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The Start of Something Big

A youth development pioneer by his early 20s, Rick Little was committed to improving the lives of the world’s young people. In 1989, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), he began to survey the world’s youth programs—interviewing experts, philanthropists and leaders from all sectors.

While identifying alarming gaps in youth-serving programs worldwide, Little and WKKF’s CEO and Chairman Russell Mawby saw opportunities to both nurture new philanthropic endeavors and mobilize new resources for proven and scalable programs. In 1990, WKKF made its largest charitable investment—more than $68 million—to launch the International Youth Foundation.

Adding Partners, Developing Leaders

Realizing there’s strength in numbers, IYF planned from the outset to engage qualified partners with histories of successful youth development. These partners would work at local and national levels to expand the reach of effective youth programs while maximizing the impact of the youth sector as a whole. Since 1990, IYF has assembled a vast global community that includes 175 organizations in 78 countries. read how we did it

Learning the Ropes

During the 1990s, IYF honed its experience to build effective public-private partnerships with some of the world’s leading corporations. These alliances helped IYF develop significant expertise around what would later become known as corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Many of those initial efforts blossomed in the years ahead, as IYF broadened its alliances with a growing network of corporate partners—including Lucent Technologies,
Coca-Cola, Kellogg Corporation, Nike, Gap, Microsoft, American Express, Shell and Cisco Systems.

One exceptional case was Nokia. read more

IYF also acted swiftly on new opportunities presented by the explosion of information technology into the mainstream. We recognized IT as both a promising new career field and an unprecedented tool to reach more marginalized youth than ever before.
read about IYF’s first it-based program

IYF’s First IT-based Program

With funding from USAID and Intel, IYF started IT4Youth in the West Bank providing 12,400 Palestinian youth in rural areas with enhanced learning skills and IT training through the establishment of computer labs. The program also helped participants find first-time employment.

Not even those closest to IYF’s first employability and IT programs could have imagined just how much their work and ideas would influence IYF’s youth development strategies in the decade to come.

Download What Works in Youth Employment: The Impact of New Information Technologies

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Nike and IYF: Improving Workplace Skills

In 1999, IYF launched the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities, one of its first large-scale efforts to build partnerships with global companies in the arena of workplace training. The Alliance—comprised of Nike, the Gap, the World Bank, NGOs and other partners—identified the needs and aspirations of young adult factory workers in Asia, with consideration to area business goals. The objective: to deliver health, life and management skills to help these workers excel in their jobs.

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To succeed in the 21st century, young people need to master basic life skills—how to get along with others, resolve conflicts, solve problems creatively and plan for the future. IYF is mobilizing far-reaching support for programs and approaches that help young people gain these essential skills.”

Sari Baldauf
Former Executive Vice President and General Manager, Networks,
Nokia Corporation