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:
-
Equipping young people with knowledge and skills to organise sustainable citizen-led movements
-
Enabling young leaders to build alliances with each other and partners to advocate for change with a powerful voice at the highest levels
-
Mainstreaming equity and inclusion both within and outside Shift so that even the most marginalised groups gain representation within change movements.
-
Nurturing channels and platforms between young people, policy actors, decision-makers and community members to usher change
-
Ensuring greater recognition of young people’s passion, contribution, effort, innovation and impact on society
-
Securing greater access to both quantity and quality (flexible, longer-term, predictable, fair, independent) of funds.
-
Moving towards genuine and meaningful relationships with young people where they become equal partners
ALL STORIES
☺️
ALL STORIES ☺️
Accelerating change through a digital Pan-African Shifters network
Imagine a space where a young poet from Uganda inspires a musician in Malawi, where a debate on SRHR in Zambia sparks a movement in Mozambique. This is the reality of 'Shifters Across Africa', our vibrant online community where we are learning, growing, and igniting change together.
The Power of 'Consenso': Shifters Rewrite the Rules!
Okay, you might wonder what the big deal is about a video with young people simply saying “Consenso” (Trans. Consensus); but to appreciate this, we need to go back a few weeks.
Having supported a number of groups with different campaigns over the past two years (2022 and 2023), Fun Adults in Bolivia learned that while this approach had its upsides, it also led to conflicting messages and overstretched support towards the Shifters. That is why in 2024, Fun Adults decided to try a different approach: have 2 new youth groups work together on a single campaign.
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.