Networks Changemakers in Africa Should Join

Youth Lead is an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aimed at fostering Positive Youth Development. The network along with its Learning platform, Youth Power Learning gathers young changemakers and leaders along with development practitioners and researchers for the purpose of networking, learning, collaborating and co-creating social solutions. 

Gain access to unlimited helpful resources, opportunities, events and more. Join focus and learning groups in the areas of your interest. You can check on member profiles and make connections with people from all over the world.

YouthLead/Power is open to anyone. You don't need a prevous affiliation with the network. To join the network, you must however be between 18 and 35 years of age.

Explore Youth Lead and Youth Power websites, and join if they interest you. Register and create accounts with them in order to enjoy the benefits of membership.

If you an Sub-Saharan African youth, then you should be part of YALI. The Young African Leaders Academy (YALI) is US Government's initiative to raise the future leaders of Africa.. 

The YALI Network comprises country groups with Regional Leadership Centres that act as centres of cordination for Southern Africa (in South Africa), East (in Kenya) and West Africa (in Ghana and Senegal). The RLC in Ghana is for YALI members in Anglophone West African Countries, while that in Dakar is for their Francophone counterparts.

The YALI network is for 3 categories of young leaders: The Mandela Washington Fellows (current fellows or alumni of the Mandela Washingto Fellowship), The YALI Emerging Leaders(current partticpants or alumni of the Regional Leadership Centre Emerging Leaders Program), and the members of the general YALI Network (those who have signed up to join on the website and emgaing in YALI activities).

Note: If you are between 18 and 35 years, you are eligible to join YALI Network, however for the other two categories of membership, you need to have some leadership and community service experience. Your joining als depends on your selection in their call for application.

YALI has a number of courses on their website offered for free. These courses are aimed at building the leaderssip, personal and professional capacities of members. They also have a number of community service programs that members can engage in to helo their communities become better. These programs include YALI Serves, YALI Learns, Africa for Her, YALI Entrepreneur, etc.

On YALI, you have the opportunity to tell your cahngemaker stories, network with others, have acces to rich resourses and support.

To learn more about YALI and join their network, click here.

To take YALI free courses, click here.

For those who aren't, YALI has sister networks created by the US Governement to raise young leaders in other regions of the world. 

Please click on the names to view the websites and learn more of these listed initiatives. Young Leaders of Americas Initiative (YLAI), Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Young Pacific Leaders (YPL), Young Transatlantic Leaders Initiative (YTLI) .

This is a large network comprising present participants and alumni of all US Exhange Programs across the world. There are hundreds of this program, so if you have particpated in any, then you should certainly become part of the larger network.

There are several benefits of joining the US Exchange Alumni network. You get access to more info and acess US program opportunities, events and grants. Then, there is also the benefit of connecting with thousands of young leaders like you who have also partipated in US exchange programs and the unlimited posibilities of fostering great connections and partnerships.

To learn more about US Exchange Alumni, click here.

They are migrating to a new website soon, so are currently not allowing sign up. Once they have migrated, I will add up the list of eligible programs and link to join if you have participated in any of them.

Like the US Exchange Alumni Network, the Bosch Network is a large umbrella network for members of networks under the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The network is for people engaged in the social impact space to collaborate and co-create social solutions.

If you are a current participant or alumni of any of the Robert Bosh Stiftung inititaive, then you should be part of the Bosh Network.

The network brings all members to a single platform where they indentify with focus groups (Impact Filelds, Clusters and Country Groups) and work on social issues. Members can belong to as many focus groups and collaborate with other members, irrespective of program they belong to under the Bosch Stiftung initiative.

There are lots of resources, training, events, grants and travel opportunities that you can benefit from if you join the Bosch Network, so don't be left out.

To learn more about the network, click here

Join the network here

Baobab is a social, professional, learning community for young African leaders, participants and alumni of Mastercard Foundation programs.

You don't need to worry if you have not participate in any of MasterCard programs, you can still join the platform. There, you get to network with like-minded, changemakers from across Africa, learn new skills, collaborate, and drive positive social change.

There are a number of courses that yo can take for free and earn certificates on the platform. You will also be free to join any focus group you that interested in and network with other members. 

Opportunities and learning resources are always shared, and you can share your contents as well. 

To learn more about the Baobab Platform, click here

To join the network/sign up, click here