About Us
Supporting young people in Southern Africa, to drive change and create lasting community impact through health, wealth creation, environmental sustainability, advocacy, leadership, and skills development.
We enable young people to realize their potential and lead the way toward an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.
What we do
Youth ARE Youth is a youth-driven and community-rooted organisation working in Southern Africa
Providing integrated support to young people—combining health, mental wellbeing, skills development, vocational training, entrepreneurial skills, and strengthening resilience to climate change.
We work in partnership with communities, local partners and governments to open pathways to sustainable livelihoods—ensuring that young people are at the forefront of shaping a brighter future.
The Youth ARE Youth Model
The Youth ARE Youth Model is a transformative, youth-centered approach designed to place young people at the heart of change — as strategic partners, implementers, and beneficiaries of development.
Built on the belief that progress begins with empowered youth, the model creates social hubs — vibrant spaces where young people connect, collaborate, and co-create community solutions.
By coming together as a collective of changemakers, young people directly fuel the initiatives that matter most. Through their membership, they act as catalysts of change, lead projects, and decide how and where resources are directed, driving real, lasting impact in their communities. Rather than relying on conventional fundraising models to define solutions, this approach shifts power to youth as strategic partners, ensuring that development is self-determined, sustainable, and meaningful.
Our Pillars:
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Every initiative is led by young people, rooted in lived experience and creativity
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Programmes strengthen communities by addressing social and economic barriers.
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Fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term resilience
The Youth ARE Youth Model envisions a generation that doesn’t just benefit from development — they create it, shaping a healthier, more equitable, and self-sustaining world.
We put youth at the center of solutions that matter.
Young people in Southern Africa face escalating risks in a rapidly changing world. The region is disproportionately affected by climate and environmental crises, health challenges, including HIV/AIDS and limited access to mental and physical health services, demographic shifts and technological gaps.
The population growth remains high, and a growing youth population will require access to skills and opportunities to fully realize Africa’s demographic dividend.
The increasing risk perpetuating cycles of inequity, underdevelopment, and vulnerability, undermining both individual futures and the region’s long-term growth.
Change Pathways
Build financial literacy, entrepreneurial skills, and career readiness through training, mentorship, and support for sustainable livelihood projects, helping youth achieve economic independence.
Wealth Empowered
Encourage climate-smart practices, environmental conservation, waste reduction, and eco-entrepreneurship, enabling young people to take active roles in protecting and restoring their communities’ ecosystems.
Environmental Sustainability
Promote physical, mental, and sexual health through HIV prevention programs, mental wellness initiatives, access to healthcare resources, and health education campaigns targeting young people
Health Empowered
Strengthen leadership, advocacy, and civic engagement skills so youth can influence policy, lead community initiatives, and serve as catalysts for social change.
Leadership & Advocacy
The Youth ARE Youth Model introduces a new approach to youth-centered social hubs — spaces that cultivate innovation, learning, and collaboration.
We establish these hubs in environments where there is strong local demand and government commitment to youth development. This creates opportunities to pilot, refine, and scale impactful youth-led initiatives.
As we expand in Southern Africa- Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and Botswana, our goal is to build a foundation for learning and growth that responds directly to local realities. By empowering young people to lead, implement, and benefit from solutions that address health, education, skills, and community development, our Model transforms challenges into opportunities for resilient communities, equitable progress, and a thriving world driven by youth.
Young people have spoken
Feel
Feel safe and free from violence and discrimination
Be
Be included, respected, and given equal chance to learn, work, and lead in all spaces
Gain
Gain essential academic and life skills to protect themselves and create fulfilling livelihoods.
Access
Access youth-friendly health services , including support for mental and physical health, substance abuse and protection from gender based or other forms of violence.
Participate
In
Participate in empowerment programs ,vocational training, and other educational opportunities for growth
Be
Be involved in advocacy and national decision-making, ensuring their voices shape the policies that affect their future.
Build
Build confidence and leadership skills to stand up for themselves and their peers, speak out against injustice, and advocate for better services and treatment.
Have
Have a sustainable future, with the tools , and opportunities to take care of themselves, and thrive independently.