The Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) together with the Graça Machel Trust launched the inaugural African Youth Networks Summit in Freedom Park, Pretoria, South Africa during the week of celebrations to honor the Mandela Centenary.
The event was attended by African youth networks, civil society organisations, development partners and corporates to connect young people, cross-pollinate ideas and share knowledge and scalable initiatives that can drive a continental youth agenda forward.
A key outcome of the Summit was to draw up a blueprint of future activities to empower and support potential leaders by bridging the gap between their education and future leadership roles, and the tools needed to spur ethical leadership and governance throughout the continent.
In her closing remark, MINDS Chairperson, Mrs. Machel said “You cannot feel that you are connected to other African youth if you don’t have a space in which you can engage with them, despite the importance of social media, there has to be a space where you can humanise the message.”
The Mandela Institute of Development Studies will share more news on this exciting Youth Continent Platform in due course.
