The Youth Café is excited to announce that we will be one of the exhibitors, hosting a booth at the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) 10th Anniversary Virtual Summit, “Ten Plus Ten: YALI and United States Look Back, and Ahead, Together” to be hosted in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The event will take place virtually from May 24-28, 2021.
The YALI 10 Summit will celebrate YALI’s impact; provide five days to connect with notable speakers and YALI alumni through policy discussions, professional development workshops, entertainment, networking opportunities, and a virtual expo; and offer an opportunity to envision the next decade of YALI.
This summit is centered around 4 major themes, which are: The transformative power, innovation and resilience of the African youth; Propelling Africa forward through servant leadership; Strengthening the relations between the United States and Africa; and Setting a vision for YALI for the next 10 years.
The United States government formed the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) in 2010 as its prime initiative in an effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders in response to the ever changing trajectory of Africa’s demography. Around 60% of Africa’s population comprises the youth, making Africa the world’s youngest continent. The youth have a vital role to play in guaranteeing the continent's future.
YALI has grown from 115 young leaders to include over 24,000 Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni, four Regional Leadership Centers (RLCs) throughout Africa, and a large digital community called the YALI Network with over 700,000 members in the last decade. These initiatives are designed to strengthen democratic institutions and good governance while also promoting economic growth and prosperity, and foster peace and security in Africa.
The theme of the 10th anniversary summit is “Ten Plus Ten: YALI and United States Look Back, and Ahead, Together.” For the past decade, YALI has aided young African leaders in their attempts to promote government accountability and transparency, create their own enterprises, and serve their communities. The summit is a celebration of the incredible achievements of YALI alumni and network members, working to strengthen African democracy and governance, expand U.S. trade and investment with the continent, and improve peace building efforts in fragile areas. The summit will provide a platform of opportunities for skill development, networking, mentoring, and collaboration, as well as offer a chance for YALI alumni to collectively outline a vision for their future.
Several high-level speakers, officials, YALI graduates, and professionals from the United States and Africa will speak at the Summit. Alumni from numerous YALI programs, as well as the organization's broad network, will be in attendance.
The Youth Café will be one of the exhibitors holding a booth that will allow us to showcase our organization and interact with anyone who enters our booth. We will also be live chatting with summit attendees during the allotted session on the 27th of May from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm (EAT). We consider this to be a great opportunity to expand our social and professional networks.
If you will be attending the summit, please be sure to visit our booth!
For further information, clarification, contributions, and questions kindly send us an email.