From Youth Participation to Action

Whether a young person has a clear career path or is still exploring their options, the need to develop new skills often arises. The global skills gap highlights the disconnect between the training individuals receive and the practical expertise employers demand. To bridge this gap, it's essential to equip youth with the critical skills they need to be job-ready.

In Uganda, 4 out of 10 young people, the majority of them girls, are not in education, employment, or training, and they deserve the opportunity to enhance their employability through learning. To understand their needs and identify their skills gaps, UNICEF launched a U-Report poll which ultimately inspired further conversations with youth themselves.

With Youth For Youth: Improving Youth Employability Through FunDoo

With over 12,400 participants in the poll, young people in Uganda expressed a strong desire to learn 21st-century skills for education and employment. Using the data, a group of 24 young people —equally split between boys and girls —were invited to a workshop to customize and test FunDoo, UNICEF’s digital life coach. 

FunDoo, a low-bandwidth chat-based learning tool, incorporates distinctive pedagogical and gamification features and is designed to equip young people with critical skills for their future. A key aspect of FunDoo is its foundation on the principle of experiential learning, realized through the concept of 'tasks.' Each FunDoo task targets a primary skill, enabling young people to learn by engaging in activities applicable to the real world.

Through these sessions, participants enhanced their understanding and proficiency in using FunDoo. Their feedback guided the contextualization of content, task selection, user-friendliness, collaborations, incentives and accessibility. 

"Being part of testing FunDoo was interesting and quite challenging because we were tasked to critically think about society's problems, mainly youth unemployment, and find solutions that are applicable to them through this digital skilling platform. Personally, FunDoo has enabled me to improve my confidence through the tasks on self-confidence." Naluwembe Maimuna Kayemba, 21.   

Peer Power:  Youth Champion FunDoo for Future Readiness  

Following these sessions, the personalized FunDoo learning module was broadly made available for young people in Uganda in July 2024. The new tasks, co-created with young Ugandan U-Reporters, focus on 21st-century skills, job readiness and career exploration. 

Outreach initiatives have taken place over the last two years to ensure that no young person is excluded from the FunDoo journey. As Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, in-person activities were held in four refugee-hosting districts, leading to the enrollment of over 3,000 young people from 14 refugee-hosting areas. Also, events at universities and with partners such as Scouts and Girl Guides reached over 2,300 youth. During these events, young people invited their peers to register and learn to use the FunDoo skilling chatbot, as advocates of the digital life coach. 

FunDoo has reached over 24,000 young people in Uganda through SMS and social media channels, with “Who am I” and “How to write a CV” being the most explored skills. 

“With FunDoo, I was mainly intrigued with the CV writing and communication skills. I have been able to package my qualifications and credentials in the CV to meet the requirements of different programs and internships. As a result, I have managed to get acceptance to a number of programs I have applied to.” 

Naluwembe Maimuna Kayemba, 21.

The engagement and enthusiasm of Ugandan youth in shaping and promoting FunDoo underscore the power of peer-driven initiatives in addressing educational and employment challenges. Young people are not only building their own futures but also paving the way for their peers to acquire the skills needed to thrive in the 21st-century job market. As FunDoo continues to expand its reach, it holds the potential to transform the employability prospects for countless youth from Uganda and beyond.  

To gain skills with FunDoo, text “fundoo” here.