PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release 13 December 2024

Festive season’s greetings to you our valued stakeholder

We have concluded yet another successful year filled with activity, engagement, and lessons. It was through your meaningful contribution and the national coordinated efforts of young people across the country that led to us realising many milestones this year. This was an eventful year both in our country and globally, with consequential and direct impact on the initiatives of the network. As a network, we found ourselves in the thick of realities both as subjects and drivers of social change. This was further enhanced through the efforts of our programmes and campaigns, many of which you were part of;

ACD-In community

There is no doubt that the sustainability of the network lies in its continued efforts in the community that involve the recruitment of a new cohort of leaders. The ACD-In community programme reaffirms this every year as we onboard more young people into the network.

Network Support and Civic Education

We are so proud to reflect on the success of our election campaign which saw no less than 100 observers from our network involved in the most contested election since 1994. Our yearly efforts to sensitise communities and empower them with tools to actively participate in governance have led to gradual yet steady paradigm shifts, with so much work still to be done as we look ahead to the 2026 local elections.

We were so delighted to spend time on the road across several provinces through our network roadshow and to engage directly with the network in their respective communities. Additionally, our contributions to the businesses and initiatives run by young people in the network have had a ripple effect on our commitment to support entrepreneurs as they build communities through their innovative ideas.

Generation G

It has become clear that the realities in the community are not far from the lived realities of young activists. This year, through our efforts and campaigns to realise a gender -just and violence-free society, we have seen the positive effects of coordinated solidarity and its impact on the community and the value of having young people at the centre of advocacy for meaningful change.

Youth Hubs

We spent time visiting initiatives by the network that exist in their communities and were pleased to see the demonstration of sustainability. Our network always stands out because of its ability to use very little resources to meet the needs of many.

Multimedia hub

Driving the communications of our work through our podcasters, writers, videographers, photographers and social media activists, has enhanced the visibility and reach our great work done by our network. It has been so building to see the different variations of storytelling to advance the needs and realities.

Much more occurred this year, and to try and summarise it into a single page would be a disservice. What we know well about this work is how it lives in each one of us. We know the issues in our communities, and we also carry the responsibility and privilege of driving change. We wish to express our gratitude to you and an open invitation to continue on this path with us. To meaningfully drive change, we must make time for pause, rest and give each other a pat on the back.

May the festive season serve as that opportunity for you all.

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Take good care.
Regards,
Siphelele Chirwa, ACTIVATE! Change Drivers CEO