Conversations that inspire: Alex Beyers

Topic: Youth – Opportunities – Inclusive Employment

By: Rafael Arias , Education and Employment Manager at the Corona Foundation

Fundación Corona invited Alex Beyers, consultant for Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, one of the most recognized civil society organizations in South Africa and an anchor partner of GOYN Ethikwini. We brought Alex from Johannesburg to Bogotá to participate in the IEFG Together – Navigating Transitions in Education convention.

To make the most of this long journey, on April 26th we organized a parallel conversation with very close allies, especially those who are part of the Management Council of GOYN Bogotá and GOYN Barranquilla.

During this intimate conversation, one image particularly struck me. It was simple, yet it proposed a shift in the narrative: the classic image comparing equality (represented by people of different heights wanting to see beyond a wall, but unable to do so because they are provided with benches of the same size, without understanding that each height has different needs) and equity (an image showing everyone looking over the wall because shorter people are provided with larger benches).

However, on this occasion, the parable included an additional image that represented inclusion (all people can see beyond the wall, not thanks to the benches of different sizes, but because the wall - the barrier - was removed).

Harambee has become an international benchmark in the field of youth employment inclusion, mainly through its SA Youth platform, which connects young people with job opportunities that match their profiles.

The points I take away most from our conversation with Alex Beyers are:

i) Context is always crucial, and the role of civil society is fundamental, not only in innovation but also in building trust. Harambee became a key ally of the South African government, not only for its technological development of the platform but also for the trust it generated among citizens.

ii) Organizations interested in youth employment must re-evaluate how we understand our impacts. A significant portion of our impacts are direct and result from our partnerships and immediate actions. However, the Harambee case prompts us to consider other indirect impacts that we must also refine and take into account. For example, they consider young people who self-report changes in their employment status as a result of participating for at least one day in activities promoted by the organization.