Call for Applications: The Kofi Annan Foundation’s Women & Youth in Democracy (#WYDE) Program 2023 for young African leaders |Fully Funded

Call for Nominations: The Kofi Annan Foundation’s Women & Youth in Democracy (#WYDE) Program 2023 for young African leaders |Fully Funded

Under the European Union-funded “Women and Youth in Democracy” project, the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and the Oslo Center are seeking nominations for young leaders from all sectors, including civil society, politics, business, social media, and the arts. Young leaders between the ages of 18 and 35 who have a demonstrated interest in and record of working on issues linked to democracy, accountability, transparency, and youth involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa are being sought for by the Kofi Annan Foundation.

The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is undertaking the European Union-funded project “Women and Youth in Democracy” to address these issues and encourage youth involvement in public affairs. The Kofi Annan Foundation, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and the Oslo Center are looking for young leaders to join the EPD for the project’s third pillar, which aims to increase youth participation in democracy and decision-making. The Kofi Annan Foundation is looking for highly driven young leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa between the ages of 18 and 35 who want to take part in a thorough training and mentoring program to develop their networks and abilities as well as apply for grants to carry out their projects.

Organizations are invited to nominate one or more young leaders in their network who fit the requirements and who you think would be suitable for this initiative by sending a recommendation to the organizers. We encourage submissions for young leaders who have the skills and networks to engage a large number of young people in their activities from all fields, including civil society, politics, business, social media, and the arts.

The selected individuals will join one of two ‘Accountability Hubs’ to be established in Anglophone East Africa and Francophone West Africa, and will undertake a series of activities to:

• Increase understanding of the importance of accountability within democratic processes;
• Develop their own leadership skills through a targeted, comprehensive training and mentoring programme;
• Receive funding and training to conceive, develop and implement projects in their communities;
• Develop regional networks of young people working on similar issues with shared values; and
• Harness their shared experience and knowledge to produce a toolkit of actions which they and other young people can deploy in their communities.

The call for nominations will be publicly announced as well as shared directly with a wide range of organisations working on youth inclusion, youth participation and/or democracy and leadership issues in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Nominees must be aged between 18 and 35 at the time of nomination.
• Nominees must be able to display a record of engagement on issues related to accountability, youth participation, leadership or similar.
• Nominees must be residing in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Nominees must be able to communicate fluently in either English or French, written and spoken.

• Availability for online training: Nominees must be available to take active part in the online training and mentoring activities in the period May – September 2023. The activities amount to approximately 0,5 day per week for certain parts of the project (+ independent learning in addition). Nominees must have access to the Internet, a computer, and a suitable work environment to be able to focus and take active part in online meetings. A limited monetary contribution can be provided to help improve Internet access on a case-by-case basis, if needed (such as cost for working in an Internet café or library).
• Availability for travel and taking part in the in-person event: Nominees must be available to travel to participate in a one week in-person ‘Learning and Networking Event’ in either November 2023 for English-speakers or in February 2024 for French-speakers. Travel and accommodation for the in-person event will be paid.
• Nominations are encouraged for all qualified candidates who meet the criteria, particularly from those groups who are traditionally under-represented in decisionmaking and public affairs, such as young women.

Nomination Requirements:

Nominating organisations need to submit:

• A detailed letter of support written by the nominating organisation (maximum 500 words) explaining why they feel the young leader would be a great fit for the training programme and how they could contribute.
• The attached Nomination Form, duly completed by the Nominee themselves, describing their leadership actions and community engagement in support of democracy and youth participation.
• Other material can be included with the application, e.g., podcast or video, press interview, blog.

Please note that:
• Nominees should give prior permission for their names to be put forward and must be willing to take part in public activities in the context of the project, including social media activities.
• Nominations and supporting documents must be sent by the nominating organisations to the following email: [email protected].
• The nomination deadline is Friday 10 March 2023 at 5 PM UTC. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Kofi Annan Foundation’s Women & Youth in Democracy (#WYDE) Program