Google and FutureGov have joined forces with practical think tank, the RSA and some brilliant young people from the South London youth communications agency, Livity. For round two, Interactivism: Young People’s Hack Weekend is all about finding a NEET (Not in Education Employment of Training) solution (pun intended) to come up with innovative ways of using the web to help young people get into the job they want, or onto the training or education that will help them get there in the future.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, for us, a hack is an event where computer developers, designers and people with ideas come together to build real, working prototypes (or models) of their ideas in a short amount of time.

The challenge opens for ideas on Monday 5 December 2011 – Closing date 25th January 2012.

Getting involved is easy:

Start by thinking of some of the biggest barriers facing young people trying to get into work, education and training, and what might be done to make that process easier and more successful. Once you have your idea worked out:
- Register on Simpl and create an Idea for your solution to the challenge.
- Be sure to tick the box marked ‘Interactivism’ when creating your idea to enter it into the challenge!

You don’t need to be an expert to apply, although having some experience or knowledge of the situation certainly helps. So maybe you work with young people, or are a young person yourself. (information directly from Google’s Interactivism website)

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MAIN WEBSITE

Unemployment – since September 2007, the UK has been suffering with worsening unemployment situations, young adults (16yrs old-25yrs old) being the most effected with over 1 million unemployed. The International Labor Organization’s “Global Employment Trends for Youth:2011 Update” revealed that the undercurrent of recession had exposed a myriad of problems, ranging from unemployment, underemployment and stress-related unemployment to extended inactivity, as well as the possible consequences of lower wages in the future. In a separate report the TUC suggested that over the last three years the number of young people unable to find work had at least doubled in a third of the local authorities (32 per cent).

Literacy & Numeracy Divide – While young peopleʼs writing standards steadily improved until 2006, levels have not increased since. Writing is much more than just an educational issue – it is an essential skill that allows people to participate fully in todayʼs society and to contribute to the economy. For one in six people in the UK today, literacy is a real struggle. They do not have the communication skills they need to fulfill their potential. Poor literacy means young people do not gain the knowledge they need to succeed at school and as adults will have limited employment opportunities which will impact on their mental and physical health. A 2011 CBI/EDI employer survey shows that 42 per cent are not satisfied with the basic use of English by school and college leavers. To address the weaknesses in basic skills, almost half of employers have had to invest in remedial training for school and college leavers.

The majority of young adults have grown up in a world where the Web has always been there – and has always been mainstream. They have entered adolescence in an era when Instant Messaging (IM) and Social Network Sites (SNS) have been impacting on the way relationships are formed and develop. Mobile phones are ubiquitous and the majority are Internet connected. They have never known a world in which there were only a few media channels, or where knowledge was only available from a library. This creates an accessible platform for the devlopment and deliver of some CRACKING INNOVATIVE TOOLS – GET YOUR THINKING CAPS ON PEPS!

Film: I’m a NEET – Spill Media produced this film with a group of NEET young people, through Swansea Youth Service

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