Advancing youth-led dialogue, policy engagement, and cross-continental collaboration between Africa and Europe

Posted on: December 22, 2025 Posted by: diasporadigital Comments: 0

Tags: AU-EU Youth Voices Lab, European Union

Programme Updates and Key Achievements

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective, part of the AU-EU Youth Lab programme, now in its second year, fosters dialogue between youth, civil society, and institutional decision-makers on both continents. Over the past few months, it has made remarkable strides in shaping policy, promoting innovation, and celebrating youth engagement.

In November 2025, the programme played a prominent role in the 7th AU-EU Summit in Luanda, Angola, and contributed to essential side events that focused on engaging youth and influencing policy. The event “Collective Voices in Action: Where Youth and Civil Society Shape the Africa–Europe Partnership of Tomorrow,” was organized by the programme partners Oxfam and Search for Common Ground, in collaboration with CONCORD Europe, offering a platform for youth and civil society to share perspectives and co-create solutions for inclusive decision-making.

On 20-21 November 2025, youth representatives, Youth Voices Lab grantees, and Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members participated in discussions at the AU-EU Civil Society and Youth Forum 2025. During the forum, key themes such as peace, security, prosperity, and multilateralism were explored, and youth-led recommendations were compiled into a Joint Declaration, officially presented at the European Union-African Union Summit 2025 the following day.

In addition, Youthmakers Hub (YMH) represented the programme at the Bridging Continents through Innovation: Africa-Europe Innovation Dialogues, held on 22 October 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. This event marked the launch of the Africa-Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP), and The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective participated in the Panel Sister Initiatives, exploring synergies and creating valuable connections with other similar youth-focused projects aimed at promoting innovation and cross-continental collaboration. On 23 October 2025, YMH also represented the programme during the Innovation Fair 2025, while creating meaningful connections within the Africa-Europe ecosystem among policy-makers, the private sector, and other similar initiatives.

The programme’s continued success was recognized with two prestigious awards:

Africa–Europe Foundation Youth Awards 2025: We have been selected as the No. 1 awardee for the 2025 Africa–Europe Foundation (AEF) Youth Awards! Among 401 applicants from across both continents, the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab stood out as one of only eight winning initiatives and proudly took first place.
.eu Web Awards 2025: We have also won the .eu Web Awards 2025 in the People’s Choice category, with a total score of 10/10, obtaining a 5/5 score from the Jury and 2,635 votes from the online audience. This is a great achievement, celebrating the programme’s outstanding contribution to youth engagement and digital collaboration across Europe and Africa.

These acknowledgments emphasize our commitment to enabling young people as vital drivers of change.

The AU-EU Youth Voices Lab remains committed to empowering young people and strengthening Africa-Europe connections. In 2026, the programme will launch micro-funding opportunities and new campaigns, offering even more ways for youth to shape policy and innovate across continents. Additionally, more opportunities, free training with certification, and other resources are available in the programme’s free mobile application. Available for download here.

Contacts

Silvia Diazzi (Youthmakers Hub) | Communication & Dissemination Manager

silvia.diazzi@youthmakershub.com

Virgile Uzabumugabo (Oxfam International – Oxfam in Africa) | Consortium Manager

Virgile.Uzabumugabo@oxfam.org