A group of young African people holding hands in the middle of a circle.

Co-creating an inclusive and youth-responsive society in Africa and Europe.

Co-creating an inclusive and youth-responsive society in Africa and Europe.

About

AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective is a four-year initiative, part of the AU-EU Youth Lab programme, that fosters a more youth-responsive and inclusive society in Africa and Europe. It is implemented by an international consortium with youth-led and youth-informed work expertise, including Oxfam, Restless Development, Search for Common Ground, Youthmakers Hub, and ComDev Africa.

AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective envisions a society where youth engagement, empowerment, and connection drive policy-making, partnerships, and decision-making. Operations are continent-wide, and the strategies involve youth and decision-makers from all 54 African countries, targeting 14 Intervention Countries in Africa and 1 in Europe for in-person activities.

A map with all the countries that the project is operating in Europe and in Africa. More specifically the countries are: Belgium, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Key Opportunities

We are developing the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App, which serves as a virtual mirror of the collective and builds on input from 10,000 young people, tailored to their needs and priorities.

The Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism (YV-TPFM) supports youth-led advocacy initiatives by providing microgrants ranging from €1,000 to €10,000 per collective to youth-led groups from intervention countries and the youth diaspora to support their actions. It aims at strengthening local and continental advocacy through research, training, and accountability mechanisms.

Other key actions include training 24,000 young people on advocacy-related skills, hosting Youth Power Hackathons, and supporting youth representatives in joining intergenerational and cross-continental decision-making spaces.

A group of young people from Africa hanging out.

Vision

A society where policies, partnerships, and decision-making processes are shaped by enhanced youth engagement, empowerment, and connection, alongside improved intergenerational partnerships at local, national, continental, and cross-continental levels.

General Objective

To co-create a more inclusive and youth-responsive society in Africa and Europe.

Specific Objectives

The Youth Journey

Empowering young people – ages 15 to 35, including those in hard-to-reach areas and not in education, employment, or training – and youth-led groups to effectively advocate for their concerns and priorities within the AU-EU partnership in Africa.

The Institutional Journey

Engaging decision-makers, including institutions, governments, and corporations, to develop youth-centered and youth-responsive policies.

Our Ambitions in Numbers

Engage

0

young people in information access, action planning, and accountability through youth-led initiatives.

Empower

0

young people to participate in civil society with collective self-care.

Connect

0

young people with intergenerational dialogues and cross-continental partnerships.

Assist

0

policymakers and decision-makers in collaborating on youth-responsive policymaking and accountability.

Support

0

youth-responsive policies development or improvement.

Key Notions

AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective facilitates meaningful change by integrating key notions across all its actions:

A green circle with a white scale inside.

Human rights

Youth as rights-holders guiding youth policy creation.

A red circle with the male and female symbol and the equal on the middle.

Gender justice

Transforming gender norms and harmful practices that limit youth participation.

A yellow circle with two white young people close to each other.

Diversity & inclusion

Fighting oppression and ensuring the participation of under-represented youth.

A green circle with a white shield and a heart inside.

Care, well-being & safeguarding

Ongoing risk analysis, safeguarding policies, and youth-led well-being activities.

An orange circle with two arrows inside pointing to different directions.

Power-shifting

Creating inclusive environments for youth power to thrive.

Events

Explore the events of AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective. Unlock digital and on-site activities to engage, empower, and connect.

More events are coming soon, stay tuned!

News

Find out the latest news and opportunities that might interest you. Be always up to date!

  • LinkedIn Article

    Advancing the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda: Reflections after the 4th High-Level Ministerial Conference

    26/12/2024

    AU-EU Youth Voices Lab

  • LinkedIn Article

    Insight: Uganda’s Government and CSOs embrace the AU-EU Youth Lab programmes

    19/12/2024

    AU-EU Youth Voices Lab

  • News

    The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab at the 4th High-Level Ministerial Conference on the Youth, Peace & Security Agenda

    18/12/2024

    AU-EU Youth Voices Lab

Media

A yellow circle with a white envelope inside.

Newsletters

A green circle with a white newspaper and a bullhorn.

Press Releases

A red circle with a white folder filled with documents.

In the Media

Resources

Resources

Consortium

Oxfam Logo
Restless Development Logo
Search for Common Ground Logo
Youthmakers Hub Logo
ComDev Africa Logo

FAQ

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective is a four-year initiative co-funded by the European Union, designed to foster a more inclusive and youth-responsive society across Africa and Europe. As part of the AU-EU Youth Lab programme, this initiative envisions a future where enhanced youth engagement, empowerment, and connection actively shape policies, partnerships, and decision-making processes. It is implemented by a consortium of five organizations with expertise in youth-led and youth-informed work: Oxfam, Restless Development, Search for Common Ground, Youthmakers Hub, and ComDev Africa. Together, these partners are united in their commitment to driving meaningful change for young people across both continents.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective aims to:

  1. Engage young people in accessing information, action planning, and accountability through youth-led initiatives.
  2. Empower youth to participate actively in civil society through collective self-care and agency.
  3. Connect young individuals among themselves and with decision-makers by enabling intergenerational dialogues and cross-continental partnerships.
  4. Assist policymakers in collaborating on youth-responsive policymaking and improve their accountability towards young people.
  5. Support the development or improvement of youth-responsive policies.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective targets:

  1. Young people aged 15 to 35 from all 54 African countries, including those in hard-to-reach areas and those not in education, employment, or training. 
  2. Youth civil society groups from Africa and Europe, as well as organizations led by the African Diaspora in Europe.
  3. Decision-makers, institutions, and policymakers, including, among others, the African Union, the European Union, national governments, civil society organizations, and corporate actors.

Here’s how you can engage with the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective:

  1. Enter the online community by following us on Social Media. 
  2. Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive exclusive updates and opportunities.
  3. Participate in digital and in-person training sessions and workshops (we announce them in the website section Events).
  4. Attend our intergenerational dialogues and other events. 
  5. Apply for funding opportunities through the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism (for eligibility criteria, see question n.5).
  6. Utilize the upcoming AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App for free access to learning resources, providing feedback about the mobile app, and networking opportunities.

The Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism provides microgrants ranging from €1,000 to €10,000 to youth-led groups from Intervention Countries and the youth diaspora (various criteria apply; read the Funding Manuals once published for more details). It aims to support youth-led advocacy initiatives to strengthen local and continental advocacy through research, training, and accountability mechanisms. Throughout the four years of the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, there will be three rounds of applications for the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism grant.

The upcoming AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App is designed as the virtual mirror of the collective. It will engage 10,000 young people who will contribute to building the app by participating in consultations and sharing their needs, priorities, and solutions. The app will offer free access to information, training courses, collaborative workshops, networking opportunities, and resources optimized for low data usage and available in multiple languages. The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App will launch in early 2025.

The Intervention Countries in Africa are: 

  1. Burkina Faso 
  2. Burundi
  3. Cameroon
  4. Ghana
  5. Kenya
  6. Nigeria
  7. Senegal
  8. Sierra Leone
  9. South Sudan
  10. Tanzania
  11. Tunisia
  12. Uganda
  13. Zambia
  14. Zimbabwe

The Intervention Country in Europe is: 

  1. Belgium

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective operates continent-wide, engaging youth and decision-makers from all 54 African countries. However, it targets 14 intervention countries in Africa and 1 in Europe (see question n. 7), which are prioritized for key interventions, including in-person training activities and eligibility to receive grants through the Youth Voices Third-Party-Funding Mechanism. 

The intervention countries were selected based on the following criteria:

  1. Subregional Representation: ensure fair inclusion of countries from all five regions of Africa and at least one country from Europe.
  2. Youth Policy Success: select countries with different levels of success in developing and implementing youth policies to encourage peer learning and the exchange of best practices.
  3. Youth Organizing Potential: prioritize countries with active youth-led groups that are ready to engage in advocacy at both continental and cross-continental levels.
  4. Consortium Presence: choose countries where Consortium members are already active to build on existing initiatives and address specific contextual challenges.
  5. Youth Advocacy Challenges: target countries where youth face difficulties voicing their demands on subregional or regional platforms.
  6. Development and Stability: include a diverse mix of countries, ranging from developing and thriving countries to those in fragile or post-conflict contexts.
  7. African Union Integration: Balancing the selection of countries that are fully integrated into AU institutions with those currently excluded.
  8. Government Support for Youth: include countries with strong policies supporting youth, as well as those facing political or economic challenges in addressing youth’s needs.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective plans to train 24,000 young people on advocacy-related skills, including policy advocacy, leadership development, and community engagement. These trainings aim to empower youth to advocate for their concerns and priorities effectively within the AU-EU partnership. The trainings are held both online and in person. For updated information, consult our website at the Events section.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective hosts various events, including Youth Power Hackathons, training sessions, and intergenerational dialogues. These events aim to engage, empower, and connect young people across Africa and Europe. Upcoming events are regularly updated on the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective website in the section Events. Dissemination material from events, training, and any other updates are regularly shared in the website section News.

No, the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective does not have its own offices, as it is implemented by a Consortium of partner organizations (see question n.1). However, the respective organizations are physically present in most African countries. At the same time, associates and representatives of the programme, such as the Youth Advisory Board Members, are located in the Intervention Countries.

The Youth Advisory Board is a group of young people from the Intervention Countries whose role is to assess the programme’s impact on local communities and advise the Consortium on the next steps. Our goal is to give power to young people from marginalized and vulnerable communities who often experience barriers to accessing power and resources. The selected members of the Youth Advisory Board will keep their positions until the end of the programme in February 2028.

The main actions for young people include:

  1. Training sessions, hackathons, and capacity-building activities.
  2. The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App.
  3. The Youth Voices Third Party Funding Mechanism.
  4. Youth consultations on the challenges of advocacy.
  5. Support for youth representatives in joining intergenerational and cross-continental decision-making spaces.

The main actions for institutions include:

  1. Involvement in intergenerational dialogues with youth representatives.
  2. Youth audits to assess the involvement of young people in decision-making.
  3. Policy recommendation on the involvement of young people.

To contact the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, you can send an email to info@aueuyouthvoiceslab.eu or reach out on our social media, available the following links: 

To stay informed about the latest updates, activities, and events related to the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, you can:

  1. Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive updates directly in your inbox.
  2. Join the WhatsApp channel to be involved in the online community updates.
  3. Visit our website in the News section for the latest announcements, event highlights, and more.

Contact

info@aueuyouthvoiceslab.eu

Are you a young person (15 to 35) or part of a youth-led group looking to advocate for your concerns? Are you a part of an institution looking to have more youth-centered decision-making processes? Are you a journalist or a stakeholder looking for more information? Contact us by filling out the form and learn how to be part of the community.

how can we help you?