Demystify and Deploy Deploying ICTs for Maximum Youth Development and Participation ‘Gbenga Sesan Program Manager / Team Leader Lagos Digital Village / Paradigm Initiative Nigeria | International Youth Forum Youngstars Foundation, Jos, Nigeria. June 22-24, 2005

Demystifying ICTs Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): The means of generating, processing, transporting and presenting information Old ICTs: Town crier, print/electronic media in the past, etc New ICTs:  Information Technology Computers; Data processing/number crunching  Telecommunications Telephones, fax, satellite, TV; Plain Old Telephone System (POTS)  Networks Internet, data, satellite, cell; Pretty Amazing New Services (PANS) ICTs: Convergence of Communications, computers, consumer electronics, content Convergence at the level of technology – all is in bits (binary digits); industry; policy & regulation; advocacy and multi- stakeholder participation

ICTs and the E-conomy The Information Age is revealing a complex convergence that seeks to create a new society driven by ICTs The Information Society embraces a multi-stakeholder approach, bringing governments, businesses, civil society (media, academia, NGOs) and SIGs (e.g. youth) together Every profession is repositioning for improved relevance in the new Information Society – from Accounting (New Accounting) to Agriculture (Precision Agriculture), and Computing (Information Sciences) too! This new paradigm is also shifting educational standards – from what you have (certificate) to what you know (expertise). Nations are not left out Africa’s response to the New Economy is responsible for our present situation, made worse by corruption and lack of adequate leadership The E-conomy respects global citizens, not local champions

Watch IT! The need to understand and apply ICTs is not a passing fad The ongoing digitization of life, work and play reveals the need for each person to be comfortable with ICTs JAMB results, WAEC registration, job applications (P. O. Box   online) reveal the trend ICTs provide opportunities for Personal Development – self- paced learning, eLearning, web search and digital libraries Events, activities, initiatives and projects now reach out faster through ICTs – SMS alerts, , eNewsletters / Webzines, websites and blogs Your organisation’s URL is your new identity  Domain names are cheaper – or free.ng is free, and patriotic (  Hosting prices are crashing! I started with free hosting… hosts  If you know what you want, design is cheaper

Netiquettes… Owing to many factors – cost, convenience, time, etc – communication has moved online Chat, and the web are three of the most popular communication channels. Its even cheaper to Skype than to make =N= 10 per minute calls! Communication, like human conversation, has unwritten codes – referred to as etiquettes (and good manners) When communicating through the web (e.g. applying through careers.company.com):  Ensure that you complete compulsory spaces and backup entries to prevent any loss  Be sure you upload files in requested format and size Young people spend more time in chatrooms than elsewhere  If it’s a friendly chat, understand the unwritten rules and use smileys  If in a meeting, read more than you type. Keep relevant document windows open and avoid repeated “quick glances” at unrelated work

Netiquettes (Focus on ) appears to have no strict rules, but unlike SMS there’s not so much room for errors or excuses such as length of text In most cases, your precedes your reputation. People may judge you by your messages Subject: Never skip subjects, keep it short and relevant. Your subject must give a great idea of what the will convey Content: Say enough to convey the entire message but don’t bore/scare the recipient To, Cc, Bcc: Don’t post to too many addresses in one . Feel free to send in batches and note that bcc is often dumped in trash folders. Make sure important addresses are visible All CAPS: Never use all caps s, its rude and is mostly used by scammers Errors: Read through your s to avoid obvious errors Multiple posts: Prevent multiple posts, use your Sent folder If need be, take your work offline by using software

Opportunities don’t knock ICTs provide amazing opportunities and young people (we have the advantage of growing with technology – eg cell phones) must exploit them Some specific opportunities are listed below:  RESEARCH Explore the world’s largest pool of knowledge and data. The internet provides amazing search opportunities – wider than your imagination;  EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Stay in touch without stress, remember birthdays. , chat, SMS… Skype’s free VoIP calls, GMail’s 2GB of space, etc;  TRANSGENERATIONAL IMPACT Leave a legacy, contribute to global web content. Your personal website can help inspire another young person. Or create a profile page on TIG;  PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Maximize internet opportunities. MIT’s Open Courseware is one example of diverse high-end educational opportunities;  NATION BUILDING/REGIONAL COOPERATION Mount the ICT for Development stage, act your scene… we have but this one life to live. Ask not of what your nation can do for you…  GLOBAL PARTICIPATION AND RELEVANCE There’s no better tool for global collaboration. Be omnipresent…

THANK YOU Deploying ICTs for Maximum Youth Development and Participation ‘Gbenga Sesan Program Manager / Team Leader Lagos Digital Village / Paradigm Initiative Nigeria | International Youth Forum Youngstars Foundation, Jos, Nigeria. June 22-24, 2005