Our Mission
Our mission at the MiDO Foundation is to turn young people in South Africa into digital citizens with the digital skills needed for the 4IR, a world where their mastery of these skills will be vital to finding employment.
Digital Technology Hubs
We create Digital Technology Hubs right there where our beneficiaries spend most of their time – at school. Our Hubs are established in already existing computer rooms established by the national Department of Higher Education and Training at lower income schools.
The Hubs are used to teach learners digital literacy such as coding, robotics, graphic design, digital video and photography by industry experts and training in the effective use of Google Apps. While digital skills are important, our youth needs more than hard skills to function as digital citizens in this world. This is why our learners are also taught teamwork, critical thinking, creative and communication skills amongst others. Next, learners are taught how to apply the skills they have been taught, and how to use those skills to innovate. In the end, learners have to use all of the above skills to work on a social or entrepreneurial project, which they present to the MiDO Foundation, their teachers, and foundation donors at a ceremony at the end of the year.
We then place unemployed youth who have completed our Youth ICT Apprenticeship Programme in these hubs to offer support to the learners who use the facilities.
Digital Citizenship Programme
Our Digital Citizenship Programme teaches learners digital literacy such as coding, robotics, graphic design, digital video and photography by industry experts as well as training in the effective use of Google Apps. While digital skills are important, our youth needs more than hard skills to function as digital citizens in this world.
This is why our learners are also taught teamwork, critical thinking, creative and communication skills amongst others. Next, learners are taught how to apply the skills they have been taught, and how to use those skills to innovate. Unemployed youth from lower income communities are able to develop technical skills required in the ICT sector through this programme.
The programme also teaches these youth self-confidence and emotional intelligence, interpersonal, communication, teamwork, problem-solving or critical thinking, and time management skills. Other essential parts of our programme include mentorship and a 12-month industry-based internship opportunity offered through the MiDO Foundation.
Quest is all about PLAYING, LEARNING, CONNECTING AND GROWING.
The QUEST app, which is currently under development, is a personal development platform that goes beyond the offering of our Digital Technology Hubs. It will be used to teach learners how to implement digital citizenship through play while also learning, connecting with others and continuing to grow their digital skills.
Through QUEST, learners can create their own avatar and HERO story as they navigate various levels on the platform, from drawing up a personal goals list to implementing it, accessing and utilising career guidance services to learning how to be a responsible digital citizen.