2024 has been a year for big news headlines worldwide. Global news has been so loud, and often so disappointing, that we haven’t managed to hear the smaller stories. In our work at Restless Development, we come across some amazing young people doing amazing things that are noteworthy.
As we countdown to the end of this remarkable year, please join us in celebrating 12 young leaders doing remarkable things across the globe. There are of course many many more.
Johnkeen Ochieng, in Kenya, has been raising awareness about violence against children. He’s been visiting schools in Kenya – including special schools – where he has consulted children and young people about their lived experiences of violence. Jonkeen joined national planning sessions led by the Kenyan gender ministry and fed the young people’s voices into this space, informing the government’s national pledge that the Kenyan government made at the ministerial conference.
He now sits in the National Gender Ministry working group to end violence against children, advising on youth. Johnkeen recently took these messages to Bogota for the Ministerial on Ending Violence Against Children.
Jamila Mayanja, through Smart Girls Foundation Uganda, started Smart Bags for Girls, an innovation on comprehensive menstrual hygiene education that combines educational programming with menstrual hygiene backpacks designed for and by girls. A bag is sold or redistributed with a pack of reusable pads, a menstrual management booklet, and a sewing kit. Annually the organisation trains over 200 girls and distributes over 6,000 recycled solar smart bags.
Owiny Hakim is the Advocacy and Activation Manager of EBee, is a pan-African e-mobility company that focuses on creating green jobs using electric bicycles. The company imports e- bike parts and then works with young women that have been trained (by the Smart Girls mentioned above!) to assemble and rent out a fleet of e-bikes in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Beka (Baker) Isabirye has been volunteering for community development programs in Uganda, including those at Restless Development. From his time volunteering and getting to know hundreds of children, he noticed that rural children were at a disadvantage to their urban counterparts. Baker decided to tackle this gap in a direct way through Tech Reach Africa – Mobile Computer Lab. This takes laptops to rural schools and equips teachers to show their students how to use them. The mobile computer lab is addressing the knowledge gap in computer literacy among learners from rural schools.
Moufeeda Haidar, our Lebanon-based Youth Power Senior Coordinator has been living with a packed bag by her door, never knowing what the next day will bring. Her friends and family have also been living in fear as the situation has escalated. Because of her support for young women advocating for sexual and reproductive health rights across the Middle East, Moufeeda was selected as a Global Youth Fellow to attend the UN session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). She used the platform to speak out on behalf of young people in Gaza, bravely calling for a ceasefire. Read more.
Oscar, co-founder of Transilience, was funded by the Young Gamechangers Fund to support young transgender people in a remote part of the UK. Know more through their video ‘Transilience: Tides of Change’:
Rachel, through Running Allyship, runs workshops in all the schools in Rochdale focusing on ending gender-based violence.
Emily McChrystal (she/they), our Youth Power Coordinator, won the Merseyside Women of the Year. She has done a huge amount to empower marginalised young people in Liverpool. She was the sole facilitator of the ground-breaking Wealth Shared project, distributing £100k to organisations in Liverpool. Emily has supported over 535,000 community members within the UK directly through her campaigning, engagement, and training. Emily has also helped generate just over half a million pounds for the organisations and communities she has worked with through fundraising and bid securing, and continues to add to that figure. Read More
Godi’s passion for youth empowerment remained steadfast. This month, following his voter education training from Restless Development Tanzania, he successfully educated youth and Tanzanian communities at large on the importance of voter registration. He utilized radio programs, social media, and youth forums, including at the International Youth Day event, to inspire and encourage voter participation. His guiding philosophy is “Nothing for Us Without Us.”
Andrea Paz from Honduras makes films for girls empowerment in Honduras, focusing on promoting sexual and reproductive rights among young people. In addition to her digital efforts, she is actively involved in sexual education programs in Honduran schools. By providing young people with comprehensive knowledge and tools, Andrea aims to empower them to make informed and healthy decisions about their sexuality.
Shostika Khatri from Nepal is passionate about the environment and concerned about the region’s frequent landslides. Shostika jumped at the chance to be a TagMe Digital Volunteer. Through this campaign, she collected crucial landslide data that will be presented to the Far-West Provincial government. Shostika has been speaking out at schools, raising awareness about the role of young people in mitigating disasters.
Audrey Mabiginye, from Zimbabwe, was appointed a constituency monitor for her MP, Fred Moyo. Her job entails engaging the local community, capturing issues, which she then compiles and shares with the MP. Her goal is to inspire and empower fellow young people within her ward to engage in civic activities actively, fostering a culture of participation and representation.
Audrey Mabiginye during her constituency induction meeting at Ward 1 ZvishavaneThese leaders are just a few of the hundred of thousands leading youth-led initiatives right now. The Youth Collective alone has 5,000 grassroots groups of young people leading change, and we can’t wait to nurture and celebrate them through 2025.
