Working with young people
In all the countries where Join For Water is active, young people already feel what it means when water becomes scarce, polluted, or unpredictable. Sometimes in a dried-up river, sometimes through erosion, sometimes in a school where clean water is not a given. And often, they respond in ways that surprise us.
For a long time, working with young people (up to 30 years old) was almost self-evident: colleagues supported them without always naming it as such. But in recent years, several pilot projects have made something clear: when young people are truly heard and can share their commitment, they use their moral compass and critical eye to make us think and inspire others to take action.
Water challenges through the eyes of young people
In a video project, young people in different countries explored the water challenges in their surroundings. They filmed, observed, asked questions, and formulated their own call to policymakers and other changemakers. The short films that emerged touched something deeply human—not only among young people themselves but also among teachers, policymakers, and even within Join For Water. It showed that young people are not silent witnesses but active designers of their future.
That insight led us to the next step: seeing young people not only as a target group but as full-fledged ambassadors for water. Because as soon as they understand why fresh and clean water is essential, engagement almost naturally follows. Young people don’t ask for slogans; they ask for opportunities. Opportunities to explore, to protect, to build skills, and to make their voices heard where it matters, even in policy.
Young journalists learn by doing
From this broader understanding, many inspiring practices have emerged from different countries:
- Burundi: Groups of children adopt a tree and help it grow—a simple but powerful lesson in care and responsibility.
- Belgium: We support young people—through their teachers—to investigate and analyze their own environment and set up their own actions. Join For Water coaches teachers with methodologies, tools, visual materials, and inspiring examples to integrate water awareness into lessons, policies, infrastructure, and the wider school community.
- Uganda: Join For Water collaborated with InfoNile for an exploratory study in a new zone where Join For Water will work. Young journalists from the region were connected with scientists to make technical findings useful for policymakers. The young people translated the results of the scoping study into data visualizations, received training through learning by doing, interviewed community members, and wrote stories. This culminated in a photo exhibition where they presented their work and stories to local authorities, community members, and civil society organizations.
