Earlier this year, ECFG played a role in organizing a panel of young activists from around the world to speak at the Shimmering Solidarity Summit. It was important that the process was intentional and a positive experience for the young people, so the team developed a thoughtful five month engagement with the young activists. This report includes lessons learned and recommendations for engaging with young people. The group developed a short and a long film to share their experiences and demands with funders. These videos can be used for ongoing advocacy with funders to move more and better resources to young activists.
Shimmering solidarity report
youth at the forefront of resistance
elevate children funders group
read the full report
watch the long video
watch the short video
Create a permanent role for at least one young person, aged 35 or below, in your program/project team, and ensure that this young person’s thoughts and opinions are equally valued and taken seriously.
Crear un rol permanente para al menos una persona joven, menor de 35 años, en su equipo de programa/proyectos, y asegurar que las opiniones e ideas de esta persona joven sean valorados y tomados en serio.
Create a youth advisory group/ board, to assist in guiding your organisation’s youth engagement.
Crear un consejo asesor de jóvenes, para ayudar a guiar el involucramiento de jóvenes en su organización.
Encourage youth led and youth serving organizations to submit expressions of interest whether through concept notes or proposals by ensuring room to learn and flexible application processes.
Animar a organizaciones lideradas por jóvenes o que sirven a jóvenes para que envíen expresiones de interés mediante notas conceptuales y propuestas asegurando espacio de aprendizaje y procesos flexibles de aplicación.
Make resources available to mitigate and counter the opposition
Facilitar recursos para mitigar y contrarrestar a la oposición
If a group is being funded, they should have a responsibility to also include youth involvement/ development
Si un grupo está siendo financiado, deberían también tener la responsabilidad de incluir involucramiento/desarrollo de jóvenes
Get funding to unregistered groups
Hacer llegar financiamiento a grupos no registrados
Verify organisations that are truly youth led so they don’t create harm for young people
Verificar que las organizaciones son realmente lideradas por jóvenes para que no hagan daño a personas jóvenes
Consider a permanent open opportunity that youth-led groups can apply to
Considerar oportunidades permanentes a las que los grupos de jóvenes puedan aplicar
A Note from Youth at the Forefront of Resistance: What Funders Need to Do
On May 25, 2021, we, young activists from around the world, spoke to a group of funders at the Shimmering Solidarity Global Rights Conference. We shared our own daily experiences of oppression resulting from anti-gender forces and what we are doing to counter these forces. At the end of the session, we shared 8 key recommendations for funders. We encourage you to learn from our courage and sign on to these. Our collective future depends on the investment in young people, our activism and our vision for what is possible.
