October 30th, 2024

On July 13th, the YoPA team in Soweto, South Africa, had the privilege of joining a vibrant community event at the Jabulani Safe Hub. This gathering brought together approximately 80 community members and key stakeholders, providing a meaningful platform for direct engagement with YoPA. Vongani Maluleke and Lethukuthula Ndwandwe were representing the project at the event 🚀

This initiative was designed not only as an informative and open feedback session but as an opportunity for participants to ask questions, share insights, and express their perspectives on YoPA’s work in promoting youth-driven urban transformation and active, healthy lifestyles. The community’s positive response highlighted the importance of these conversations in enhancing mutual understanding and collaboration.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated! 🧡

October 22nd, 2024

In July this year, adolescents aged 11-16 from Ido Osun High School in Osogbo, Nigeria, participated in an engaging event hosted by the YoPA project. The initiative aimed to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity and its wide-ranging benefits for health and well-being.

The event emphasized the critical role physical activity plays in maintaining good health and encouraged the students to integrate more exercise into their daily lives. Through interactive and very fun activities, YoPA helped students understand how staying active can enhance their physical fitness, mental health, and overall quality of life.

This is Adefunke Ogunleye, an amazing YoPA facilitator, from VARCE Nigeria, leading one of the day’s activities and inspiring the youth to embrace a more active lifestyle!

October 4th, 2024

On September 24th, members of the YoPA team—Professor Mai Chin a Paw, PhD students Jesse Vargas, Leto Demetriadou, and Maria Fernanda Souza—joined forces at Europe Placemaking Week 2024 for an exciting panel discussion and a lively workshop. They were accompanied by colleagues Professor Irina Schneid and Professor Hannah Berkin-Parker from the project “Learning Scapes: Co-Designing With Youth in New York City,” and the architect Bella Filatova from Serbia’s “Drakonoproject,” both focused on co-designing urban spaces with youth.

The panel, Youth-Driven Urban Transformation: Bridging Education, Inclusion & Engagement, brought together fresh ideas from each expert and the audience on how to engage youth in reshaping urban spaces. The interactive workshop, Mapping Youth-Driven Urban Transformation, got participants thinking creatively as they mapped out ways to include youth in urban planning.
Both sessions were energetic, insightful, and full of collaboration!

Beyond these moments, YoPA members also attended multiple sessions to deepen their knowledge on community engagement and impactful co-designed interventions. They made new connections, also paving the way for potential collaborations in the future.
It was a fruitful and inspiring event!

August 12th, 2024

In celebration of International Youth Day on August 12th, the YoPA team has spotlighted the voices of our participants, emphasizing the significance of youth perspectives.

They were asked to share their thoughts on health, personal agency, and the opportunities available to young people in their communities. Empowering and engaging youth is one of the cores of the YoPA project.

“T”, a 12-years old participant from Soweto, in South Africa, said “I see YoPA as an opportunity for me to be active and also help me with my shyness – at least with my peers I’m able to talk and participate in the sessions. Also, the sports that are provided at the centre like netball, soccer and dance…I can join any of them, at anytime“.

Don’t miss the full video below, where our participants share their insightful answers.

July 10th, 2024

On May 27th and 30th, YoPA PhD students and some of the senior researchers engaged in a valuable training led by Dr. Justin Jagosh, Director of the Centre for Advancement in Realist Evaluation and Synthesis. This introductory workshop provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the Realist approach and equipped them with practical tools for implementation, which will be crucial for applying the methodology within YoPA.

Topics covered included realist philosophy, program theorizing, developing CMO configurations and initial program theories, as well as tools for realist synthesis. The training significantly bolstered the team’s methodological skills and knowledge, as Vongani Maluleke, PhD student from the University of Witwatersrand expressed:

“The realist evaluation workshop broadened my understanding about what the theory attempts to achieve, such as what works, for whom, and under which circumstances. I understand it is theory driven and made to assess policies, programmes, services, and interventions. The workshop also improved my understanding between realist evaluation and realist synthesis which differs through primary and secondary analysis“.