Co-creating an inclusive and youth-responsive society in Africa and Europe
About the Project
AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective is a four-year EU-funded project that seeks to co-create a more youth-responsive and inclusive society in Africa and Europe. The implementing consortium comprises five partners with youth-led and youth-informed work expertise, including Oxfam, Restless Development, Search for Common Ground, Youthmakers Hub, and ComDev Africa. It implements digital strategies to engage youth and stakeholders at the continental level, including all 54 countries in all 5 African regions. It focuses on in-person activities in 15 Intervention Countries, 14 in Africa (including Kenya, Tunisia, and Ghana), and 1 in the EU (Belgium), to engage the African Diaspora as key connectors.
Key Opportunities
The project supports improved intergenerational partnerships by developing activities along the Youth Journey and the Institutional Journey. The two interlinked journeys equip young people with the skills to advocate for their concerns at the local, regional, and continental levels and, parallelly, engage institutions and decision-makers to integrate youth concerns and voices for more inclusive governance. Among key project actions are the development of the Youth Voices Lab App, a mobile app co-created with 10,000 young people based on consultations on their priorities and needs, and the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism, which provides microgrants to local youth-led groups to enable youth-led action and strengthen their advocacy research, capacity building, and action plans. Other actions include youth advocacy training, Youth Power Hackathon, and supporting youth representatives to participate in influential decision-making spaces.
The project facilitates meaningful change by encompassing human rights, gender justice, diversity and inclusion, care, well-being and safeguarding, and power-shifting notions across all its actions. Collaboration and co-creation are essential aspects of this project, which is part of the AU-EU Youth Lab. In this framework it operates in synergy with the AU-EU Youth Action Lab to strengthen the overall impact of the action, building on past successful EU-AU initiatives.
AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective catalyzes a more inclusive and responsive society in which enhanced youth engagement, empowerment, and connection shape policies, partnerships, and decision-making processes.
