Youth Supporting Youth
Young people face a variety of stigma in society at large, yet they are still organizing to create supports for each other in order to lift as they climb. Youth-led organizations have blossomed as a growing trend as of late, as a number of new collectives and organizations have been supported through the Youth Challenge Fund, an initiative started by football player Pinball Clemens. Inspired by the power of youth organizing other foundations have started to adjust their grant application processes to be more youth friendly, and some foundations like Laidlaw have shifted their entire focus to youth organizing.
Some amazing initiatives have emerged out of these new funding structures which have led to new models of youth leadership and involvement. Young Diplomats were one of the original recipients of the Youth Challenge Fund and are a stunning example of the power of youth to make change and support each other. Young Diplomats emerged from a community-based research study done by the UN University for Peace in March 2006 which identified the emotional, cultural and identity issues faced by Ethiopian youth in the Greater Toronto Area.
Before Young Diplomats there were no community groups running Ethiopian-specific youth programs and as such the group has become a central hub for the community. Young Diplomats provides Ethiopian youth the opportunity to access inspiring community mentors, create youth-positive spaces and mobilize around important issues. Combining social, academic and career mentorship with fun opportunities like the annual YD Summer Leadership Camp, Young Diplomats reaches out to a variety of Ethiopian youth at different life stages to create a web of community support. To find out more about Young Diplomats check out their website and Facebook Group to see their latest projects and get inspired!
Tags: ethiopian, laidlaw, organizing, peer education, pinball clemens, students, un, upeace, young diplomats, youth
