From Outside the System to Inside the Youth Council: Grace Sichula’s Five-year Journey of Change
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.
And she was not done.
Earlier this year, Grace was appointed to the board of the National Youth Council of Malawi, one of the country's most important platforms for national youth policy. It is the kind of appointment that Chrispine Botha, our Africa Lead, describes as
“A VERY POWERFUL SYSTEMATIC CHANGE. SHE WAS ADVOCATING FROM OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM (BEFORE). NOW SHE'S INSIDE.”
The transcript below has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Can you take me back to the beginning; how did SPO come to exist?
At first, we didn't know anything about it. But when we began to understand what SHIFT really was about, I started mobilising people. I had to look for young people who were like-minded, who believed we could actually drive this idea together. We started as a group of about 15. Some people moved to other parts of the country, some went abroad but the core stayed. And that's when we made the decision to formalise and register as SPO.
What motivated you to build that kind of platform?
It goes back to passion, but also to the problems we identified on the ground. I believe young people are very innovative, and in Malawi we make up the largest demographic. But at that time, I felt there was a real gap: so many issues affecting young people were not being well represented. I thought, if we can have a group that publicly and collaboratively speaks to the issues that affect us, people who have the lived experience, that would be a powerful strategy. And when SHIFT came in with support from Save the Children, we thought: OK, this thing can work.
What was your proudest moment in SPO's journey?
There are so many things, but I think the proudest was launching the SHIFT campaign at Chinsapo market. We were completely new. The only things we had were ideas. But moving from an idea to making the idea actually work, that was everything. I remember getting support from the market committees, women's groups, village headmen, and school leadership. For me, that moment captured what SHIFT is really about. Because it is not easy for people to trust young people with resources and responsibility. SHIFT was a true reflection of giving power to young people. We were at the forefront from creating ideas to implementation with technical support from Save the Children, but we were the ones leading.
What kind of support made the biggest difference along the way?
The introduction of creative agencies. When we first heard about co-creation and co-designing, we assumed we'd have to figure it all out alone. Then Save the Children introduced us to HD Plus and Ketase which were agencies that helped us translate our ideas into real campaign strategies. That was a game changer. Of course, the financial support was also essential. None of our activities could have scaled the way they did without it.
You've recently been appointed to the National Youth Council board. What does that mean to you?
It feels like being seen; recognised for the work you've done. The National Youth Council is a very big platform. It coordinates youth representation at the national level, structures youth initiatives, and shapes policy. For me, being on the board means I can advocate not just from outside the system, but from inside it. I've had lived experience on the ground. Now I can bring those realities into the spaces where decisions are made. I'm not just there for myself. I'm there representing the voices of youth across the country.
What do you think are the most urgent issues facing young people in Malawi right now?
Youth unemployment is at the top of my list. We've been talking about it ever since I've been in this space, and it still needs urgent attention. There's very limited access to decent jobs, a huge mismatch between what young people study and the opportunities available, and very little startup capital for those who want to create their own path. Alongside that, meaningful youth participation. Not just consulting young people, asking "what do you think?" and moving on but genuinely involving them in decisions that affect them. And access to education still has a long way to go. Free secondary school is a positive step, but dropout rates remain high.
What did SHIFT and SPO teach you about leadership?
For me, leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others towards a shared vision, while also creating an environment where people can grow and contribute meaningfully. Being a leader doesn't mean being at the forefront every time. It also means leading from behind; letting your team shine, knowing fully well that you were there supporting everything before it came to light. In our group, I had to identify what each person was good at and create a space where they could show it. Someone was good at public speaking, someone at writing, someone at facilitation. That is how a group stays together and produces something greater than any individual.
SPO has stayed active year after year. What is the group's secret?
Trust. The trust built within the group from the very beginning even before we had any resources. Sometimes as young people we don't have much, but the trust we have in each other can make us do things that surpass what any resource could buy. That's what moved us forward, and I believe that's ultimately what helped funders see in us too.
"ONE THING I'VE LEARNED ABOUT LEADERSHIP IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT EVERY TIME. YOU CAN GUIDE YOUR TEAM FROM BEHIND AND WHEN YOU WIN, THE TEAM GETS THE ACCOLADES.
BUT AS A LEADER, YOU KNOW THAT YOU PUT YOUR ALL INTO MAKING THAT WIN POSSIBLE."
GRACE SICHULA
What makes Grace's story particularly striking is how long she has been building towards this moment, not just through SPO or SHIFT, but well before. As Chrispine reflected during our call: "She's that kind of person who has been in the system trying to advocate from the outside, building skills, knowledge, coalitions and relationships all along and now, over time, she's actually inside."
At the end of her tenure on the National Youth Council, Grace says she hopes to look back and see that young people are no longer just consulted, but actively involved in decisions at every level from grassroots to national structures. She wants to build sustainable programmes around youth skills and livelihoods, and forge partnerships that outlast her own time on the board.
"Success," she told me, "would be seeing young people empowered, confident, leading initiatives in their communities and influencing policy for the better."
If you ask us, that is exactly what shifting power looks like.
Grace Sichula is the founder of the Shift Power Organisation (SPO) in Lilongwe, Malawi, and a board member of the National Youth Council of Malawi.
