A collection of real stories from young people, showing what shifting power looks like in practice, not as a theory.
We re-imagined what the 7 dimensions of localisation would look like in the context of child and youth-led change. This is what we came up with:
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Equipping young people with knowledge and skills to organise sustainable citizen-led movements
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Enabling young leaders to build alliances with each other and partners to advocate for change with a powerful voice at the highest levels
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Mainstreaming equity and inclusion both within and outside Shift so that even the most marginalised groups gain representation within change movements.
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Nurturing channels and platforms between young people, policy actors, decision-makers and community members to usher change
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Ensuring greater recognition of young people’s passion, contribution, effort, innovation and impact on society
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Securing greater access to both quantity and quality (flexible, longer-term, predictable, fair, independent) of funds.
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Moving towards genuine and meaningful relationships with young people where they become equal partners
ALL STORIES
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ALL STORIES ☺️
Neno Shifters, Where Are They Now?
When we first met Neno Shifters in 2022, they were a group of 15 secondary school and out-of-school youths based in rural Neno. Neno was a district with high rates of child marriage (49 in 2022), which was a prevailing norm disproportionately affecting young girls and their right to education.
Assessment Made Easy, Fun & Meaningful!
What factors are critical when we look at successful movements led by youth people? This was one of the core questions that motivated us to revisit our Impact framework earlier this year. Subsequently, this also became one of the driving questions for a research project on Shift to study its long-term potential and impact.
Conversation with a born Fun Adult
When we say someone is a 'Fun Adult', we mean that they are simultaneously a facilitator, mentor, partner, cheerleader, young-at-heart, believer and a cool uncle or aunt that young people look up to. We work very hard to create Fun Adults at Shift, but sometimes we find that some adults just get it. They are just born with it!
When Grace Sichula first encountered SHIFT in 2022, she was a young volunteer at Malawi's National Youth Network on Climate Change. She had never heard of SHIFT. But something clicked. By the time she and a group of like-minded young people had formalised their ideas into a registered organisation, the Shift Power Organisation (SPO), Grace had become the kind of leader that turns a room of 15 students into a movement.