“We are not the leaders of tomorrow, we are the leaders of today.”

THIS is the reason that Comic Relief US proudly supports youth leadership as a cornerstone of our grants strategy.

We were thrilled to host a conversation on “Why Should We Invest in the Next Generation of Leaders?” at a grantee gathering in New York City this month, which was held during the annual UN General Assembly meetings.

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The panel was moderated by Hafeeza Rashed, Director of Programs and Partnerships at Moore Philanthropy, and Olja Bušbaher, MSc Candidate at LSE and an alumna of our Youth Advisory Council, and Gerard Allison, founder of Lumiere and a Youth Design Center, alumnus shared their insights and experiences alongside Zipporah Hawa Moriba, a powerhouse youth advocate who is making change in Sierra Leone as the Founder of the Girls Aid Movement and was a prominent voice in the successful push for the passage of that country’s Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Act.

A lot has changed since 2019, for our country, our world, and our organization. One thing we have learned during that time, and that was strongly reinforced yesterday — young people are drivers of change and will lead us into a bright future.

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