More than a month on from the READY Academy 4.0 – Lusophone Edition, the learning has not stayed in the room. More than 25 young leaders from Angola and across Mozambique came together in Maputo to strengthen their knowledge, leadership and advocacy skills on HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Today, the connections and ideas developed during the Academy are being carried forward into communities across the two countries.

Held under the theme ‘Sustaining HIV and SRHR Responses: Strengthening Youth Leadership Through Meaningful Youth Engagement,’ the Academy created space for young people to learn from one another, explore the challenges shaping HIV and SRHR responses, and turn their learning into ideas for action.

As we also mark International Youth Day, the Academy is a reminder of what is possible when young people are not only invited into conversations, but equipped and supported to lead.

Building knowledge for real-world challenges

Throughout the Academy, READY Leaders explored issues shaping the HIV and SRHR landscape and considered how they can respond to challenges in their own communities.

The programme included thematic sessions on HIV treatment literacy, mental health and wellbeing; resource mobilisation and sustainability; SRHR, gender equality and power dynamics; disability and rights; and youth advocacy, leadership and policy engagement.

Participants also explored domestic financing strategies amid shrinking global health funding, strengthening their understanding of the sustainability challenges facing HIV and SRHR responses.

But the Academy was about more than learning. It was about creating the confidence, skills and opportunities for young people to turn that knowledge into action.

READY Leaders developed and pitched community-led initiatives responding to HIV and SRHR priorities in their communities. Throughout the week, young people built on their skills to develop grant proposals, which they then pitched as part of a selection process. Three of the proposals with the strongest pitches were selected to receive seed grants, providing young people with the resources to advance their ideas.

Those initiatives are now being implemented at community level, extending the impact of the Academy far beyond the training room. For one of the seed grant recipients, the opportunity is about making sure young people have access to the support they need.

“For us, the seed grant means turning an idea into something young people can experience in their own communities. In our group, No One Alone – Support Route, we want young people to know that they are not alone; that there are people, information, and support available to them. READY gave us the opportunity to take that idea forward, and now it is our responsibility to make it a reality.”

Sheryss Saide, READY Leader from Mozambique and seed grant recipient

Projects like No One Alone – Support Route demonstrate what meaningful youth engagement can look like when young people have the space, resources and trust to lead solutions themselves.

The next chapter belongs to young people

The Academy may have been a week of intensive learning, but its purpose was always bigger than a single event. It was about strengthening a generation of young leaders who can shape the HIV and SRHR responses that affect their lives and communities.

As the READY programme chapter comes to a close, the investment in those leaders continues.

“READY may be coming to a close, but this is not the end. The real impact comes when young leaders take what they have learned and put it into action in their communities. The next chapter belongs to them, and we trust them to carry the work forward.”

Modester Mangilani, Senior Programmes Officer, READY Programme

The week in Maputo may have ended, but the work continues through the relationships built, the knowledge shared, and the community-led initiatives now taking shape.

This International Youth Day, we celebrate young people not only as the leaders of tomorrow, but as leaders today. When we invest in their leadership, we invest in stronger, more sustainable HIV and SRHR responses for everyone.

The READY story continues… to learn more about the stories, achievements and voices from across the READY programme, check out the 16th and final edition of the READY newsletter.