Youth participation & democracy
YOUTH: BREEDING A SUSTAINABLE PRESENT FOR A DEMOCRATIC FUTURE
According to the World Youth Report (2020), there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population, and over 1 billion young people under the age of 25 live in developing countries.
Global commitments such as the SDGs and lasting inclusive strategies require a bottom-up approach, which can only be achieved with the active participation of youth, who have the power to transform their communities by leading innovative change. Recognising youth as key changemakers, Connexus supports initiatives that enhance the demonstrated potential of youth to lead sustainability enterprises.
Besides, as an East German organisation, Connexus acknowledges the contrasts and discrepancies that can take place as challenges to development at any level, embracing the objective to tackle uneven processes of socioeconomic inequality.
We also believe that democracy relies on participation, transparency and representation, values that are reflected in our mission and other objectives, thus being intrinsic elements of our take on sustainability.
Sharping comprehensive lenses to sustainability: advocacy for change
We believe that a sustainable future depends on a transdisciplinary grasp of the present, and young people are the seeds we want to harvest together with our partners.
Connexus’ mission and approach directly address the need to collectively pursue inclusive and equitable education and promote sustainable opportunities for community engagement, and gender equality through girls’ empowerment and women’s empowerment. This is our path to reducing inequalities, strengthening partnerships, and community resilience.
Spaces for Conviviality, rooms for understanding
Dialogue and comprehension are unfeasible if civil society does not have opportunities to meet, enhance a sense of community, or even share contrasting perspectives.
Thus, we developed this priority axis, aimed at creating avenues to discuss possibilities for projects around using, expanding, and attributing new meanings for those physical spaces, concretely and metaphorically speaking.
Through its convivial space, our friends from The Forge set a space for cultural events, discussions and trust in Johannesburg, while making visible young local artists, writers and talents
