Young Leaders Training Programme

In Tanzania, youths make up the majority of the population. Behind this nu­merical advantage is potential to influence the political direction and support democratic change in the country. Paradoxically, youth participation in politi­cal organisation is minimal and insignificant due to nepotism and undemo­cratic structures. Furthermore, unequal education opportunities and lack of self confidence hinder youth participation in democratisation processes.

To support a more active role of the youth, the FES developed the Young Lead­ers Training Program (YLTP) where youths are trained on various as­pects of leadership. The one year training program brings together youths from different backgrounds such as political parties, governmental ministries, NGOs, trade unions. The YLTP is a multidisciplinary training program that covers areas of politics and public administration, economics, media and communication as well as management skills. It further touches issues like gender and HIV/Aids.

The main objective of the program is to enable young leaders to become capable and reliable leaders who play a significant role in the democratic transformation of their institutions and Tanzania. In addition, the program intends to create a networking atmosphere among the trainees and their institutions.

The program has been running successfully since its establishment in 2001. Many of the graduates are now actively involved in politics. Recently an open "Young Political Discussion Club" has been established with the support of FES. The Club offers open discussions with successful young leaders as well as networking and exchange of experience on politics, democratic and social developments.