TANZANIA HEALTH SUMMIT
Youth Capacity Building (YOCAB)
The initiative aims to equip young individuals with essential leadership, communication, and career development skills. This workshop, scheduled for October 1st to 3rd, 2024, in Dar es Salaam, coincides with the Tanzania Health Summit meeting.
Background
A recent report from the World Bank cites the quality of Tanzania’s education and training systems as being the key factor to skills mismatch youth unemployment. The report suggests these two disabling factors have long compromised the quality of Tanzania’s workforce skills and constrained business operations, innovation, and growth.
Rationale
Tanzania, despite the country achievement to become a middle-income status even before the projected date of 2025, a major challenge is to create employment for 800,000 youth entering the labor market each year and over 60% of the population is under 40 years old.
.YOCAB Workshop and Field Attachment
It is because of the severity of the problem that Tanzania Health Summit has introduced capacity building workshop alongside the health summit main event. The health summit working closely with other stakeholders in the country, and through key mentors working in the areas of skills development and youth advancement programs is determined to use the massive opportunity through its network of members who are also the stakeholders in the health sector, to address the challenge of youth and unemployment through different interventions. Annually the 25 young male and females attends the one day workshop with a support from the Tanzania Health Summit. Only selected candidates will be selected by the facilitators for an extension to six months in the field attachment.
Youth Capacity Building Program will address the following three areas
- Leadership, Ethics and Values
- Communication Skills and Personal Branding
- Career Path Development
Annually the 25 young male and females attends the one day workshop with a support from the Tanzania Health Summit. Only selected candidates will be selected by the facilitators for an extension to six months in the field attachment.
YOCAB Facilitators
Mr Deus Manyenye
Ms. Juliana Peter
1. Leadership, Ethics and Values
- Development of a personal plan with goals, action steps and deadlines
- Resource mapping activities (youth take the lead in planning and carrying out a search of community resources for youth)
- Participation in meetings
- Community volunteerism such as organizing a clean-up on public places
- – Opportunities to meet with local and state officials and legislators
Intended Outcomes
Intended Outcomes
2. Communication Skills and Personal Branding
- Mentoring activities that connect youth to adult mentors to provide guidance and support and build interpersonal skills that are needed to relate to older people and those in roles of authority;
- Tutoring activities that engage youth as tutors or in being tutored, since both types of tutoring activities advance a young person’s ability to work on group projects, communicate with others, teach, and learn;
- Research activities in which youth identify resources within the community through activities that allow them to practice conversation and investigation skills with those individuals who they do not know very well;
- Letter writing to friends, family members, and pen pals to build language and communication skills and encourage connecting to others;
- Attendance at job and trade fairs to begin building a network of contacts in particular career fields of interest;
- Role-playing of interview and other workplace scenarios;
- Positive peer and group activities that build camaraderie, teamwork, and belonging, such as teambuilding exercises, sports and recreation, and
- Cultural activities that promote understanding and tolerance
3. Career Path Development
- Career exploration activities, including career interest assessments, job shadowing, job and career fairs, and workplace visits and tours;
- Career-related goal setting and planning;
- Internships;
- Work experience, including summer employment;
- Training on entrepreneurship;
- Networking activities;
- Mock interviews;
- Work readiness workshops;
- Visits from representatives of specific industries to speak to youth participants about the employment opportunities and details of working within their industry;
- Mock job searches, including locating positions online and in the newspaper, “cold-calling,” preparing resumes, and writing cover letters and thank-you letters;
- Visits to education or training programs;
- Job coaching or mentoring; and
- Learning activities using computers and current workplace technology
Intended Outcomes
4. Organization and YOCAB Participants Composition
To strengthen the capacity of young leaders to take action in support and implementation of national health sector strategic plan five (HSSP V, 2021-2026), the Tanzania health Summit is hosting a fifth capacity-building workshop in 2023. Annually, 25 youths aged 18-30 from colleges, public health, recent graduates, civil societies are selected from around 150 applicants. Participants will take part in team building, networking and training sessions in healthcare leadership & management, advocacy, career building and communication skills. After the face-to-face workshop, the selected applicants will advance to the mentorship program, where by they will be attached to leaders in healthcare for six (6) months in the field and practical sessions. The youth are then followed and monitored through YOCAB Alumni platform that provides a continuous support and networking for jobs and other carrier opportunities.
5. YOCAB Objectives
To strengthen the capacity of young leaders to take action in support and implementation of national health sector strategic plan five (HSSP V, 2021-2026), the Tanzania health Summit is hosting a fifth capacity-building workshop in 2023. Annually, 25 youths aged 18-30 from colleges, public health, recent graduates, civil societies are selected from around 150 applicants. Participants will take part in team building, networking and training sessions in healthcare leadership & management, advocacy, career building and communication skills. After the face-to-face workshop, the selected applicants will advance to the mentorship program, where by they will be attached to leaders in healthcare for six (6) months in the field and practical sessions. The youth are then followed and monitored through YOCAB Alumni platform that provides a continuous support and networking for jobs and other carrier opportunities.
6. Expected Outcome
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- Increased number of young women and men in productive self and/or wage employment. By developing skilled and diverse workforce and hands on field practical experiences on leadership, management, and public health community service, the initiative will contribute to an increase in the number of competent health workers, helping to address existing workforce shortages and future demands.
- Greater youth participation in healthcare decision-making: By engaging young people in advocacy and policy-making processes, the initiative will ensure that the unique perspectives of youth are considered in the development of health policies and strategies.
- Improved health literacy and awareness: Through targeted campaigns and educational programs, young people will be better informed about their health and well-being, leading to healthier choices and behaviors. Internships;
- Stronger healthcare networks and collaborations: By facilitating partnerships among youth organizations, educational institutions, and health sector stakeholders, the initiative will create a robust network for knowledge sharing, job opportunities and mentorship, leading to more effective and sustainable health interventions.
What Do Our Volunteers Talk About YOCAB?
As a young leader I have been able to learn small details that matter in leadership field that I never paid attention to, for instance minding my body language,effective communication,accountability and my attitude towards decision making.
Pilly Hussein Ndobeji
3rd Year, Medical Student
University of Dodoma
YOCAB has paved the way to maximize my potential as a youth. After the mentorship, I founded UDOM health club at my university in order to promote health and well being among my fellow students.
Kaihula Anodi,
4th Year, Nursing Student
University of Dodoma