Programs · Youth
Youth Empowerment
Mentorship, skills, leadership and purpose pathways for young people who have been written off, left behind or never told what they could become.
Mission
Why this program exists.
Youth Empowerment exists for the young person standing at a fork in the road with no one beside them. We walk alongside young people — especially those who have faced school dropout, unemployment, exploitation or the criminal justice system — to help them re-imagine who they are and who they can become.
Objectives
What we are working toward.
- Create mentorship pairings between young people and trusted adults.
- Provide accessible skills training in partnership with vetted training providers.
- Build leadership pipelines from within the communities we serve.
- Connect young people to genuine work opportunities, learnerships and entrepreneurship support.
Who We Serve
The people at the centre of this work.
Out-of-school youth aged 15 – 25 looking for a way back into learning, work or purpose.
Young women navigating early motherhood without strong support structures.
Young people reintegrating after the justice system or recovery programs.
Emerging leaders in our partner communities ready to be invested in.
How It Works
From need to response.
- Step 1
Onboarding
Young people apply through partner schools, churches, our Contact form, or a referral. We meet them in person where possible.
- Step 2
Mentor pairing
Where mentorship is the right fit, we pair the young person with a vetted, trained mentor for a defined commitment period.
- Step 3
Skills & training
We connect participants to vetted training providers and short courses aligned with realistic local opportunities.
- Step 4
Work & purpose pathway
We open doors into internships, learnerships, entrepreneurship support and ministry leadership pipelines.
- Step 5
Ongoing community
Participants are invited into the wider EF Legacy community — events, volunteer roles, leadership spaces.
How To Help
Practical ways to get involved.
- Become a vetted mentor (training and safeguarding clearance required).
- Open a learnership, internship or first-job opportunity in your business.
- Sponsor a young person through a short course or training program.
- Donate to the Youth Empowerment fund through our Donate page.
- Partner your training organisation with us as a vetted provider.
Success Metrics
How we measure what matters.
We report progress honestly. Until verified figures are published in our annual impact report, we measure success against these qualitative commitments — not invented numbers.
Every mentor pairing is governed by a written agreement and a safeguarding policy.
Mentors and mentees are supported by a coordinator — not left to figure it out alone.
Training partners are vetted for legitimacy and quality before referrals are made.
Participant feedback is collected at the end of every cycle and shapes the next one.
Outcomes are reported honestly in our annual impact report — including what didn't work.
Verified impact figures are published in our Impact Reports and Transparency pages as programs mature.
Take the next step