Youth Leadership

Youth represent an important resource with social and political capital for national progress. The role of youth in shaping society through their energy, ingenuity and innovation is key for societal development. In Zimbabwe, youth are the biggest, yet most disenfranchised demographic group and are faced with a precarious, vulnerable and uncertain future. Pushed to the periphery of the political society with limited influence amid deepening exclusion, they remain excluded, unable to penetrate meaningful economic opportunities nor the formal economy.

Without a meaningful stake in the economy, youth remain passive and sometimes even apathetic to public discourses and national processes as their daily pre-occupation is eking out a living in a harsh economic environment compounded by converging social, economic, and political challenges currently facing the country.

Our work

FES Zimbabwe supports the leadership development of youth in Zimbabwe, cultivating the development of progressive, knowledgeable and responsive young leaders equipped with essential knowledge, skills and values for their effective contribution to the social, economic and political discourse of Zimbabwe. Our Youth Leadership work targets young leaders with proven socio-economic and political interests and abilities drawn from political parties, trade unions, civic society, and tertiary institutions. We provide safe spaces for youth to learn and grow within an environment that respects and appreciates difference in social and political persuasions.

These spaces foster a culture of critical thinking and inquiry that enables young leaders to define and frame societal problems and collectively explore solutions to those problems. We endeavour to build and strengthen tolerance and connect young leaders from diverse backgrounds and persuasions while creating a diverse network for future collaboration so that leaders meaningfully contribute towards the building of a democratic society.