From Vulnerability to Agency: What Happens When Young People Shape the Conversation

At this year’s PHILEA Forum in Copenhagen, one conversation stayed with us long after the conference halls had emptied.
The session, “From Vulnerability to Agency: Reimagining Philanthropy’s Role in Africa’s Just Transition,” challenged a familiar narrative that continues to shape how Africa is discussed in global climate and development spaces. Too often, young Africans are spoken about as vulnerable populations, future beneficiaries, or groups in need of support. Yet across the continent, young people are already leading climate action, building enterprises, mobilising communities and imagining new development pathways.
The question, therefore, is not whether young people have solutions. It is whether existing systems are prepared to listen.
Representing TrustAfrica on the panel, Program Officer Beatrice Hazeldine Makwenda joined a diverse group of funders, practitioners and young leaders to explore what a truly just transition should look like and what role philanthropy can play in making it a reality.
One of the most memorable moments of the session was the “Voices of Youth on Just Transitions” segment. Rather than having experts define a just transition on behalf of young people, youth participants were invited to share what the concept meant to them in their own words.
Their reflections were both simple and profound.
For some, a just transition meant access to decent jobs and economic opportunities in a changing world. For others, it meant education and skills that prepare young people for the green economy. Some spoke about climate justice, while others emphasised dignity, inclusion, and having a genuine voice in decisions that affect their futures.
What emerged was a powerful reminder that a just transition cannot be reduced to energy systems or climate targets alone. It is about people. It is about ensuring that the shift to a more sustainable future creates opportunities rather than new forms of exclusion.
Across the discussion, there was growing recognition that philanthropy must move beyond funding projects and programmes alone. It must invest in leadership, trust communities to define their own priorities, and create spaces where young people are not simply consulted but actively shape agendas and solutions.
For TrustAfrica, these conversations resonate deeply with our commitment to advancing African agency. The continent’s future will not be built by treating young people as passive recipients of change. It will be built by recognising them as innovators, leaders and partners in creating it.