Angelica Towne

Educate!

Big Idea: 

Angelica Towne knows the impact of a nonprofit that bridges opportunity gaps. After her experiences here in the US, she devoted her life to curriculum development for the same type of program, but focused on youth across the globe. She co-founded Educate! and subsequently went to spend seven years in Uganda to fully immerse herself in the development of their courses. She believes that the world has changed, and education should, too.

Globally, 311 million young people are unemployed, largely due to the mismatch between education and life after school. This problem is most acute in Africa – with a lack of formal jobs, 90% of African youth are going to work in the informal sector. But the education systems across Africa deliver a false promise – that spending years in school does not necessarily lead to employment or opportunity. Educate! transforms secondary education in Africa to teach young people to solve poverty for themselves and their communities. Educate! has developed a curriculum that encourages youth to take leadership roles, create small businesses, and ultimately, improve their livelihoods.

Rainer Arnhold Fellows