The primary focus for the AAYMCA to build the capacity of YMCAs in Africa to participate in actions that improve the ability of vulnerable and marginalized people in Africa, especially youth to adapt to climate change. AAYMCA will also facilitate National Movements and youth to advocate for inclusive climate policies to ensure that no one is left behind as the world transitions to a Green Economy (Vision 2030).

 In 2023, the AAYMCA along with the YMCAs in Ghana and Madagascar implemented the Green Ideas project Based on newly acquired skills and knowledge delivered to 40 young Green Ambassadors in a series of masterclasses. The 40 Green Ambassadors, with support from the AAYMCA and experts developed multiple youth-led environmental projects. Through a validated learning process, the Green Ambassadors had a chance to initiate, investigate and modify their initiatives. In Ghana, a team of Green Ambassadors launched an Urban Smart farming project that repurposed abandoned rooftops to enhance local food security and resilience. This innovative initiative has transformed the community's approach to agriculture, making it easier for individuals to cultivate their own crops. The clean-up campaigns in Madagascar sparked awareness among residents and local authorities alike. In Antsirabi, the municipality has taken on additional sanitation duties, including more frequent waste collection in areas where the green ambassadors initiated clean-up efforts.

Current and Future

Our Belief is that, by using games and gamification techniques, the YMCA and partners can successfully initialize interventions that mobilize community action, improve climate literacy and accumulate evidence for policy intervention. The overall effect of these games and gamified interventions will be to improve young people’s resilience to the negative effects of climate change, especially as relates to the risk factors that result in young people being in conflict with the law. 

To set up these interventions, the Africa Alliance of YMCAs has targeted to work with 5 National YMCAs in Africa to set up and operationalize Community Game Hubs between 2024 and 2026. The YMCA Community Game hubs are physical spaces located within the YMCA premises. In Each Community Game Hub, Young people are trained on Design Thinking, Game Design and Climate Adaptation methodologies and they in turn design and implement games that help build the resilience of young people to climate change. Each Hub will be managed by a team of youth leaders and volunteers with the technical guidance of local YMCA as well as AAYMCA staff located at the Africa Renaissance Hub. The overall target of these interventions is 12,000 at-risk youth.