Go to the people:
Live with them, learn from them
start with what they know
build with what they have.

- Lao Tzu

Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) is an international non-profit, citizen-sector organization founded in 2000. Partnering with low-income communities in the U.S. and in rural communities in developing nations, YTF creates enriched learning environments in which the appropriate use of technology affords opportunities for marginalized people, particularly youth.

At YTF, we believe in the extraordinary potential of our beneficiaries living, working or schooling in disadvantaged communities. We envision a world in which they are equipped with adequate tools and resources that prepare them to confidently compete for 21st century opportunities. YTF recognizes that technology is not going to solve the problems of these communities, but it is a tool that can be used to help bridge social and economic obstacles. To this effect, YTF’s programs first teach participants first to recognize and speak out about what challenges exist in their community and then demonstrate how to research, document, and disseminate information about these challenges. If during this process, technology is identified as an enabler, it is introduced.

YTF’s theme is, “Delivering to the Community…Bridging the Digital Canyon”. This theme was borne out of an aspiration to empower people, in communities that we work in, to sit in the driver’s seat of their development while accessing the networks, tools and information to make positive change.