The African Union Youth Volunteers Corps (AU-YVC) is one of AU-YVCAfrican Union’s initiatives for promoting youth participation, capacity building and empowerment through service and skills exchange, driven by the philosophy of Pan-Africanism and Youth Leadership. The Program is in line with the African Youth Charter and Assembly Decision by AU Heads of State and Government (Assembly/AU/Dec.274 (XVI)) to launch a continental Youth volunteer initiative. AU-YVC was officially launched on the 3rd December 2010 in Abuja, Nigeria.
AU-YVC promotes volunteerism to deepen the status of young people in Africa as key actors in Africa’s development targets and goals, enhancing their participation in policy development as well as design and implementation of relevant interventions towards the AU Agenda2063 – ‘The Africa We Want’. It brings people together to share skills, knowledge, creativity and learning to build a more integrated, prosperous and peaceful Continent driven by its citizens.
AU-YVC recruits and works with young professionals age 18-35 from across the Continent and the Diaspora, to serve for a period of 12 months in their respective fields of expertise in an AU Member States other than their own. Priority areas of deployment of the AU-YVC include: education, youth entrepreneurship, agriculture, health (access to youth friendly health services), institutional capacity building, youth mainstreaming, information and communication, post conflict reconstruction and peace building.
AU-YVC Objectives:
1._Achieve the vision of the African Union of “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in global arena” through volunteerism and free movement of African youth;
- To contribute to Africa’s human development in line with AU’s Mission and Vision through effective youth participation in Africa’s Development process which includes youth as key beneficiaries;
- To actualize the emergence of empowered youth who will direct their energy and creativity towards their own growth and enrichment through pan African orientation and spirit of service;
- To initiate re-affirmation of Africa’s commitment to actualize the African Youth Charter as an instrument to make youth participation the critical value driver and architect for sustainable human development in Africa.