Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are one of the most potent forces shaping the 21st century, dramatically impacting the way young people live, learn, and work. Yet the majority of today’s young people live on the wrong side of the digital divide, in communities that are exposed to the sights and sounds of a new world, but which offer them insufficient education or economic opportunity to be a part of it.

How do we, as a global society, harness the power of ICTs to draw young people in from the economic and social margins? What lessons are emerging from recent experiences? How do we engage young people as partners in such efforts?

Recognizing that the urgent challenges facing today’s young people demand far-reaching solutions, new and innovative partnerships have emerged aimed at expanding the reach of ICTs to those young people most in need.

Highlighted below are several initiatives launched in close collaboration with the International Youth Foundation (IYF), that apply the power of ICTs to meet the educational and employment needs of thousands of young people worldwide.