Youth Justice

"Transforming young people from Subject to Citizen"

The Youth justice thematic area consists of initiatives that target young people in conflict with the law or at risk of being in conflict with the law (at-risk youth). The YMCA is currently implementing Youth Justice activities in nine African countries namely – Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Togo and Zimbabwe. The YMCA targets youth in three main categories: at-risk youth, those already in detention, whether in jail or in prison – whether juvenile incarceration or in adult incarceration centres, and, those coming out of incarceration.

Street connected youth represent a significant high-risk group in terms of conflict with the law in all the countries within which the YMCA works. The YMCAs in Togo and Cameroon are in strategic partnerships that run drop-in centres for street-connected youth in Lomé, Togo and Yaounde, Cameroon that provide counselling, family reunification and drug rehabilitation services.

The YMCA in Togo has also been at the forefront of ensuring that youth in conflict with the law have access to health, meaningful leisure and psychosocial support through hygiene and mental health activities as well as bolstering homes and recreational activities. Within Prisons in Togo, the YMCA has established Legal Clubs whose role has been to provide access to youth in incarceration with legal aid and access to justice within reasonable time. Between 2019 and 2022, for example, out of a target of 350 beneficiaries of Legal aid and assistance, Togo YMCA reached 402 beneficiaries. The YMCA also managed to provide psychological support and/or family mediation to 505 youth in detention out of the targeted 250, more than double the target.

In Madagascar, the YMCA has set up PowerSpaces in Moramanga, Manjakandriana, Carion and Ankerana. By end of 2022, 4,112 at-risk youth had attended these PowerSpaces and participated in activities that included song and dance clubs, reading clubs, documentary film screening sessions, language learning (French and English), computer training, culinary arts training, Life skills sessions and sports.

In Zimbabwe, the YMCA carried out a prototype project involving 147 project beneficiaries over the period of 3 years (2021-2023) to prototype new strategies of youth engagement within the Model. Initially, the YMCA trained a small group of youth (ten), six of them from the general community identified through community caseworkers, and four from Percy Ibbotson Hostel - a rehabilitation centre for young offenders. The intervention included specific training - covering topics such as leadership, bookkeeping, and finance, conflict management, negotiation skills, grooming, and etiquette. The training involved the participation of stakeholders including the Ministries of women affairs and of Community Development, and representatives from small and medium enterprises. The prototype led to the initial development of micro enterprises that included floor polish making, small restaurants, poultry farming, selling of clothes and others. After an initial test period, the project expanded to include an additional 60 youth, separated into 3 cohorts.

The training involved the participation of stakeholders including the Ministries of women affairs and of Community Development, and representatives from small and medium enterprises. The prototype led to the initial development of micro enterprises that included floor polish making, small restaurants, poultry farming, selling of clothes and others. After an initial test period, the project expanded to include an additional 60 youth, separated into 3 cohorts.

The expansion also included the number of stakeholders to include The Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation, Ministry Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMEs), Bulawayo Vendors and Traders Association (BVTA) and Bulawayo City Council (Recreation Department). A key learning from the first iteration of the prototype was that the participants need a stronger focus on resilience building and improving social safety networks around them. For this reason, during the second iteration, the YMCA worked closely with parents/guardians to ensure support for the project. The third iteration of the prototype project was an expansion to include youth in incarceration (specifically those nearing release back to the community) through three rehabilitation centres in Bulawayo: Luveve Girls Rehabilitation Hostel, Percy Ibbotson Remand Hostel and Bulawayo Prison.

The YMCA implemented the PowerSpace methodology to the benefit of young people in the rehabilitation centres to engage the youth through appealing activities, building of self-awareness, building skills and eventually linking them to opportunities that will ensure effective reintegration back to the community. These youth constituted Cohort 7 of the Prototype and was made up of 26 young men who were trained and eventually were graduated within Bulawayo Prison. The 26 participants went through a four-day training on entrepreneurship and financial literacy and received certificates of attendance. The training was followed by a graduation ceremony at Bulawayo Prison with a number of prison officers attending the graduation

In Ghana, 2912 at risk youth benefitted from Youth Justice interventions, including Sensitization workshops for at risk youth, a new Helpline service , informative short films, and training in life and vocational skills. This was as a direct result of strengthening of YMCA centres with attractive youth-focused programmes. The support has also included return to school support.

MacDonald Gumbo, Zimbabwe YMCA

After the three-day training of financial literacy and entrepreneurship by YMCA under the Youth Justice Project, McDonald is singing praises on how his life has been transformed following an opportunity of networking and interaction.

The 20-year-old was already in business, but there were some hurdles as he felt like he was swimming in the deep end without the superlative expertise of how to administer a business productively.

“I had attended none business training seminar, the one facilitated by YMCA was the first and it had a significant impact on me and my business as l realized that creativity and uniqueness make the secret recipe for a lucrative business. I learnt a lot about running a sustainable business”.

The sprouting entrepreneur received a loan of USD80 for boosting his business as he strives to make an honest living out of by the busy street corner of Cowdry Park. He has paid back USD$20 and is yet to pay the remaining balance, and his business seems to promising.

Though the young entrepreneurs try to sail through, they face a lot of challenges of having to bear the burden of their responsibilities, which makes the funds to be diverted to other needs and not the business.

McDonald said “After receiving the money l faced a problem as l had to pay my rentals which were already two months behind. When I got the money, three-quarters of it was channeled to the clearing of that debt and then, with the remaining USD$30, l set myself up and continue the business.”

On an average, the business makes USD $20 a day, and he re-stocks daily. His selling spot is strategically located as there is no competition because he has built a strong customer base.

Macdonald’s vision is to expand his business and become the supplier to other vendors and supermarkets not only those but has also diversified his business into printing.