Youth civil society organisations work best together.

We are in our hundreds, and together we form the Youth Collective.

We’re all either led by young people or serving young people – groups, networks, movements or organisations.  We are diverse – and include organisations in all corners of the world, working on many different issues.  The thing we have in common is a belief that young people can lead change.

Many of the problems we face are unique to being youth organisations as are many of the opportunities and things that we learn.  We’re coming together to connect, learn and share.

Join the Youth Collective

Through the Youth Collective you will have access to:

• Funding opportunities through our regular newsletter roundup
• Events such as our Donor Dialogues series, bringing together funders and youth civil society to improve access to funding
• Networking and collaboration with other youth civil society members through our Facebook group, events and directory
• Trainings and resources to strengthen and grow your organisation
• Insights from our youth-led research to support youth civil society
• Visibility to donors and partners through our Youth Collective map and directory
  
  

Add your organisation as a listing in our directory of youth civil society.

Why join the Youth Collective?

Hear from our members directly about the benefits of being part of the collective:

“The Youth Collective has provided me with a platform to interact with fellow development actors from diverse backgrounds. It has significantly helped me to understand what donors and my community require of me and what I can do to help improve different departments of my organization.”

Adro Sabiri, Rural Initiative Approach For Community Development.

“The Youth Collective has initiated Donor Dialogues which have given a platform to Youth-led Organisations to chat, lobby and advocate for a better-resourced youth sector. We have been able to share challenges and get workable solutions.“

Sophie Nabukenya, Hands of Hope initiative, Uganda.

“The Youth Collective has played a leading role in responding to various issues in the areas of resource mobilisation and network development amongst youth civil society. It has boosted our fundraising efforts for our programming, explored our latest engagement with other youth organisations and potential donors/funders.“

Acton Banda, Volunteers Welfare for Community Based Care of Zambia.

“The workshop on resourcing strategies brought practical solutions to my organisation. We were able to get ideas on how to relate to money and the different sustainable models. It’s very important for my organisation to be part of like-minded CSOs that are youth-led, focused, and serving.“

Eva Namutebi, Helping Syndicate Foundation.

Why does youth civil society matter?

Youth civil society organisations are able to mobilise and connect vast networks of young people who can lead change in communities around the world.  These networks of young people – who make up the majority of most communities in the global south- can help deliver the scale of change that we need to see in development.

Our organisations are also in a unique position.  In many cases these organisations we are lifelines for communities, representing community needs above all else, and helping to bridge the gap with formal decision making bodies, such as governments.

Agile and grassroots, youth civil society organisations are typically based at the heart of communities, closest to the problems and community-guided solutions.

But, according to research carried out by the Development Alternative, youth civil society overall is just surviving, not thriving.   Challenges include access to funding, coordination between youth civil society organisations, NGOs, INGOs, and development partners; and a lack of power and access to decision-makers.

Read more about the challenges facing Youth Civil Society and the reasons we need to ensure it thrives.

Our ambition is to record all Youth Civil society organisations worldwide on the Youth Collective map and directory, which we hope will build a picture of youth civil society, where it exists, where it is struggling and where it is thriving.

The Youth Collective is co-owned and led by youth civil society organisations from around the world.