The Changemakers Program 2025: From strategy to storytelling
September marked the completion of the 2025 Changemakers Program, as participants transitioned from strategic learning to final project presentations and summit preparation. Through comprehensive advocacy training, presentation skill development, and regional demo days, Changemakers refined their projects and prepared for the program's capstone event. The month demonstrated the transformation from early-stage ideas to implementation-ready initiatives, showcasing the program's success in developing youth leadership capacity across Kenya, Peru, and Madagascar.

Exploring policy advocacy pathways
September introduced participants to the strategic dimensions of policy advocacy through structured learning sessions and peer mentorship. The Leading Change Through Advocacy session provided frameworks for effective advocacy, distinguishing between activism and strategic policy influence. Participants explored pathways for engaging policymakers, institutions, and communities while learning the importance of coalition-building and evidence-based arguments in driving systemic change.

The Shaping Policy: Youth Experiences panel brought together three accomplished youth advocates from the program's regional hubs. Wevyn Muganda from Kenya shared her journey from informal community dialogues in Mombasa to UN Security Council participation, emphasizing narrative shifting and digital storytelling strategies. Inés Yábar from Peru detailed her seven-year citizen movement that resulted in the country's plastic bag ban legislation, demonstrating the power of data-driven advocacy and multi-stakeholder engagement. Lucky Andrianirina from Madagascar discussed international policy navigation through youth coalition building and COP participation, highlighting the importance of capacity building and professional presentation in policy spaces.

These sessions equipped participants with practical insights into advocacy timing, stakeholder mapping, and relationship building. The emphasis remained on long-term strategic thinking, helping participants understand policy advocacy as a sustained engagement process rather than a one-time intervention.

The Art of Pitching and Storytelling session provided Changemakers with structured frameworks for project communication. The session introduced three core methodologies: BAB (Before-After-Bridge), PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solve), and PACE (Problem-Action-Credibility-Effect), each designed to enhance audience engagement and impact communication.

Participants received practical tools including a seven-day implementation plan for developing compelling project narratives. The workshop emphasized the importance of audience customization, visual storytelling, and credibility building through data integration and beneficiary stories. Key techniques included opening strategies to educate, engage, and demonstrate enthusiasm, while maintaining professional presentation standards throughout.

Demo Day 4 Presentations
Demo Day 4 revealed significant advancement in presentation quality and project articulation across all three regional cohorts. The sessions maintained strict four-minute time limits while providing comprehensive feedback from expert mentors and program facilitators.

Kenya's cohort presented nine projects primarily focused on land restoration and community resilience initiatives. Participants demonstrated strong personal storytelling abilities and effective community integration approaches. Projects ranged from sustainable agriculture and beekeeping to innovative land rehabilitation techniques and women empowerment initiatives. The presentations revealed participants' deep understanding of local environmental challenges and culturally sensitive solutions. Areas for continued development included financial planning clarity, business model articulation, and presentation timing discipline.

Madagascar's cohort showcased eleven presentations spanning tourism innovation, environmental conservation, and digital literacy initiatives. Projects included VR-integrated tourism models, environmental education programs, community development initiatives, and biodiversity conservation efforts. The cohort displayed exceptional visual presentation quality and multilingual capabilities, with participants presenting in both French and English. Participants demonstrated sophisticated narrative delivery and strong geographic contextualization for international audiences, though timeline specificity and concrete implementation dates required further development.

Peru's cohort concentrated on five Amazon sustainability projects rooted in cultural heritage and community partnerships. Presentations highlighted initiatives in sustainable textile production, sustainable tourism, research on community wellbeing, and innovative waste transformation projects. Participants showed strong environmental messaging and authentic connections to indigenous community heritage. The cohort demonstrated significant improvement in presentation quality and project explanation ability, with continued focus needed on business model clarity and time management within presentation limits.

Across all regions, participants showed marked improvement in storytelling sophistication, problem-solution structure, and audience engagement techniques compared to earlier program sessions. 

Final presentations and program closure

The final Demo Days demonstrated the complete transformation of changemakers from program inception to conclusion. Presentations showed marked improvement in storytelling, problem-solution structure, and the ability to design practical action plans for carrying their projects forward. Changemakers who began the program with early-stage concepts delivered confident, time-managed presentations with clear impact visions and detailed project roadmaps.

Mentoring Session 5 provided space for individual reflection and peer support, allowing the cohorts to process their learning journey and identify post-program development priorities. The session emphasized transformation of challenges into actionable steps, with facilitators helping Changemakers establish realistic timelines for project implementation and network building.

The closing ceremony celebrated both individual achievements and collective program impact. Rather than viewing projects as isolated efforts, participants demonstrated understanding of connections between local challenges and global movements, individual leadership and collective progress. The skills, feedback, and networks developed throughout the program formed a foundation for continued impact creation.

What’s next: Final Summit in Peru and creating lasting impact 

With presentation skills refined and strategic frameworks internalized, participants prepared for the program's culminating event. The Peru summit represents the transition from mainly virtual collaboration to an entire week of in-person engagement, providing opportunities for project presentation to international audiences and face-to-face peer networking.

September's activities consolidated the program's comprehensive approach to youth leadership development. Changemakers completed the program equipped with policy advocacy frameworks, professional presentation skills, strategic thinking capabilities, and robust peer networks spanning three continents. The combination of technical training, peer mentorship, and real-world application created conditions for sustained community impact beyond program completion.

The 2025 cohort demonstrated that systematic capacity building, combined with authentic community engagement and international collaboration, enables young leaders to transform local challenges into scalable solutions. As participants transition to independent project implementation, they carry forward not only individual skills but collective commitment to environmental stewardship, community empowerment, and global collaboration.

Next steps: Joining the alumni community

Program completion marks the beginning of ongoing engagement through the Changemakers alumni network. Participants join a growing community of Changemakers from the previous cohort, accessing continued mentorship opportunities, a moderated collaboration platform, and knowledge exchange initiatives. The alumni network provides ongoing support for project development, facilitates cross-regional partnerships, and maintains the collaborative learning environment that defined the program experience. 

This community ensures that the connections, skills, and momentum developed during the program continue to evolve and create lasting impact across participating regions.