Okay, you might wonder what the big deal is about a video with young people simply saying “Consenso” (Trans. Consensus); but to appreciate this, we need to go back a few weeks.

When we say meaningful participation in Shift, we mean that excluded and marginalised groups of young people get the opportunity to tell us what issues matter most to them. It also means that they then, get the guidance and resources required to design a campaign around their issue and eventually go out into the world to effect positive change.

If you told me that an informal group of young people from a rural district of Malawi, with mostly secondary school qualifications, would go on to win funding within two years of campaigning, I’d say, “That’s not possible”. This can no longer be said ever since Ntcheu Shifters came onto the scene. 

When we say someone is a 'Fun Adult', we mean that they are simultaneously a facilitator, mentor, partner, cheerleader, young-at-heart, believer and a cool uncle or aunt that young people look up to. We work very hard to create Fun Adults at Shift, but sometimes we find that some adults just get it. They are just born with it!

Yes, shifting power requires us to move the dial on power towards young people and track this movement; but before this can happen, it calls us to undergo a mindset shift first. It calls us to unlearn.