Youth for Innovation Trust (YIT)

Youth for Innovation Trust
Abbreviation	YIT
Motto	FORGING AHEAD, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
Founder	Thando Gwinji
Headquarters	Forestry Commission, 71 Fife St
Location	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe;
Website	https://youthforinnovation.com/

Youth for Innovation Trust is a collective of active global citizens who advance social innovation for development through facilitating a culture of active thinking.

Mission

To engender consciousness against discrimination on basis of age and gender through innovative solutions that uplift livelihoods for active global citizenship.

Values

Innovation, Equality, Collaboration

Objectives

To foster economic, social, and political empowerment of the youths through innovatively synergizing entrepreneurship development and technological advancement.
To facilitate the personal development of the girl child through bridging the gap between cultural norms and modern human rights dynamics.
To spearhead peaceful coexistence through creating a culture of tolerance and the upholding of moral cultural values.
To promote democracy and good governance through advocating for civic participation in national processes.

Thematic Areas

Youth empowerment
Human Rights
Gender Equality
Entrepreneurship and Technology
Cultural and Environmental Rights

Vision

To perceive a culture of self-sustenance in a youth led support system

What they do

Humor for Social Change

This intervention focuses on inspiring active citizenship through innovatively using online and offline spaces to minimize the acceptance of cultures that ensure the persistence of socio-economic exclusion.

Reviving Ubuntu, Promoting Social Innovation

As they create a culture of active thinking and promote creativity and innovation, they see it being crucial to bring in the aspect of social responsibility best described as the concept of ‘Ubuntu’. This involves being innovative around ensuring meaningful youth participation in national and international processes. In YIT’s definition, reviving Ubuntu includes interrogating social norms and fighting inequality and discrimination. Hence this project loosely translated, it gathers young people to discuss and take action on issues affecting them directly including sexual reproductive rights, electoral rights, rights of minority groups, peace and justice among many others.

The Geek approach To Sustainable Development

The Geek approach to sustainable Development provides a combination of technologies and skills that elevate young people to a position where they are able to dictate their ability to access information and use it to improve their socio-economic status. The project brings relevant aspects of Information Communication Technologies to specific youth groups such as young women, rural youth, young entrepreneurs and other key populations.