Youth Digital Champions

mEducation Alliance Signature Activity

What is the Youth Digital Champions (YDC) initiative?

The mEducation Alliance, a consortia of development and donor agencies, and a number of youth-serving organizations are advancing the Youth Digital Champions initiative to build upon youth interest and passion in digital technologies (broadly defined to include mass media, such as radio, television, computer- based and mobile devices) to strengthen community development and self-reliance efforts in lower resource, developing country context by:

  1. raising awareness of and promoting youth (15-29 yrs. old) access to digital literacy skills training, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities and,
  2. identifying, advancing, and supporting digitally-enabled young leaders in international, national, and local community development issues.

YDCs can work in a variety of sectors (e.g., Health, Education, Agriculture, Community Development, Civic Engagement), but are applying their leadership and digital skills for significant impact in the communities where they live/work.

YDC examples from our first cohort include:

  • A YDC winner who is a project manager for an impact-driven global organization advancing tech solutions for displaced people; 
  • A YDC winner who is a CEO of a software development company, that provides game-based learning platforms on science, maths and skills for schools, teachers and students; and/or,
  • A YDC winner who is the founder and project design director at a grassroots human rights organization, which champions for the digital safety of at risk human rights defenders

Following a selection process, some nominees will be approached to further develop their YDC stories into case studies. These case studies will then be shared among the broader mEducation Alliance community and partner network of development and donor agencies and policymakers and with other leading organizations advancing youth and digital literacy skills development worldwide.

The Benefits of YDC

  • Global recognition by individuals and organizations deeply interested in the space of digital and youth leadership;
  • An invitation to present at virtual and physical international events; and,
  • Peer networking with other YDCs.

If you would like more information, including how to contribute to the YDC initiative, please email us at medalliance@meducationalliance.org

YDC Collaborating Partners

“I believe that coding is also a form of art in itself.”

Sulata Dhakal, Program Director at the Nepal based non-profit Smart Cheli and 2021 YDC Winner  

Announcing our Round #3 Youth Digital Champions!

AnnaKaye Boodho​

Anna-Kaye is the General Manager of Orbtronics. She supports various corporate responsibility efforts to leverage Orbtronics' expertise and resources to support youth, including by hosting youth interns for ConnectED and leading various other efforts, from the Orbtronics Junior Program teaching robotics to the Orbtronics Digital Literacy Program, sponsored by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and Republic Bank's Power to Make A Difference program.For Saint Lucia ConnectED, she hosted a team of youth interns onsite at the Orbtronics Junior Program, serving as an Intern mentor and supervisor. She oversaw the work of the team and assisted them in obtaining the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to succeed in their assignments, as well as develop new skills and confidence for venturing into entrepreneurship or the job market in the future. She also served for ConnectED as a training facilitator, providing training to the youth interns on a range of digital topics and STEM programs.

Country of Impact: Saint Lucia

Technologies: Robotics Kits, AI Tools

Keeghan Patrick

Keeghan Patrick is the co-CEO of Orbtronics and has been responsible for co developing all of Orbtronics Education programs. Keeghan has also facilitated many of programs himself in the very beginning of Orbtronics. He then reached out to other like-minded youth that were passionate about technology to join the Orbtronics team on their mission to accelerate technology adoption and development in their region through Quality and Equitable Education.Keeghan is also an active member of the International Telecommunication Union's Generation Connect group where he works with international delegates to cocreate inclusive digital policies for youth around the world.

Country of Impact: Saint Lucia

Technologies: Robotics Kits, AI Tools

Shergaun Roserie

Shergaun Roserie is one of the Directors and Co-Founders of Orbtronics, a software and hardware solutions company founded in 2020 that offers STEM educational programs to youth aged 18-35. Orbtronics holds the belief that to foster the Caribbean region's own "Silicon Forest" it is critical to educate and empower the next generation of creators and innovators. Orbtronics' STEM Programs aim to revolutionize the education system in the Caribbean by providing youth with exposure to the digital skills necessary to be globally competitive through hands-on, project-based learning.

Country of Impact: Saint Lucia

Technologies: Robotics Kits, AI Tools

Shariffa Amolo Ang’uria

Through the Global Youth Mobilization grant that was given to One More Percent in 2022, the Digital Champion Nominee was able to design a tech solution that enabled 50 girls and young women to experiment with a model software app that enables them to play games while at the same time learning about their reproductive health rights and processes of seeking justice when faced with gender-based violence. This solution enabled the participants to know their reproductive health rights and the process of seeking justice thereby increasing their civic educational empowerment in a fun and faster way

Country of Impact: Kenya

Technology: Artificial Intelligence

Mauridi Kiza Ramadhan

Mr. Mauridi has played a significant role in the Vodafone Foundation project, Instant Network Schools (INS), which aims to integrate digital resources into secondary classrooms within the Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya. As a team leader, he coordinates with INS coaches to provide training to teachers and students. Kiza is also the founder and CEO of Action For Refugee Life (AREL), a social impact organization that empowers the refugee community to achieve self-reliance through state-of-the-art technology hubs. One of AREL's key initiatives, AREL Education, provides refugees with a platform to learn valuable skills that can lead to employment opportunities and self-sufficiency, including Digital Marketing and E-commerce.

Country of Impact: Kenya

Technologies: eLearning platforms, AI

Round #3 Youth Digital Champions Webinar Presentations

Meet Our Youth Digital Championship Cohorts

A special Thank-You to our Round #3 Judges!

Adam Turney

With more than 16 years of experience working in both US and international education sectors, Adam Turney currently serves as the Vice President of World Education’s Africa Portfolio. He provides managerial oversight and technical assistance across the portfolio while also serving as a senior technical advisor. He supports monitoring and evaluation systems, research, and new business development opportunities, and serves as an Africa Portfolio lead for the EdTech Center. Before joining World Education, Adam spent more than 8 years teaching and volunteering in the US, South Korea, and Mozambique.

Vice President, Africa Portfolio

World Education 

Anthony Bloome

Anthony Bloome is the Founder and Executive Director of the Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance. He has specialized in the field of international development and technology for over 28 years. Tony serves on multiple advisory boards including for Benetech and Rotary International’s Basic Education and Literacy Action Group (BELRAG). He previously served for many years as a board member on the Library of Congress Literacy Awards.

Founder and Executive Director

mEducation Alliance

Marina Pistarini

Passionate about creating solutions to make the world a more equal place, Marina's experience for the past 15 years where linked to improving people's lives, and providing skills that empower people for uncertain futures. She is a believer that the only way to improve things and make sustainable programmes is by working together and finding consensus, making her area of expertise partnerships. For the past years, she has been working and advocating for different areas of the public and third sector, articulating with international organizations such as UNESCO, ILO & OEC, Fortune 500 companies, including Disney, Microsoft & Accenture, and governments from around the globe. Today she is working at Eidos improving social impact and changing people's lives.

Partnership Development Manager

Eidos 

Michael McCabe

In Mike’s role as Regional Director for the Inter-America and the Pacific Region at Peace Corps, he oversees the agency’s work in 20 countries with on average 2,500 Peace Corps Volunteers working with communities on economic development, education, health, climate/agriculture, and youth development. Mike brings over 30 years of professional experience managing international development programs. He most recently served as the Agency Senior Advisor on Youth at USAID, where he was responsible for helping integrate youth engagement and youth development issues across the agency as well as rolling out the Agency’s new Youth in Development Policy.

Regional Director, Inter-America and Pacific Region

Peace Corps

Vanessa Dreier

Vanessa Dreier works as Policy Advisor on Education and Digital Development for the German Development Cooperation (GIZ). She is interested in capacity building and working on digital innovation and transformation, emerging technology including artificial intelligence, as well as the gender digital divide.

Policy Advisor on Education and Digital Development 

German Development Cooperation (GIZ)

Mary Effie Akinyi

Mary Effie is the Engagement and Communications Coordinator for the mEducation Alliance. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a minor in Economics, Politics, and Public Policy Minor at Carnegie Mellon University Qatar (CMUQ). A class of 2020 graduate of the African Leadership Academy, Effie's dedication to Youth Empowerment is a defining aspect of her character. She possesses a wealth of leadership experience, and is hoping to utilize her multidisciplinary education, diverse skillset, and wealth of experience to tackle the most pressing issues facing society and elevate the quality of life for underserved communities.

Communications and Engagement Coordinator

mEducation Alliance

Signature Activities

Foundational Literacy & Numeracy

Math Power!

Literacy League

Processing

Support the mEducation Alliance and Our Work!

  • *