The Youth Cafe is excited to be involved in the launch of the Youth Empowerment Fund on 4 October. Considering that The Youth Cafe is a youth-led organization working with youths for youths, young people have an active role in the launch event with Commissioner Urpilainen.
The Youth Action Plan in EU External Action (YAP) features flagships for the three pillars of the plan: engage, connect, and empower. The EU Youth Empowerment Fund is the key flagship of the empowerment pillar of the YAP, giving young people the means to be effective agents of change.
Concretely, the YEF will be implemented as a pilot initiative worth €10 million that will provide direct financial support to youth-led initiatives in partner countries focusing on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level, in particular on environment and climate change and the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized youth.
The Youth Empowerment is global in its reach but focuses on local solutions that grassroots initiatives of young people identify on the ground. The Youth Empowerment Fund has been co-designed with young people and responds to one of the most common requests of young people: easier, youth-friendly access to finance.
The launch of the Youth Empowerment Fund is to take place in Nairobi on 4 October marking the one-year anniversary of the Youth Action Plan. Considering the global dimension of the Youth Action Plan and the Youth Empowerment Fund, a hybrid format has been chosen, streaming the event globally. The 1h launch event will be accompanied by a workshops/networking program for young people.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
13:00 -16:00 Networking lunch and creative thinking workshop organized by the Big Six
16:00 –17:00 Core launch event
16:00 –16:05 Welcome & Presentation of the event by young celebrity moderator Sheila Kwamboka
16:05 –16:10 A teaser showing achievements of youth initiatives at the grassroots level
- Stacy Dina Adhiabo Owino, EU Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships 2021-2023 and Co-Founder of Uncut Gems Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Beneficiary of the Global Youth Mobilisation from Kenya
16:10 –16:20 Speech by Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen and Big Six representatives, CEO of YMCA Carlos Sanvee (online)
16:20 –16:45 Hybrid Youth panel with young people about youth participation, youth-led initiatives, solutions, and ideas, and how to bring them to fruition.
- Marian Abukayo EU Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships 2021-23 (on site)
- Natalia Gomez-Solano, Special Adviser on Youth
- Asmita Rawat, Member of the Youth Sounding Board of the EU Delegation to Nepal Tharindra Arumapperuma (Sri Lanka, remote) Youth Board Representative of the Big Six Global Youth Mobilisation
- Willice Onyango, Executive Director of The Youth Café and Beneficiary of the Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative (WYDE)
16:45–16:50 The official launch of the Youth Empowerment Fund through Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen and Helga Mutasingwa (on-site, WAGS Board member and ex-youth representative in the Global Youth Mobilisation) together with young people.
16:50-16:55 Photo with Commissioner Urpilainen, Big Six representatives, and Youth
17:00 –18:00 Networking drink