#The Opportunity
The world’s growth markets often face socio-economic divides. As internet access and mobile phones arrive there, technical skills provide money-making opportunities, whether that’s as outsource work or developing their own software to address local needs.
Village Accelerator is programme designed to develop these technology business skills, and to be syndicated to different communities around the world.
#Common Goal - How will it make a difference?
Village Accelerator creates economic wealth. It creates marketable skills that can be applied without leaving home, and enables people to address needs of growth markets.
#Organisational Goals:
Source Institute does this because the world needs it. It’s an example of a self-propagating programme - one designed so the students can quickly become the teacher. Our aim is to maximise reach and have an early insight into untapped investment opportunities around the world.
Strategic Relevance
Village Accelerator is for communities that most innovation and support programmes don’t consider worth targeting. These communities are often considered worthy of social support programmes, but overlooked for economic opportunity. However, they are often growth markets and the opportunities within them are findable by the many intelligent people in these communities. Village Accelerator enables them on their own terms.
Resources
Budget: We are not currently seeking funding, however, this project could benefit from a part-time project manager.
Timeline: Ongoing
People needed:
Software developers
Technology entrepreneurs
Translators
Resources needed:
Computers
Outcomes:
- People employable with high-paying skills
- Internet and mobile tech startups
Description
Village Accelerator runs as two-week training programmes, taught by volunteers.
We target young adults by offering to teach them how to make their own video game. We teach web site building, followed by simple web app development using the Facebook API, and build a simple game like Flappy Birds. We then explore various web-based business models they can copy and customise to address local needs.
Each topic in the programme is self-propagating, meaning the students who complete the course can teach it next time.
The course material is syndicated following open source methodologies. It is offered for free to others, who apply it, improve it, and share back their improvements.