Youth-Led CSOs in Sierra Leone Strengthen Advocacy, Leadership, and Accountability Skills
19-28 February 2026, Sierra Leone
From 19 to 28 February 2026, the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, through Restless Development Sierra Leone, supported a youth-led CSO capacity-building training in Sierra Leone.
The training brought together 320 participants from youth-led organizations and individual young leaders across the Western Area, North West, North, East, and South regions. Participants included 216 males and 104 females, among them 15 persons with disabilities, ensuring diverse representation and the inclusion of marginalized youth voices.
Designed around a participatory, experiential, and youth-centered approach, the training focused on four key thematic areas: research-driven advocacy, leadership, accountability, and innovation, including hackathons. Through interactive presentations, facilitated discussions, group work, peer-to-peer learning, case studies, simulation exercises, and action planning sessions, participants strengthened their ability to lead, organize, and influence policy processes.
A key focus of the training was to enhance youth-led methodologies and promote meaningful youth participation in decision-making spaces. Participants explored practical tools for youth-led research, evidence-based advocacy, policy engagement, accountability forums, and post-training action planning.
The training led to notable improvements in participants’ knowledge and skills. Pre-test scores averaged 23%, while post-test scores increased to 89%, reflecting a 66-point increase. This result highlights the effectiveness of the training in equipping youth organizations with practical skills in advocacy, research, accountability, innovation, and leadership.
Beyond the learning outcomes, the training created space for collaboration among youth actors from across the country. It strengthened youth networks, encouraged creative problem-solving, and increased participants’ confidence to engage in governance processes, lead advocacy campaigns, promote accountability initiatives, and address challenges within their communities.
As Fatmata M., a participant from the Eastern Region, shared:
“This training has opened my eyes to the importance of youth-led research and evidence-based advocacy. I now feel more confident engaging decision-makers and presenting issues affecting young people in my community.”
Foday B., a participant from the Northern Region, also reflected on the importance of inclusive participation:
“As a young person with a disability, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this training. It has encouraged me to advocate not only for youth issues but also for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes.”
By strengthening youth-led organizations across Sierra Leone, the training contributes to the broader mission of the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective: supporting young people and youth-led groups to advocate for their priorities at local, national, continental, and cross-continental levels.
