Our method is a three-prolonged approach that effectively engages young people in work that challenges them to develop skills, gain critical awareness, and participate in opportunities that are necessary for creating community change.
Policy Advocacy
Policy on youth provides the building blocks that determine the position of young people in societies, directly affecting their well-being across every aspect of life, from education to employment, from social development to democratic representation, scientific research, business creation, culture, sports, communication and health. AYF provides extensive expertise in these areas to assist in and support the formulation, review and implementation of youth policies.
Yet a youth policy can be neither pertinent nor efficient without the active participation of young women and men themselves in this process. Thus, AYF works to guarantee their participation and enable constructive dialogue among policy makers, young people and other stakeholders involved in the development of youth policies.
Capacity Building
The African Youth Federation strongly believes that young people deserve to be heard and that they need their own spaces and channels to voice their concerns.
This is why we need strong youth organisations! Youth organisations play an essential role to empower young people in society. They contribute to personal, social, political and economic development and can help tackle the key challenges facing Africa, such as youth unemployment, the erosion of social cohesion and political disengagement.
The amazing work of youth organisations must be recognised and invested in, allowing them to become stronger and better equipped to sustain this unique role.
Civic engagement, democratic participation and social innovation.
This area of work focuses on the relationship between young people and their societies. It emphasizes the processes through which young women and men take on their rights and responsibilities as active citizens and engage in their communities. This could be through volunteering, working with youth organizations, leading social projects, innovation or entrepreneurship, participating in youth media, and engaging in decision-making processes. AYF works to support youth-led organizations and initiatives in these areas as a key strategy for multiple benefits: inclusion, dialogue, democratic engagement, the eradication of poverty, violence/conflict prevention, and reconciliation.