With Support form the CISSU (CIVILSAMFUND I UDVIKLING)in partnership with Crossing Borders (CB)The constitutional awareness project creates platforms for dialogue between youths and community leaders in Bulawayo and Masvingo in Zimbabwe to reflect on challenges affecting their communities and find solutions with guidance from the 2028 constitution of Zimbabwe . The project focusses on on facilitating increased knowledge on the constitution of Zimbabwe and developmental policies in a bid to increase youth participation in developmental and civic processes in Zimbabwe. Young people generally do not participate in national development and democratic processes because they are either not aware, informed , are apathetic and mostly the processes are not youth friendly. From a scoping study and interviews by My Age Zimbabwe, young people said they were not included in community developmental processes and were not aware of community structures to fully participate in civic processes, did not know their community leaders and how to engage them.
Through the constitutional awareness project young people, youth led and youth-serving organisations are being trained on advocacy, leadership, mobilisation, and constitution, law making processes, local government budgeting and civic processes from local to national level. Through the project platforms are being created for young people to engage with their councillors for accountability and youth organisations are engaging with policy makers in a bid to advance youth aspirations to be involved in the national youth bill. The project also support youth organisations through mini grants in a bid to address community challenges from grass root level and increase the capacity of youth led organisations to champion youth civic participation from community level. Through the project forty (40) organisations were capacitated and six (6) supported to implement mini grants in the 6 wards of Bulawayo urban.
This has increased the knowledge of young people in the two provinces on the constitution particularly section 20 on youth, policy formulation processes and are now involved in existing structures such as the Ward Development Committee (WADCO), young people now participate in local to national civic processes such as hearings contributing to national development and continue to also train other young people in their communities. Young people have created platforms to engage with their community leaders for feedback concerning community issues in Bulawayo and Masvingo.