

Comment from the Ambassador
Dawn Turek
The Comgest Foundation supported YAKA’s cross-cultural exchange and social entrepreneurship programs for youth. Actions in 2019 were successful with immersion trips abroad for 43 French youth in India and Senegal; however, Covid-19 forced YAKA to adapt in 2020 as follows:
1) The 2019/20 IMPOWER program began in November 2019 as planned, but lockdown pushed workshops on-line after computers were donated to youth who did not have them. Travel restrictions also caused their immersion trip abroad to be cancelled; however, the youth will participate in a 3-week immersion trip in July 2021 in an eco-village in France with a number of refugee and migrant youth. Together, they will engage in similar workshops and training as in IMPOWER’s usual immersion trips and engage in cultural exchange. YAKA will also host international youth during this phase if possible.
2) YAKA also brought 3 young entrepreneurs to France from Tunisia in August 2020 to participate in a two-week pilot cross-cultural version of YAKA’s social entrepreneurship program Press Start. Living on a farm outside of Paris (to maintain easier Covid safety restrictions) with 7 French youth and one migrant from Afghanistan, they learned the elements of entrepreneurship, met with social entrepreneurs and visited start-up incubators. This pilot now has funding to be expanded in 2021

Description
Impact / Main indicators
A complete impact assessment is not yet possible. Some available include:
1) 45-day immersion trips for 43 French youth to villages of Guhir (India) and Soussane (Senegal)
2) Several social-improvement projects to help village communities organized by YAKA youth
3) 2-day educational forums for 300 youth in Dakar and Mumbaï organised by YAKA youth; and 4) a successful pilot project exchange program with Tunisian youth
Project sponsors
YES Akademia - France
http://www.yesakademia.ong/
Local partner
N/A