Call for applications: Youth4AfSol, a space for young Africans to share ideas

Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Sustainable Development Goals view the role of young people in Africa as vibrant and crucial. Ensuring a stable and prosperous Africa is also the responsibility of young Africans, who account for more than 50% of the current African population. Young Africans are ready to lead the continent, and young voices need to be heard and acknowledged so that African solutions to Africa’s problems do not remain a rhetoric of the 21st century.

The Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) is looking to create such a space for young Africans through its own Youth4AfSol event. With a focus on peace and security, this platform will be solely dedicated to giving an opportunity for young Africans to share their ideas in shaping African solutions to Africa’s problems.

Youth4Afsol is grounded in the understanding that only locally generated ideas that connect Africa to the global community, and one led by Africa’s youth, can ensure sustainable change. Through bringing together bright visionaries from across Africa, IPSS aims to champion the cause of young people, who lie at the core of African solutions.

 

An experts’ workshop hosted by IPSS on “African-Centered Solutions for Peace and Security (AfSol)”, held in September 2014, identified ownership, commitment and shared values as areas of common understanding. These values will serve as a common ground for future discussions and research. Applicants are encouraged to review this document in order to shape and anchor their proposed ideas in the current AfSol debate.

Application guidelines Applicants should:

 1. Be between the ages of 21-35 at the time of application. 

2. Complete the application form available on the IPSS website (www.ipss-addis.org) 

3. Submit a 1,000-word essay on one of the following themes: 

 African youth, migration and poverty

  Natural resource governance in Africa 2

  Citizen participation in governance 

 Peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction in Africa 

 The challenges of terrorism and violent extremism 

 State building in Africa If you have other thematic ideas that fall outside of the following themes, please communicate it to us and we will let you know if the proposed theme is acceptable.

 4. Submit a recommendation letter from a supervisor, or from a lecturer if in school. 

5. Submit a resume/CV (maximum 3 pages). 

6. Anchor ideas in “African solutions to Africa’s problems” that are innovative, unique and practical. 

Reward

1 Flights to Addis Ababa and accommodation will be covered for selected participants.

2 Selected participants will be given approximately 15 minutes to speak and present their

idea of an African solution to an African problem in front of a live audience at Addis

Ababa University.

3 The highlights of the presentations will be displayed at the 6th Tana Forum, an annual

security conference featuring Heads of State, prominent African figures, and

representatives from the private sector and civil society.

4 A certificate of participation will be awarded to all participants.

Important dates to remember 

10 March 2017 Youth4AfSol application closes

 13 March 2017 Shortlisted applicants will be notified

 14-15 March 2017 Interview of shortlisted applicants

 16- 17, 2017 Selected participants will be notified 

31 March 2017 Youth4Afsol event date in Addis Ababa University

 

For more details on the report of the workshop please refer to the following link here

 

Download the full application guidelines here

 

Download the application form here

IYPORTAL, we’re dedicated to helping young people succeed. We open doors for youth with a holistic approach that emphasizes life skills in combination with a mix of technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship training. As a result, young people are prepared to enter the workforce, create their own opportunities, and be agents of change in their communities.