Session: The Challenges to Access from a Youth and Global Perspective

Concise Description:
Workshop 76: A global consideration of the challenges to access and the opportunities that access affords, from a youth perspective

Background:

This workshop is being run by Childnet in partnership with the KiBO foundation. It is a merged workshop based on initial proposal 76 and 112.

Agenda:

1. Introduction (10 minutes)
- An introduction to Childnet
- An introduction to KiBO
- Our areas of common interest and what the joint session hopes to achieve

The introduction would seek to demonstrate that accessibility can create profound opportunities for youth and children globally, considering the impact on educational growth and employment.

2. Opportunities (20 minutes)
- A discussion of the opportunities afforded by the internet (Childnet)
- A discussion of the opportunities afforded by creating an accessible educational program (Kibo)

3. Challenges (25 minutes)
- A discussion of the challenges that face users getting online from a global perspective, alongside a consideration of whether opportunity is stifled through a lack of access.

This would consider physical barriers to access, as well as the cultural barriers to access, with the youth participants engaging in a discussion/presentation on a case study from their own area of expertise/location/perspective.

The session would hear from Childnet’s Youth IGF Project participants discussing the challenges that they face in the UK coming online.

The session would also consider from KiBO’s perspective, the challenges from the perspective of vulnerable groups i.e. HIV/AIDS youth, Commercial Sex Workers - and in general youth from low income backgrounds and the opportunities access to a program like KiBO that is based on technology and the internet has created.

A related discussion of the challenges that youth face in accessing appropriate educational programs (cost, availability of the internet etc) - from the perspective of youth who have undergone the KiBO program

4. What can be done (25 minutes)

- Ideas of how to overcome these problems, and what is currently being done, and a presentation of solutions including discussion from the floor

5. Conclusions (10 minutes)