Africa is a continent of young people, with 75% of the population below the age of 35 and nearly 50% under the age of 19. Yet across Africa, instability, climate-related security, weak state capacity, the tenuous rule of law, amendment/removal of term limits, high inequality, illegitimate elections, inadequate judicial systems, and corruption continue to erode democracy. Moreover, lack of institutional capacity undermines youth engagement in African democracies — from low visibility of youth as voters, limited capacity for youth-led advocacy, cultural attitudes, underrepresentation/exclusion in decision-making, loss of trust in democracy, online disinformation and misinformation, intimidation of young human rights defenders and traditional social norms result to gender inequality, shrinking civic spaces, nepotism and tribalism, hence persistently hindering young people's participation, especially in leadership roles.
Similarly, the Youth Democracy Cohort report on youth political and civic engagement shows declining empowerment and engagement with regard to supporting youth in governance, youth in government, youth freedom of expression, promotion of political participation and a human rights culture. This calls for African youth-centred advocacy actions for organizations working on these topics through the Summit for Democracy since, according to the US Department of State, only seven countries (Zambia, Kenya, Botswana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius and the Democratic Republic of Congo) of the 54 African countries have submitted their written commitments for the Summit for Democracy.
Recognizing the importance of youth democratic participation and inclusion in Africa so as to address these challenges, The Youth Cafe will partner with Youth Democracy Cohort and youth member organizations through various complementary interventions in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Central Africa Republic (CAR).
Goals & Objectives
Overall impact of the project is to: Increase youth engagement, especially young women from Africa, in active and meaningful roles in the democratic processes due to strengthened and enhanced political and civic capacities.
Specific Objectives:
To enhancing young women and men advocacy capacities through peer-to-peer experience sharing, communication campaigns and coaching to support them on claiming power for democratic and political participation.
To localize, promote, support and monitor the adoption of the S4D menu of possible commitments.
To document and disseminate African youth political and civic experiences and best practices to promote young women in democratic processes.
Join the movement for democratic change in Africa! Take part in the Mapping Survey of Youth-led and youth-serving Organizations and Networks in Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, and Central Africa Republic (CAR) Countries, and help Ignite and unite African Youth"
"Ignite African Youth Project needs you! Participate in the survey and let's create actionable plans for the empowerment of African youth."
Constraints & Assumptions
Lack of participation: Young people may not be interested in participating in the project due to the notion that most African governments doesn’t include youths and youth issues, which can lead to low attendance at meetings and events and a lack of interest in decision-making processes.
Political instability: The political climate in some African countries may hinder the ability of young people, especially young women, to engage in democratic processes.
Resistance to change/Traditional Power Structures: There may be resistance from older/seasoned, established members of the community to the idea of youth participation in governance.
Limited resources: The project may have a limited budget or resources, which could impact the scope and scale of activities that can be undertaken.
Limited capacity: Young people may not have the necessary skills or experience to effectively participate in democratic processes.
Limited access to technology: Not all young people may have access to technology, which could impact the ability to participate in digital advocacy and communication campaigns.
Language barriers: Communication campaigns may need to be translated into multiple languages, which could add complexity and cost to the project.
Cultural barriers: Cultural norms and traditions could limit the participation of young women in civic and political processes, which could require culturally sensitive approaches to engagement
Security concerns: There may be security concerns for young people participating in the project, particularly if the project is in a high-risk area.
Limited reach: The project may not be able to reach all young people in the community, particularly those who are marginalized or disadvantaged.
Young people are interested in participating in democratic processes: There is an assumption that young people are interested in engaging in democratic processes and that the project will be able to tap into that interest.
Progress can be made in the short term: While lasting change may take time, there is an assumption that meaningful progress can be made towards increased engagement of young people, especially young women, in democratic processes within a relatively short timeframe.
Support from political leadership: There is an assumption that political leaders will support efforts to increase youth engagement in democratic processes and that the project will be able to build relationships with political leadership to advance its objectives.
Join the movement for democratic change in Africa! Take part in the Mapping Survey of Youth-led and youth-serving Organizations and Networks in Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, and Central Africa Republic (CAR) Countries, and help Ignite and unite African Youth"
"Ignite African Youth Project needs you! Participate in the survey and let's create actionable plans for the empowerment of African youth."
Project Scope
The project scope for The Ignite African Youth project! Aimed at increasing youth engagement, particularly young women from Africa, in active and meaningful roles in democratic processes due to strengthened and enhanced political and civic capacities will include the following components:
Assessment of current situation: Conducting an assessment of the current state of youth engagement, especially young women, in political and civic processes in the project target African countries.
Capacity building: Developing and implementing capacity-building activities, such as training sessions and workshops, to support young people in developing their political and civic capacities.
Communication campaigns: Designing and implementing communication campaigns to raise awareness and mobilize support for youth engagement in democratic processes.
Coaching and mentorship: Providing one-on-one coaching and mentorship opportunities for young people to develop their leadership and advocacy skills and to build networks of support.
Advocacy and engagement: Supporting young people, especially young women, to participate in political and civic processes, including advocacy and engagement with decision-makers at the local, regional, and national levels.
Monitoring and evaluation: Developing a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress and measure the impact of the project.
The Youth Café will undertake a needs assessment and lay the foundation for the project through a stakeholder mapping exercise and Conduct a Perception survey on the Summit for Democracy and African Governments Youth Commitments using the online survey tools to collect information regarding youth understanding of the Summit for Democracy and The Menu of Possible Commitments.
Another activity will be on raising awareness on The Summit for Democracy and The Menu of Possible Commitments by holding a total of 5 online jams on Twitter, workshops and webinars and inviting youth to join. Local partnerships with four local youth groups and enabling them to have their say on the commitments, Issuing press releases by partnering with major mainstream media and online media channels. Posting about the commitments on digital media platforms such as The Youth Cafe’s website, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Tiktok etc., to reach many youths. This will also be through the invitation of people to create their own story through 1-to-2-minute videos using the hashtag: #MenuofPossibleCommitments, and #IgniteAfricanYouth, which will be populated on our social media platforms. The stories will be about; What does democracy mean to you?, How does freedom of expression matter in your life and country? What is your take on including youths and young women’s participation in the civil and political processes? These engagements will also be geared towards supporting the youth in their local advocacy actions and heightening their visibility through enhanced profiles necessary for active political engagement, as well as increased youth-generated and focused knowledge of democratic governance in Africa. We will achieve this through support for local youth advocacy actions around key days such as International Democracy Day and International Youth Day.
Furthermore, we will undertake the Africa Youth Post 2023 Summit for Democracy Review in target countries to develop papers that analyze S4D commitments made from a youth perspective.
Ignite Africa Advocacy Workshop - Development and refinement of an advocacy toolkit that will be co-created with at least 20 member organizations and youth advocates within our member networks, young people and with EPD and YDC for two and a half months. Similarly, a Youth Advocacy Action Plan will be developed by holding online co-creation events as well as at the in-person or hybrid workshop and, with the support of the Youth Democracy Cohort networks, will use online writing tools and open-source civic tech tools to undertake consultations, to track changes to the advocacy plan that will outline a set of commitments that young people will work towards to ensure monitoring, adoption and recommendations of possible commitments in four countries. It will include timelines and strategies for success. In addition, in collaboration with TYC member organizations, we shall develop a self-assessment reporting template, a tool designed to assist youth organizations in reporting on government commitments related to youth development - to be filled by youth organizations to keep track of the government’s commitments to youth development. These activities will lead up to the validation and launch of the advocacy toolkit, youth advocacy action plan and a self-assessment reporting template through a two/three-day in-person or Hybrid workshop bringing together youths, young women and youth networks for peer learning & exchange, sharing advocacy best practices with other organizations who have done similar campaigns around the world, capacity building, and to further disseminating reports, i.e., mapping reports, and creating awareness of the tools.
The Youth Café will also increase the institutional and individual capacity of young people and oriented organizations to effectively facilitate youth participation in democratic governance processes through the co-creation of an advocacy toolkit to support local youth-led advocacy actions. This will be complemented by virtual advocacy masterclasses designed to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to be the best advocates and citizens, enabling control of their political and civic rights. We will utilize the model Menu of Possible Commitments as benchmarks to effectively facilitate young people’s engagement and participation at national, regional and continental levels.
Additionally, the project will heighten the visibility of young people through enhanced profiles necessary for active political engagement and Increase youth-generated and focused knowledge of democratic governance in Africa. We will achieve this through Support for Youth Local Advocacy Actions around key days such as International Democracy Day and International Youth Day, raising awareness on The Summit for Democracy and The Menu of Possible Commitments.
The Youth Café will share findings and knowledge materials from the four selected Sub-Saharan countries on the state and areas of improvement for the five thematic focus areas from the Menu of Possible Commitments on the dissemination of findings through a fact sheet, infographics, TYC Podcast and online jams that facilitate interactive discussions.
The Youth café will also work to strengthen platforms for inter-regional and inter-continental discussions and dialogues through online exchanges as well as an in-person event bringing together youth networks for peer learning & exchange. We will also engage young people through online panels.
Target Audience
The project will target youths from Sub-Saharan African countries, namely Zambia, Kenya, Central African Republic and Ghana, with increased emphasis on young women. In these regions, youth face various challenges, including a lack of education, limited economic opportunities, and access to essential services. In recognition that youth is not a homogenous group as The Youth Cafe, we work to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion of all young people, i.e. urban youth, and rural youth, taking into account (among other things) region, geography, gender identity, sex, socio-economic status, faith, religion, culture, ethnicity, creed, (dis)ability, sexuality, marginalised grouping and legal status. The Youth Cafe will collaborate with at least one youth-serving/youth-led organisation per country. The Youth Cafe will tap into the vast membership portfolio of these organisations to access youth views on the level of their governments’ commitments to youth civic and leadership inclusion.
Join the movement for democratic change in Africa! Take part in the Mapping Survey of Youth-led and youth-serving Organizations and Networks in Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, and Central Africa Republic (CAR) Countries, and help Ignite and unite African Youth"
"Ignite African Youth Project needs you! Participate in the survey and let's create actionable plans for the empowerment of African youth."
NOTE: Youth/Young People: The Youth Cafe defines ‘youth’, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 35 years (African Union), without prejudice to other definitions by other entities. The Youth Cafe uses the terms youth and young people interchangeably to mean age 15-35.
Success Indicators
Increased awareness of the Summit for Democracy (S4D) menu of possible commitments for the target African countries.
Youth Advocacy Handbook is developed and published. Youth-led advocacy toolkit to support local youth-led advocacy actions is developed and published.
Support for Youth Local Advocacy Actions around key days such as International Democracy Day and International Youth Day
Improved political and civic capacities. Assessing the development and improvement of political and civic knowledge, skills, and attitudes among young people, especially young women.
Enhanced youth networks and partnerships among young people, especially young women, other stakeholders such as civil society organizations, government institutions, and community leaders.
Increased awareness and engagement among decision-makers: Assessing whether decision-makers at the local, regional, and national levels are more aware of and engaged with young people's democratic and political issues and concerns, and whether they are taking steps to address them.
Educative podcasts on Youth leadership are uploaded on the Youth Café website for easy access by young people.
Localization, promotion, and the adoption of the S4D menu of possible commitment by more African countries.
Completion of advocacy masterclasses designed to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to be the best advocates and citizens, enabling control of their political and civic rights.
Strengthened platforms for inter-regional and inter-continental discussions, dialogues, online exchanges, and peer learning on youth trends, challenges and prospects for improved governance and democracy in Africa.
Benefits for Partnering
Encouraging democratic participation: Youth engagement can help to build a stronger and more inclusive democracy by encouraging young people to participate in political processes.
Join the movement for democratic change in Africa! Take part in the Mapping Survey of Youth-led and youth-serving Organizations and Networks in Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, and Central Africa Republic (CAR) Countries, and help Ignite and unite African Youth"
"Ignite African Youth Project needs you! Participate in the survey and let's create actionable plans for the empowerment of African youth."
