About the project  

The “Youth Summit” is a participatory initiative launched by Youth First, with the support of various partners and as part of ongoing projects. It is a platform designed for young people and run by young people to amplify their voices and encourage their mobilization and engagement around issues affecting their communities.  

The Youth Summits aim to: 

• Highlight the commitment of young people as agents of change and a force for solutions to community challenges;  

• Encourage their empowerment and active participation in social, economic, cultural, and political dynamics;  

• Strengthen young people’s capacities and skills and equip them to engage sustainably in the development of their communities;  

• Influence systems and policies to create an environment conducive to effective youth participation. 

What the project has achieved 

Since its creation, Youth First has successfully organized 06 Youth Summits in Madagascar, achieving the following: 

• Organization of cohesion and solidarity sessions among young people; 

• Establishment of practical learning spaces; 

• Support for young people in designing social and economic projects;  

• Creation of a sharing platform promoting the exchange of experiences among young people; 

• Celebrations of International Youth Day; 

• Advocacy actions on behalf of young people with decision-makers at all levels; 

• Organization of visits and discovery activities to broaden young people’s horizons.

About the Project  

Funded by the French Development Agency, the Collective Voice of Women and Girls is Youth First’s advocacy project. This project aims to improve the exercise of human rights for women and girls and gender equality in the Atsinanana Region, Brickaville, Vatomandry, and Mahanoro Districts.  

Youth First’s interventions focus on “ensuring, through civil society advocacy, that the rights of women and girls are guaranteed by national institutions.”  

What the project has achieved 

• Creation and facilitation of local and national alliances to carry out advocacy actions;  

• Identification, capacity building, and mobilization of 40 advocacy champions; 

• Eight advocacy meetings with local decision-makers;  

• Organization of one regional summit and one national advocacy summit; 

• Broadcasting of radio programs and spots on women’s political participation in decision-making bodies and on the fight against gender-based violence; 

• One digital campaign on social media. 

About the Project  

The SIFAKA Project was funded by the Peace Building Fund and implemented in 2019–2020 by Youth First in partnership with Fondation Hirondelle.  

The project aimed to “improve access for young women and men to reliable, high-quality information, while integrating their voices into the Malagasy political and democratic context.”  

What the project has achieved  

• Capacity building, mobilization, and networking of 22 young focal points representing 22 regions of Madagascar  

• Creation and facilitation of a listeners’ club in each region, bringing together a total of 210 young people with 149 monthly meetings organized in total 

• Organization of two focus groups per region 

• Provision of two audio recordings per region per month to the central press room 

About the Project  

Breaking the Cycle is an international cooperative initiative funded by the European Union through the ERASMUS+ program and coordinated by CERUJOVI (Association of Rural Youth in Spain). The project brings together six organizations from India, Spain, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Greece, and Nepal, with the common goal of “combating gender-based violence (GBV) among young people.”  

Youth First actively contributed to this project by mobilizing its expertise in youth empowerment and leadership.  

What the project has achieved 

• Contribution to the design of the good practice manual and the development of the “Leadership, gender, and courses of action” module integrated into the training curriculum; 

• Hosting of the second international workshop held in 2018 in Madagascar, bringing together young people and trainers from different countries;  

• Training of young girls from the “Akany Avoko Faravohitra” social center and young inmates from the Antanimora prison on the project curriculum. 

About MAHARO

Maharo, funded by USAID with a close collaboration between CRS Madagascar, Venture37, CDD and Youth First, is a comprehensive food security activity designed to prevent and reduce acute food insecurity among the most vulnerable people, households, and communities in Androy and Atsimo Andrefana. Youth First, as a technical partner, developed the Youth component to strengthen youth leadership and to foster youth economic empowerment to fight against food insecurity. 

 

What the project has achieved  

 From 2019 to 2024:   

• 01 Youth Labour Market Assessment was conducted in the Atsimo Andrefana and Androy regions;    

• 610 youth groups were created at the fokontany level, each led by two young leaders and composed of 20 members, meaning that 1,220 young leaders were promoted. These youth groups have a total of 12,200 young members;    

• 950 young people trained in entrepreneurship, with 120 projects financed through the Youth Basket Fund, with a recovery rate of 72%;  

• 02 national youth summits were organized, bringing together 192 participants from 08 regions of Madagascar, as well as 12 Youth Events organized at the municipal level, bringing together 6,550 young people. 

About HARY 

HARY is a project promoting rural entrepreneurship. Implemented between 2018 and 2021, in partnership with CRS Madagascar, the project consists of three phases that support young people in accessing opportunities and becoming entrepreneurs : 

  

• Mitsimoka phase: Basic training in entrepreneurship followed by coaching on developing a business plan;   

• Mamelana Phase: Financial support through the Youth Basket Fund, reinforced by coaching in financial education;  

• Mihary Phase: In-depth training in entrepreneurship followed by coaching on business development. 

  

The HARY operates in four regions of Madagascar, including Vatovavy, Fitovinany, Atsinanana and Atsimo Andrefana.   

  

What the project has achieved 

 From 2018 to 2021:  

• 514 young rural entrepreneurs have been trained;  

• 86 business plans have been financed through the Youth Basket Fund;  

• One Youth Labour Market Assessment has been conducted in the Atsinanana, Vatovavy and Fitovinany regions.