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The programme "Piloteando Futuros" is coordinated by the Women Studies Centre (Centro de Estudios de la Mujer) of Argentina and financed by the Inter-American Development Bank through PROLID (Support for Women Leadership and Representation Programme - Programa de Apoyo al Liderazgo y Representación de la Mujer).

Gloria Bonder is the general coordinator. The programme is supported by the Youth National Office (Dirección Nacional de Juventud) from the Ministry of Social Development and Environment (Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Medio Ambiente) and the General Offices of Women and of Social Policies (Direcciones Generales de la Mujer y la de Políticas Sociales) from the Social Promotion Secretariat of the Buenos Aires City Government (Secretaría de Promoción Social del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires). The Argentinean Centre for the International Cooperation and Development (El Centro Argentino para la Cooperación Internacional y el Desarrollo - CACID) is the cooperation agency.

The members of its Advisor Council are: Acevedo Riquelme, Dacil; Altschul Monique; Aumedes, Noemí; Balardini, Sergio; Blejmar, Bernardo; Borda, Marta; Di Marco, Graciela; Finquelievich, Susana; Mooney, Lelia; Naddeo, María Elena; Percebal, Marita; Rodríguez, María José; Rosenfeld, Mónica.

The main objective of the programme, which started in February 2000, is to motivate and provide funding and technical assistance to social organizations in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to develop innovative training programmes in areas such as employability, citizenship and leadership for young people, specifically for those who belong to popular sectors.

A call for projects was made and from the 324 proposals that participated 14 projects were selected after a tough process of evaluation in which several regional experts intervened.

Between May 29th and June 2nd in Pacheco, Buenos Aires, an intensive training seminar took place with those in charge of the selected projects. The objective of the seminar was to optimise the final formulation of each project and its implementation. In order to achieve so, the teacher staff formed by recognised professionals approached theoretical, pedagogical, strategic planning and evaluation issues. The lectures were complemented with workshops where participants review and redesign their projects.

The selected programmes are based on the idea of offering young people assistance in the following areas:

* Access to computer science as an instrument to access significant information in the definition of a labour project and community participation.
* Spaces for intergenerational dialogue through the contribution of women leaders that assist young women.
* Exchange among young people from different social sectors.

Executing Stage
The 14 proposals which receive subsidies, training and technical assistance have begun the executing stage. Nearly 500 young people, basically women from popular sectors, are participating in the programme.

During September the First Electronic Forum was held with the presence of all the projects and the Advisor Council. The forum was directed to reflect and debate on Community Computer Science: its definition, its possible uses, what strategies can be implemented and how the gender variable intervenes in its use and impact.

At the beginning of October the Technical Assistance and Evaluation Stage began aiming at strengthening and optimising the implementation and results of the projects. Today the technical group of the Women Studies Centre has started to visit the Chilean, Paraguayan and Uruguayan projects.

The programme includes the following projects in each country:

Argentina

- Training Project for adolescent and young women in reformatory institutes: from social exclusion to rights entitlement. Interdisciplinary Institute of Gender Studies (Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género), Faculty of Philosophy and Arts - University of Buenos Aires (Facultad de Filosofía y Letras - Universidad de Buenos Aires), Buenos Aires. Coordinator: Andrea Fabre.

- Women and Employability
FICAM- Research and Training Forum for Woman Working (Foro de Investigación y Capacitación para la mujer trabajadora). Buenos Aires. Coordinator: Norma Menna.

- "Together for a change" ("Juntas para el cambio"). Strengthening leadership capacities of young women occupying the Ex AU3 - SERCAL. Buenos Aires. Coordinator: Elida Dominguez.

- Tools for Action (Herramientas para actuar).
CEGEP - Civil Association Centre for Management and Participation in Social Projects (Asociación Civil Centro de Gestión y Participación de Proyectos Sociales.)

- Enterprising Rural Women Group: new commercialisation strategies based on innovative knowledge and tools.
PRODEMUR- Rural Women Promotion (Promoción de la Mujer Rural). Catamarca. (San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca).
Coordinator: Leandro Félix Rueda.

- Training with occupational options in computer science area with a gender perspective. LIHUEN - Interdisciplinary Centre for Prevention and Research on Reproductive Rights (Centro Interdisciplinario de Prevención e Investigación en Derechos Reproductivos) Río Negro. Bariloche.
Coordinator: Josefina Felitti.

Chile

- Young Women pushing frontiers (Mujeres jóvenes empujando fronteras). Fundación Instituto de la Mujer (Women Institute Foundation). Santiago. Coordinator: Tatiana Cárdenas.

- Sustainability of young women social participation in San Pedro and Valle Alegre in the V region of Chile. CIDPA- Centre for Population Research and Dissemination of Achupallas (Centro de Investigación y Difusión Poblacional de Achupallas). Valparaíso (San Pedro y Valle Alegre).
Coordinator: Ondina Collao Acosta

- Indigenous Women, empowering and social policies. AUKIÑKO ZOMO-Mapuche Women Corporation. Cautín.
Coordinators: María Isabel Curihuentro y Bernardita Calfuqueo

Paraguay

- Training for the participation and social development of young people.
Humanitas Foundation. Asunción
Coordinator: Lorena Goiburú

- Productive enterprising for income generation of young women in family states in rural areas. CECTEC - Educational, Training and Peasant Technology Centre (Centro de Educación, Capacitación y Tecnología Campesina). Asuncion (NE of Itapúa)
Coordinator: Elizabeth del Carmen Duré Cáceres

Uruguay

- Computer Science as a tool for the development of citizenship among young people. Women Now (Mujer Ahora). Montevideo
Coordinator: Carmen Beramendi

- Young women and men: In search of social equity. Youth Forum (Foro Juvenil). Montevideo (Montevideo y Durazno).
Coordinator: Florencia Scorza.

- Young Rural Women supporters of the cooperative movement in Uruguay: Leadership and Project Implementation. Pilot Experience.
CAF- Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Cooperativas Agrarias Federadas). Montevideo (Colonia, Soriano, San José and Canelones).
Coordinator: Gabriela Quiroga.

For further information, contact the Women Studies Centre (Centro de Estudios de la Mujer), Argentina:

Ecuador 873, 4th floor
C.P. 1214
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Phone/Fax: (+54-11) 4964-0697
E-mail: cem@wamani.apc.org