50 Students Graduate from Make a Connection Programme Today

Make a Connection remains one of South Africa's premier life-skills and acceleration of professional development programmes for young unemployed University and Technikon graduates. Since its inception in 2000, Make a Connection has grown into a programme that has enjoyed national recognition.

To date about 200 young unemployed graduates have participated in the programme, 60% of which have been successfully placed in various companies as long- and short-term contract employees or into internship programmes. In running the Make a Connection program, the Youth Development Trust continues to rally the support of the corporate, public and NGO sectors, to give these young graduates an opportunity in life. Today 50 students receive their Certificates and have high hopes to get placement in companies represented at today's graduation ceremony.

Make a Connection is reaching out to even more unemployed graduates now: This month of September sees the programme expand into Limpopo and North-West provinces. Both the International Youth Foundation and Nokia, the founders of the global Make a Connection programme, are supportive of this move as it brings the programme to where it is most needed. As Make a Connection grows into these provinces, the programme will focus more on balancing life-skills with entrepreneurship skills, largely due to lack of active business or companies in the provinces, as compared to Gauteng. Support has been mobilized from local government and business, and economic growth nodes have been explored in both Limpopo and the North-West.

Ntutule Tshenye, YDT Chief Executive Officer, says, "It makes a lot of sense that we take the programme to where it is needed most, into less economically active provinces like Limpopo and North-West. The programme will assist in retaining the much-needed skills in the provinces. There has been a very high influx of graduates from these two provinces into Gauteng. Through moving the programme into these provinces, we will curb such an influx and in so doing grow the human resources capacity and local economic potential."

Nokia's distributor in South Africa, the RF Group, also supports the Make a Connection program. Mike Myers, CEO of RF Group, says, "Make a Connection is not only one of Nokia's success stories in responsible corporate citizenship, but one that we believe has impacted very positively on the lives of young unemployed graduates in South Africa. We really would like to see more corporates supporting the programme in various ways."

Initiatives like the Department of Industry's Youth Internship Programme and many other local projects corroborate the validity, usefulness and appropriateness of the Make a Connection programme in South Africa. Until the end of 2003, Make a Connection will positively change the lives of 250 more young unemployed graduates in Gauteng, Limpopo and the North-West. With sufficient local support, Make a Connection will witness a sustained and sustainable development in the three provinces.

About Make a Connection
Make a Connection is a global, multi-year partnership between the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and Nokia to promote positive youth development by giving young people an opportunity to "make a connection" to their communities, to their families and peers, and to themselves. The programme improves young people's educational opportunities, teaches them life skills and helps them to make a positive contribution to their societies. Country programmes are currently running in Brazil, the Czech Republic, China, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Poland, the Philippines, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. More information on Make a Connection can be found at www.makeaconnection.org

About YDT
The Youth Development Trust (YDT) is one of the leading organizations in the provision of solutions to the youth sector in South Africa. YDT's mission is to act as a facilitative and responsive resource mobilizing and technical support organization for the positive development of youth. YDT focuses on strengthening the delivery capacity of youth organizations, providing grant management services for the donor community for projects in support of youth piloting and implementing new technologies to address youth development gaps. Through the Nokia sponsored Make a Connection life skills development programme, YDT has made a meaningful contribution to the development of employability of graduates in the country, while at the same time encouraging entrepreneurship. More information about YDT programmes can be obtained at www.ydt.co.za

About International Youth Foundation
The International Youth Foundation (IYF) is one of the world's largest public foundations focused on children and youth. IYF is dedicated to supporting programmes that improve the conditions and prospects for young people where they live, learn, work, and play. Since it founding in 1990, IYF has worked with hundreds of companies, foundations, and non-governmental organisations to scale up existing programs and build long-term strategic partnerships. Currently operating in more than 60 countries, IYF and its partners have helped more than 23 million young people gain the skills, training and opportunities critical to their success. More information on IYF can be found at www.iyfnet.org

About Nokia
Nokia is committed to having a positive impact on society that extends beyond the advanced technology, products and services the company creates. Through its partnership with IYF and other regional philanthropic and social responsibility programmes, the company prepares young people to embrace opportunities and possibilities created by the global economy and new technological advancements. The company has been an active regional contributor to youth and education causes for many years, with Nokia employees making their own contributions as volunteers in a range of programmes throughout the world. Nokia is represented in South Africa by the RF Group. More information on Nokia can be found at www.nokia.com

About RF Group:
The RF Group is the official South African importer of Nokia products. The company has represented Nokia since 1993 and offers nationwide support and maintenance on all Nokia handsets.

Contacts

Ntutule Tshenye
CEO, YDT
Telephone: 011 784 1660
Fax: 011 784 1664
Email: ntutule@ydt.co.za

Raashida Khan
Programme Manager, YDT
Telephone: 011 784 1660
Fax: 011 784 1664
Email: raashida@ydt.co.za

Aline Sciarappa
Corporate Communications, RF Group
Telephone: 011 799 7414
Fax: 011 706 3633
Email: alines@rfgroup.co.za