Youth Leading Change

Five years ago, Comic Relief launched the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) with a vision: to meaningfully engage young people in our work, specifically those from communities impacted by poverty and injustice, to develop their leadership abilities, and make them full partners in grant-making.  

Now in its third cycle, the YAC has become a small yet mighty force for impact. Through the Juntanza Fund, $50,000 in grants per cohort is distributed by the council to support youth-led community organizations. YAC members are demonstrating what’s possible when young people lead.

Since 2020, changemakers between the ages of 18 and 24 from across the globe are encouraged to apply to the year-long program. “We’re looking for young people who really want to learn from different perspectives from around the world and who have a good collaborative spirit,” says Jessica Thompson-Castillo, program manager of the YAC. 

For the first four months, they receive a crash course in trust-based philanthropy and grantmaking from Comic Relief staff. Next, their focus shifts to overseeing the Young Changemakers Fellowship Program, working with leaders from youth-led organizations in their home countries to help them position and pitch themselves for funding. 

Finally, the YAC members select recipients for The Juntanza Fund, rigorously evaluating applicants in weekly Zoom calls, debating their merits, and ultimately agreeing on a final group of five to seven grantees. “We had many heated moments, and it was a hard decision because you see the potential in all the organizations that apply, but you have a limited number of funds,” says Fatima Batool, 21, of Pakistan, a social media manager, medical school student, and a member of YAC’s second cohort. “Our discussions were challenging in a very respectful way — they allowed us to think outside of the box and grow and think about other perspectives.” 

What sustained YAC members through this intense process were the strong bonds they’d built with one another and the experiences and values they shared. “All of us come from such different regions, but the issues we face and that we’ve grown up with are quite similar,” says Fatima. “At the end of the day, we all just want to give back to our communities, bring the best back to our people, and uplift young voices.”  

Their grantees appreciate YAC’s thoughtful grantmaking approach and the fact that the Juntanza Fund is run by their peers. “As a youth-led organization ourselves, this alignment has been really empowering for us,” say Anhaar Raza and Ayesha Amin, of Baithak, a grassroots organization in Pakistan. Baithak received a Juntanza Fund grant in June 2024 for its GRACE program, which is teaching young women in the Badin and Jamshoro regions how to advocate for responsive climate policies with their local government. “It’s allowed us to work with people who truly understand our realities, trust us, and believe in the work we are doing.”  

Mohammed Bayero Yayandi, founder and CEO of YandyTech in Nigeria, another Juntanza Fund grantee, agrees (see below for more on their impact). He says, “Receiving funding [from the Juntanza Fund] has been incredibly empowering. It’s given us autonomy and flexibility, and we’ve been able to be more innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of our beneficiaries.”

Beginning in 2024, CRUS created a second-year program — YAC Leads — for past YAC members who’d like to serve an additional term. Fatima, who joined YAC Leads this year, and her fellow members assist the CRUS team in recruiting and vetting the next YAC applicants, follow up with grantees for reporting, and offer their support and guidance in activating their programs. She describes her past two years as part of the program as “very, very wonderful.”

“It's an opportunity that has changed so many perspectives for me and allowed me to work on so many things,” says Fatima. “And it fulfills you in such great ways since you're able to create an impact. You get to learn a lot [about] yourself and from the people around you as well.”, and look out for future updates of their work.

The Juntanza Fund in Action: 

Get to know a few of the grassroots organizations using Juntanza Funds to spark meaningful change in their communities.

• Youth OUTright in the US is providing training to North Carolina youth leaders of over 170 LGBTQIA+ clubs in gender affirmation, safer sex, and harm reduction for drug use.
• Adaptive Leadership Zambia is equipping 100 people under the age of 25 living in rural areas with the tools and training to build a community-based healthcare system that better addresses the needs of adolescents and young people.
• YandyTech in Nigeria is offering STEM workshops, climate education, mentorships, and entrepreneurship training to 150 young people in Gombe State

Learn more about the current YAC cohort here, and look out for future updates of their work. 

Pictures courtesy of Juntanza Fund grantee YandyTech.