EVERY YOUTH WHO’S VOICE IS NOT HEARD, THERE IS A GAP CREATED AT THE FRONTLINES OF SDGS PROGRESS BUT MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION IN DIALOGUES WILL BRING ON BOARD THEIR CRITICAL IDEAS NEEDED TO TRANSFORM AFRICA.
Background
To give young people a voice in policy processes, the African governments in collaboration with the civil society groups ought to work together. After a successful 20-month pilot of the impact of localization of resources and ownership of a project by a community aimed at solving a their challenge facing its local people in countries EIC operates, Education in Crisis (EIC), will work with a group consisting of 17 youth delegates from 17 countries in Africa.
The African Youth SDGs Delegate Program (AYSDP) will embed 17 youth within the policy negotiation process, with a priority for delegates from across the African countries.
From every country and SDGs, we’ll strictly select delegates from 17 countries based on their applications fulfillment who will be working to accelerate social impact both in-person and digitally to harness the knowledge and skills needed for being impactful change makers. This program will be overseen by the EIC in collaboration with the key partners.
Education in Crisis (EIC) is a non-governmental organization with a mission to promote inclusive, equitable, quality education for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Founded in 2019 by a group of university students who faced difficulties in finishing their own education but came to devote to helping other less privileged to access education as their human right. With head office domiciled in Arusha – Tanzania, EIC operates in 5 East African states delivering quality education to the most vulnerable children and youth.
The specific objectives of the program include the following:
- Provide leadership for the SDGs advocacy groups on grassroots.
- Oversee, plan the road map for the 2025 upcoming summit in Seychelles
- Conduct consultations, mobilization meetings, and workshops on SDGs in respective countries of delegates.
- Ensure that youth views and ideas are fully integrated into continental policymaking and dialogues.
- Build youth skills, capacity, knowledge, and networks, particularly in the most impacted countries, to engage in transformational processes.
- Provide a model for the SDGs process on youth inclusion.
- Share expertise and recommendations to guide the African Union work on SDGs.
Duration of the program
The AYSDP runs from July 2023 to July 2024. The timeline for the selection period is expected to be as follows:
- Applications open April 10, and will close by May 12, 2023.
- A selection committee, run and staffed by EIC, will shortlist candidates and invite them for interviews on a rolling basis.
- Shortlisted candidates will also be asked to submit a short essay on SDGs-related topics specified by the committee.
- Final interviews will be conducted between mid-to-end July 2023.
- EIC will inform candidates of selection by early May and the 17 selected delegates will be announced later that month.
- The program will run from July through December 2023 virtually in person from January to July 2024.
Opportunities for Delegates
As one of the 17 Youth Delegates, you will have the opportunity to:
- Be a part of the movement towards a sustainable Africa
- Connects delegates with a continental network of young leaders and organizations
- Provides resources for effective SDGs advocacy and leadership
- Representing your country and leading from grassroots to national levels negotiation processes over the year, gathering inputs and shared goals from youth in your country or community.
- Access capacity-building opportunities to learn more about diplomacy, negotiations and more.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the SDG progress and other fundamental action activities.
- Participate in the Conference of Youth in Tanzania, ahead of 2025 summit in Seychelles, as well as relevant local or regional youth events
- Participate in 2025 summit at Seychelles, from November 10 to 14.
In addition to the opportunities listed above, a small number of delegates will also be invited to participate in other critical regional summits, including the MES conference in October 2024 in Khartoum, Sudan, the “Pre-AYSDP” in June 2025, and the Regional Education Weeks. The selection process for these opportunities will be announced at a later stage.
Eligibility Criteria
- Participants should be between the ages of 18 to 35 by the end of the year
- Special consideration will be made for students between the ages of 15 to 17 with a recommendation from their principals.
- The program is open to African youth everywhere, with strong priority to residents in one of the African country. We encourage youth from indigenous communities and other minority youth to apply.
- Demonstrable commitment to and experience in SDGs and sustainability fields, including but not limited to education, paid and/or voluntary work, and extracurricular activities.
- Applications are encouraged from candidates with at least two years of experience and/or education in sectors such as policy advocacy, climate change, human rights, infrastructure, disability inclusion, media and journalism, health, peace and security, education, humanitarian relief, transport, finance, gender equality, and community engagement, among other areas.
- Priority will be given to candidates who have experience of policy engagement, and are able to commit to building a clear advocacy plan for 2025 summit.
- Youth representatives within their national government can also be delegates but would still be expected to consult with youth outside of government.
- Participants do not have to be a member of AP4E to apply
Recognizing that the vast majority of negotiations take place in English, and our aim for youth delegates to be fully engaged in negotiations, the application form is in English and we encourage youth with a working knowledge of English to apply.
However, we also welcome applications from youth who are confident they will be able to participate in the negotiations through interpretation assistance from their networks or organizations. In such cases, applicants are welcome to seek external assistance for submitting their applications.
You can apply here this link. The application windows closes May 12, 2023 at 23:59 EAT.
