of the sponsors of the youth centre, MTC’s Viv Tuunako said the youth are the leaders of tomorrow and more corporate companies should join and aid in such projects.
“Our youth are not developed – and most of the time, they are left to idle and with idle minds; that’s where they end up on the wrong side of the law. They are not guided – and that leads them to engage in criminal activities. We are asking the corporates to help the youth grown,” he pleaded.
He said MTC has introduced various products, and most of the ideas and innovations were from the youth, including the Safe My City App, Taamba and Verify – to mention a view.
“With these kinds of initiatives coming from the youth, we know they are the leaders of tomorrow; they have information and ideas they are sitting with and they need opportunities,” concluded Tuunako.