For a continent that is the youngest in the world, young Africans are conspicuous by their absence at key deliberations that affect their futures. Because of this, Project Pakati is calling for ChangeMakers and ChangeLeads to work on a youth representation project.
There seems to be an understanding that youth are significant dividends of the continent’s population and that they need to be included in decision-making processes in various spaces, yet this is not happening. By not including them in decision-making processes, countries lose a crucial resource base. Young people can contribute a great deal through their perspectives and experiences; no governance structure can be truly successful without them.
That young Africans have a role to play has been recognized by the African Union through its African Youth Charter, which was signed in 2006 in Banjul, Gambia. The Charter enshrined the rights, duties and freedoms of African youth. Specifically, the Charter seeks to ensure the constructive involvement of youth in the development agenda of Africa and their effective participation in the debates and decision-making processes in the development of the continent. The Charter sets a framework to enable policy makers to mainstream youth issues in all development policies and programmes. It, thus provides a legal basis for ensuring youth presence and participation in government structures and fora at national, regional and continental levels. Despite the Charter being in place, youth remain marginalized and excluded from political and other important decision-making processes.
The purpose of Project Pakati - through the African Leadership Institute - is to create spaces and opportunities where young people can identify synergies and collaborate, resulting in the execution of collective agendas and activities that drive the African developmental agenda forward.
In keeping with this, Pakati is calling for 150 ChangeMakers and three ChangeLeads to work on a youth representation project.
This is a great opportunity for you for a number of reasons:
It gives you the platform to play a role in shaping the Africa you want by using your voice to help achieve youth representation.
It is a learning opportunity to learn from your peers from many other African countries who you will collaborate with on the platform
It is a platform to broaden your perspectives on many issues affecting youth and young leaders on the continent.
It’s about building your personal legacy.
It’s about access to an incredible network of other young people and professional networks.
It’s an opportunity to gain different skills.
It’s about building up your track record of delivering on results.
Selection Criteria for ChangeLeads and ChangeMakers
Preferred candidates are people who, by their actions, achievements and the values and principles by which they conduct their affairs, have demonstrated they are action-oriented and results-driven leaders. We are seeking energetic young African leaders who are tired of the status quo and want to contribute to making a difference. They are to be between the ages of 18 and 40 years of age. Candidates can come from any sector of society (business, social entrepreneurs or civil society). We are looking for candidates with diverse educational and work experiences but they must demonstrate many of the following characteristics:
A doer who is results-oriented
Able to devote some time to work on the project
Committed to serving his/her constituency (stakeholders/cause) and community ahead of self-gratification.
Confident, optimistic with high energy
Visionary, strategic and forward thinking
Systemic thinker – ability to assimilate, simplify and channel complex ideas
Passionate about the development of Africa
Citizen of an African country and must be currently living in Africa.
Additional Requirements for ChangeLeads
The ChangeLeads will be experts in their respective fields who will have the responsibility of guiding the Changemakers and steering the youth representation project. They will, in turn, report to the Project Development Sub-Committee of the Youth Advisory Board. We are seeking three ChangeLeads who will work together in a complementary manner, with backgrounds in the following areas:
Project Management
Knowledge and/or experience working with youth engagement in civil rights and youth rights
Legal
How do you Apply?
Candidates, who wish to apply as either a ChangeLead or as a ChangeMaker, are required to submit a letter of motivation (max 400 words), their CV and a brief bio. Their experience of involvement in socio-economic development work, if any, must be outlined.
Candidates are required to submit their application documents by email to Josias Ambeu by January 07, 2019. (Note - This date supercedes previous deadlines.)
Selection of the successful candidates will be completed by the 21 January 2019. Selected candidates will be notified by email of their successful selection and will be required to sign a Commitment Form before joining the Project Pakati Digital Platform, Workplace by Facebook.
For further enquiries and information, please contact the Project Manager, Bridgette Mdangayi. Please read the full document on this project, which can be downloaded from the AFLI website.
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