AU-EU Youth Lab at the 3rd Lightup Impact Days Conference
The 3rd Lightup Impact Days Conference (2025) gathered over 200 participants from across East Africa, featuring more than 100 youth-led grassroots organisations. Guided by the theme “Let Youth Lead: Driving Gender and Climate Justice,” the conference celebrated the leadership of young changemakers addressing gender inequality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and climate action.
The AU-EU Youth Lab’s participation reinforced its mission to connect, empower, and engage youth through strategic visibility, knowledge exchange, and local partnerships. By hosting an exhibition booth, joining intergenerational dialogues, and facilitating networking, the Lab positioned itself as a trusted bridge between donors and youth-led innovators.
The AUEUYouthLab was on the ground in Nairobi, Kenya- engaging with youth-led organisations focused on the pivotal theme of the conference: ‘Let Youth Lead: Driving Gender and Climate Justice.’
We witnessed firsthand the power of this movement: young leaders are driving grassroots solutions for ClimateInjustice and GenderInequality, confirming that backing organisations closest to the problem is the solution.
The AUEUYouthLab is proud to support this ongoing power shift and remain committed to fostering this environment, echoing our Programme’s core mission.
The second day of the recent LightupImpactDays2025 conference provided an intensive, actionable focus on the -Let Youth Lead- theme, specifically concerning financial inclusion and policy advocacy.
The AUEUYouthLab was proud to co-host the Keynote Dialogue, ‘Power Shift: Centering Youth Leadership in Climate Finance and Policy Decisions.’ Our representative, Lawrence Muli, joined other panelists to boldly challenge structural barriers that exclude youth from critical funding decisions.
Beyond the plenary, crucial discussions centered on Decolonizing Philanthropy, examining Domestic Resource Mobilisation and building Trust-Based Partnerships between funders and grassroots movements. The day then shifted from theory to action, with leaders participating in action labs and creative labs to develop practical mobilisation strategies for Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and Climate advocacy.
This is confirmation that the youth are actively re-engineering the systems that govern development, moving beyond a simple call for inclusion.
