Empowering dynamic youth activists

Among the fifteen Tanzanian champions featured in the UNICEF Youth Advocacy guide are 24-year-old Ashura Khamis and Rashid Malekela. In their quest to enhance society, these advocates have introduced UNICEF's Youth Advocacy Guide (YAG) to the public.

In early January, young champions from diverse children and youth networks, including members of the Mwanza Youth and Children Network, UN school clubs, the Junior Council of the United Republic of Tanzania, and UNICEF youth advocates, convened at the UNICEF Tanzania office for training on the UNICEF Youth Advocacy Guide facilitated by their peers, who had attended the Youth Advocacy Champion Training organized by UNICEF ESAR in Nairobi, Kenya, in August 2022.

A three-day training session proved just how eager these enthusiastic young champions were to take in as much learning as possible and bring it back to their communities.

Ashura welcomed the news, emphasizing that Tanzania's most vulnerable group is AGYW. She expressed, "Adolescents have comprehensive health needs and are more susceptible than adults to HIV/AIDS, violence, exploitation, and harmful gender and cultural norms." Ashura advocated for investing in technical vocational education and training, digital skills to prevent new HIV infections, and ensuring AGYW's rights to effective and inclusive education and lifelong learning for accelerated development. Her efforts to empower AGYW have been commendable, with the girls respecting her voice and sense of self, motivating them to develop advocacy skills.

Rashid, equally thrilled, highlighted the significance of collaborating with fellow champions as AGYW facilitators to embody "meaningful youth participation." He asserted, "To ensure an inclusive and brighter future led by skilled, educated, and well-trained youths, while leaving no one behind, youth must be empowered to build skills and participate in the policy-making process." Rashid emphasized young people's right to demand positive and youth-friendly services on various issues affecting them, such as youth participation in decision-making bodies and sexual and reproductive health.

Both Ashura and Rashid had prior community engagement experience: Ashura had won a U-Report, while Rashid had won a COVID-19 and Generation Unlimited digital storytelling competition.

A local government area from each zone working with DREAMS: Partnership to Reduce HIV/AIDS in Adolescent Girls and Young Women, civil society organizations, and UNICEF Tanzania and Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) have initiated youth advocacy guide training for AGYW to empower young girls. The program participants receive five days of intensive instruction and "sharing sessions" covering subjects like strategic advocacy, meaningful adolescent engagement, general advocacy concepts and terminology, and the effectiveness of social media in youth advocacy. Participants are organized into groups based on their regions, with a mix of AGYW, CSOs, and LGAs in each category. Each region develops a planned youth advocacy strategy focused on a specific concern until the fifth day.

Following the trainers' guidance, Ashura, Rashid, and other advocates have been helping young people gain a comprehensive understanding of the youth advocacy handbook. Rashid has already led two of the three trainings held in Shinyanga, Morogoro, and most recently, in September, in the Mbeya region. He has acquired new communication skills and expanded his network, stating, "I have gained more communication skills and exposure as I meet different people with different ideas and experiences," compared to his initial Shinyanga training.

Having grown close to AGYW and understanding their struggles, Ashura is inspired to advocate for the rights of all young people. She stressed, "We must use all of our power to allow youth to develop skills for the future and give us a central place at the decision-making table." Encouraging young people to see themselves as change agents, she added, "Being a part of this training gives me confidence, strength, and encouragement because the AGYW we met has promised to be like me."

To date, over 150 young women and girls, civil society organizations, and local government districts from Mwanza, Shinyanga, and Morogoro have benefited from the Youth Advocacy training.

UNICEF released the Youth Advocacy Guide in July 2019 to assist young people in addressing issues in their communities. The guide was updated in 2022 and co-created with young African citizens. It aims to equip youth with knowledge and skills to enhance their communities and way of life. The Guide was developed through online workshops involving hundreds of young people from sub-Saharan African nations, including Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and Côte d'Ivoire. It focuses on addressing issues such as child safety, unemployment, education quality, and the climate emergency.