Accelerating change through a digital Pan-African Shifters network

Imagine a space where a young poet from Uganda inspires a musician in Malawi, where a debate on SRHR in Zambia sparks a movement in Mozambique. This is the reality of 'Shifters Across Africa', our vibrant online community where we are learning, growing, and igniting change together.

What started as an experiment to bring Shifters together on a simple call to facilitate peer-to-peer learning, has now grown into a 200+ member platform from over 8 countries within 4 months. Here’s what we are learning as we continue to nurture this space and enable Shifters to learn from each other

SHIFTERS DERIVE GREAT JOY IN CONNECTING WITH CHANGEMAKERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES TO SHARE THEIR CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS, CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS. 

• Shifters continue to provide regular updates, driven not by reporting requirements but rather through their own volition to share their excitement and milestone successes 

• Young people look towards each other to lend a listening ear and at times ideate solutions to challenges faced within their own respective contexts 

• One surprising observation was that once the space was created, shifters filled this space and made it vibrant through their excitement and collaborative intent

KEY TAKEAWAY

There is a need to capitalise on and nurture more peer-to-peer learning spaces. The role of the fun adult would be to set up the basic framework and ensure safeguarding while enabling young people to shape this space through their inputs

SHIFTERS TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN LEADING THEIR CAMPAIGNS. THIS MEANS SELECTING THEIR OWN TOPICS, DESIGNING STRATEGIES AND ENGAGING WITH STAKEHOLDERS

Shifters from Malawi are leading efforts to address illegal mining by engaging community leaders and government officials. They co-create solutions, demonstrating a shift from top-down decision-making to a more collaborative approach

• Ugandan Shifters are designing and implementing campaigns to reduce teenage pregnancies and promote environmental sustainability, highlighting their agency in addressing issues affecting their communities

• Shifters in Zambia are tackling challenges related to SRHR access, demonstrating their role in driving change within their communities
   

KEY TAKEAWAY

Generating more opportunities for young people to take the lead equates to a greater sense of pride and ultimately, ownership

SHIFTERS USE A VARIETY OF COMMUNICATION MEDIUMS TO CONVEY THEIR MESSAGES, FRUSTRATIONS, HOPES AND DREAMS. THE LANGUAGE, COLOUR AND MOOD WHICH DEFINE THE CREATIVE ART MEDIUM LENDS ITSELF WELL TO YOUNG PEOPLE.

Shifters from Ethiopia attribute their success in mobilising large crowds to their use of art-based activation. The inherent appeal and accessibility of artistic expressions attract community members and create engaging platforms for disseminating messages.

• Shifters utilize various creative mediums (such as poems, debates and music) to evoke emotions, spark conversations, encourage critical thinking, shed light on pressing issues and inspire action

• Through their partnerships with creative professionals in developing their campaigns (a core component of Shift), Shifters make their campaigns more engaging, relatable, impactful and their own. 

KEY TAKEAWAY

Leverage creative mediums like art, poetry, and music to allow Shifters to convey powerful messages and amplify impact. 

TECHNOLOGY CAN BE HARNESSED TO BRIDGE LINGUISTIC BARRIERS AND FOSTER INCLUSIVITY IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENT WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE SPEAK ENGLISH, PORTUGUESE, FRENCH AND ARABIC AMONG OTHER LANGUAGES.

• Recognising the wide disparity in access to technology and connectivity across different geographies, the Shift team found a way to enable translation within the app and made a step-by-step video tutorial on how this can be enabled. 

• With rapid developments in live, real-time translation features, we look forward to capitalising on this to employ emerging and AI technology in bridging gaps between young people.
   

KEY TAKEAWAY

Take advantage of an emerging pain point and convert it immediately to a learning opportunity so that support to young people becomes responsive, adaptive and applicable.

The growth of "Shifters Across Africa" underscores the potential of youth-led, peer-driven spaces to accelerate change. By fostering cross-border connections, empowering local leadership, and harnessing technology and creative expression, we can amplify young voices across Africa, building resilient movements equipped to address pressing social and environmental challenges.

Want to join Shifters Across Africa?

Note: You must be a Shift-implementing country
Email chirspine.botha@savethechildren.org

The Power of 'Consenso': Shifters Rewrite the Rules!

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.

Having supported a number of groups with different campaigns over the past two years (2022 and 2023), Fun Adults in Bolivia learned that while this approach had its upsides, it also led to conflicting messages and overstretched support towards the Shifters. That is why in 2024, Fun Adults decided to try a different approach: have 2 new youth groups work together on a single campaign.

One of the two groups was the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Bolivia, an established group working to conserve biodiversity, cultural diversity and social equity. The other group (formed relatively recently) was the JCI Tunari and Partners Campus SS, an organisation of young leaders who create opportunities for continuous development via training and project implementation. 

Given the (presumed) differences between the two groups, Fun Adults in Bolivia did what any good facilitator would do: anticipate the potential conflicts between the two groups and already put in place, a voting system to help Shifters in decision-making as they co-create their campaign plan. However, at the actual workshop, Shifters surprised the Fun Adults.

“NO, WE DON’T WANT TO VOTE BECAUSE THAT SHUTS OFF OTHER VIEWS AND OPINIONS.

INSTEAD, WE WILL COME TO A CONSENSUS AFTER DISCUSSING AND THEN LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE FINALLY AGREE ON”

At that moment, Fun Adults realised it was time for them to sit back and let the Shifters run the show. These small but truly amazing moments demonstrate how young people practice the values that we hold very dear at Shift: radical participation, genuine inclusion, co-creation, partnership, solidarity and collaboration.

As Fun Adults, there are two lessons to learn from Bolivia:

1. Be flexible in modifying the approach even if it deviates from what was initially planned

2. Prioritise and intentionally create spaces for young people to drive the process at every possible stage of your Shift journey