ITS Workshop: “'The Generation Who Can Fix It': Formations and Contradictions of Africa’s Growing Youth Leadership Pipeline"

Wednesday, December 1st, 12:30-1:30PM EST
Krystal Strong, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Title: “The Generation Who Can Fix It”: Formations and Contradictions of Africa’s Growing Youth Leadership Pipeline 

Registration link: https://forms.gle/cXzfBkYvDUgr52WM6

Over the past decade, hundreds of youth leadership initiatives have been established globally with the mission of grooming a rising generation of African leaders. This talk examines this largely unstudied and rapidly expanding leadership pipeline based on an ongoing study, which has collected data on nearly 300 programs that target African youth and offer educational or professional development with the goal of cultivating leaders who will contribute to African development; and interviewed and surveyed more 250 youth participants. My purpose is twofold: (1) I offer an overview of the organizational approaches of these initiatives, which reveal a global ecosystem within and beyond Africa that is investing billions of dollars into African youth leadership. Then, using case studies of two prominent initiatives, (2) I consider what the tendency toward elite-driven strategies, corporate leadership models, and foreign collaboration may indicate about the larger politics and likely impact of institutionally legitimized leadership initiatives “from above,” particularly given the resurgence of insurgent youth-led activism “from below.” 

To request disability-related accommodations contact OASID at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, (212) 678-3853 TTY, (646) 755-3144 video phone, as early as possible.