By Catherine Mwendwa, GivingTuesday Africa Hub Director
As we celebrate International Youth Day this week, I’m inspired by the impact of digital technology in powering youth social leadership. Digital platforms, with their instant connectivity and global reach, are not just tools; they have allowed young people to express their generosity at scale. In real-time, they use their voices, time, knowledge, and skills to work towards shared goals across cultures and geographies.
The increasing prevalence of digital platforms like X, TikTok, WhatsApp, and YouTube in Africa’s civic space is a testament to their role in organizing, mobilizing, and amplifying the voices of young people, which were previously underrepresented and unheard. Platforms like X Spaces have provided open channels for dialogue and visibility, enabling young people to connect, share ideas, inform, and coordinate actions to address broader systemic issues.
For instance, the recent youth-led protests in Kenya sparked by the Finance Bill 2024 debates illustrate the transformative role of digital tools in amplifying the voices of the youth. Young people harnessed the power of social media to mobilize diverse forms of support, including medical aid, legal assistance, emergency funds, and adaptive civic awareness methods guided by creative arts and cultures. Beyond designing and amplifying social change campaigns, they took the next step to mobilize financial support for the movement, embracing crowdfunding platforms like M-Changa to enhance transparency and self-accountability. This growing form of civic engagement, characterized by its grassroots nature and the effective use of digital tools to communicate and rally support, reflects an increasing trend in how young people are leading social change, blending context-specific organizing cultures with modern digital strategies to champion the causes they care about.
“Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today.”
Digital platforms, by providing a global stage, have become a bridge for young leaders to connect across generations, countries, and cultures. By sharing their stories and experiences, they create a strong support network beyond their immediate communities to champion the causes they care about. They make us all proud of their global impact and help us feel more connected to their journey. Integrating digital tools with grassroots action represents an organized, impactful approach to social engagement.
GivingTuesday’s Africa Hub is working on the intersection between generosity cultures and futures, exploring questions like:
- How can we ensure that the wisdom of past generations and practices, invaluable in shaping the future, evolves and thrives in the digital era?
- How can we collaborate to strengthen an environment that further unlocks the potential of youth leadership in our communities while catalyzing youth-led collaborations across social movements, geographies, and cultures?
These growing youth-led online engagements highlight the strength of a connected and supportive community, as well as our young leaders’ innovation, courage, and generosity. They are forging borderless communities of change by inspiring and uplifting one another. As we witness their remarkable qualities, let’s pledge to honor their leadership and diverse contributions in our collective pursuit of solutions to global challenges.
