The Graça Machel Trust and the Mandela Institute for Development Studies celebrated the Mandela centenary by hosting the inaugural African Youth Networks Summit between 20th and 21st July, 2018 at Freedom Park in Pretoria. The event brought together over 200 representatives of youth networks, youth leaders, government, corporate and development partners from across Africa to connect young people to each other, identify successful and scalable youth initiatives and develop a platform for the cross-pollination of ideas to drive the youth agenda forward.
A  key highlights included participation in the summit of some continental icons such as Jay Naidoo, Wole Soyinka and Fred Swaniker who exchanged some wisdom through out the conference. See below some nuggets we managed to capture:
 
Quotable Quotes
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âYou cannot feel that you are connected to other African youth if you donât have a space in which you can engage with them, despite the importance of social media, there has to be a space where you can humanize the messageâ- Mrs. Graça Machel
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“We have an opportunity to define the legacy for this generation, use your creativity and courage to solve problems and become job creators” – Fred Swaniker
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“I want you to be courageous, interrogate the institutions, frameworks and cultures, do things that you believe are the best to build the Africa you want to live in,” – Graça Machel
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“Mandela said the most difficult journey anyone will walk, is in the mind and heart” – Jay Naidoo
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“The job of a leader is not to preside over the inevitable but to make happen what otherwise would not happen, it is about strategy, be a champion of strategic change,” – Junior Ngulube
We thank our sponsors for contributing to the success of the summit and from making it possible for us to bring together youth from across the continent.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.