ABOUT US
WE BUILD CAPACITIES, CONNECT PEOPLE AND CAUSES AND INSPIRE ACTION TO CHALLENGE STATUS QUO
We live in a world where a growing generation of global youth is faced with limited opportunities, high unemployment rates and a shrinking political space for involvement and influence.
We believe that young people, youth-led movements and organisations hold a tremendous potential and have great experience with confronting the political status quo. By harnessing this resource and fulfilling young people’s right to participate in their own development, we can significantly increase the impact of young people as drivers of change towards a more just, sustainable and democratic world.
TRAINING HUBS FOR YOUTH-LED ACTIVISM
Global Platforms is ActionAid’s network for youth-led activism – initiated in 2009. ActionAid is an international, non-governmental organisation (INGO) working with more than 15 million people in 45 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice.
The Global Platforms deliver participatory and action-oriented capacity building centred around our Global Platform training hubs for youth-led activism.
The Global Platforms are dynamic and inspiring environments where young people (aged 16-35) live and learn together, where they can think freely, develop their own ideas and connect, discuss and act on local, national and global political issues.
Through a focus on organising and solidarity across socio-political boundaries, the Global Platforms link youth networks, movements, organisations and individuals who promote the agenda of progressive social, political and economic change. Read more about how we work with learning and activism.
SUPPORTING INITIATIVES FOR YOUTH-LED ACTIVISM
Another key component of our work is supporting various non-curricular, youth-led initiatives. Common to these initiatives is that they seek to strategise, plan, carry out and evaluate various forms of youth-led organising and direct action. The composition, focus area and size of the initiatives can vary from long- to short-term projects ranging from mobile training hubs to digital communities, from mentorship networks to time-bound support to emerging social movements and civil society organisations.
Some of the initiatives are closely linked to the work of the Global Platforms, and some are based on cooperation with and/or support for mission-aligned partners.
Global Platform initiatives and activities
The Global Platforms frequently organise or host network meetings, debates, documentary screenings, photo expositions, youth festivals and various campaign activities – all with the objective of giving young people a free and safe space for developing and testing ideas, connecting with peers and finding collective ways to take action.
Supporting youth-led activist hubs
We support the creation of new spaces for youth-led activism either in cooperation with partners or for the purpose of extending the outreach of the established Global Platforms. An activist hub can also be an online hub; in recent years we have supported the creation of Global Change Lab and Beautiful Rising – both online spaces focussed on youth-led activism.
Supporting emerging movements and networks
Social movements and networks around the world are arising faster than ever before, but we often see them lose momentum after a short while, struggling to attract public attention and mobilise more people. We support movement building in various ways and create new alliances and campaigns with movements and networks.