As part of the Voices for Change project, WFAD partner C-SEMA brought together the newly selected Youth Advisory Board for three days of training, which concluded on 16 September 2026. The sessions focused on youth participation, leadership, life skills, prevention, and substance use disorders.

The response to the initiative was strong: more than 300 young people applied to join the 25-member Board, comprising 13 members from Mainland Tanzania and 12 from Zanzibar.

Young people want to be part of the decisions

During the training, YAB members reflected on what it means to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning substance use prevention, health, education and community well-being.

As Board member Mansur Salum explained, young people want to be included in decision-making processes. This means involving them from the outset, rather than consulting them only after priorities have been set or decisions made.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of taking initiative. As YAB member Faiza Nassor put it, young people should not wait to be invited to participate, but take steps towards the change they want to see.

These reflections point to two complementary aspects of youth participation: creating opportunities for young people to contribute, and supporting them to make use of those opportunities.

Turning learning into action

Beyond developing their knowledge and life skills, the participants began discussing how they could apply what they had learnt in their own communities.

The Board members established leadership structures to support their collaboration and started identifying activities they could initiate with the resources already available to them. Ideas included sharing prevention information among peers, creating safe spaces for conversations about substance use, connecting vulnerable young people with available services and opportunities, and using digital platforms to reach wider audiences.

These plans underline that youth participation does not have to begin with large-scale activities or substantial funding. Peer conversations, local initiatives and connections to existing support services can provide practical starting points for community engagement.

A continuing role in prevention and reintegration

Young people are directly affected by decisions concerning substance use prevention and support, yet their perspectives are not always included in the development of responses. Through the Voices for Change project, the Youth Advisory Board provides a structure through which young people can contribute their experiences, ideas and recommendations.

The three-day training is a starting point. As the Board moves forward, its members will have opportunities to apply their skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking and leadership while contributing to prevention and reintegration efforts in their communities.

The experience in Tanzania illustrates an important part of the project’s approach: supporting youth participation means creating opportunities for young people to be heard, while also enabling them to contribute to practical action.

Source: Adapted from an article published by C-SEMA: From Being Heard to Taking Action: Young People Find Their Voice in Voices for Change.

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Voices for Change: Empowering Youth and Civil Society for Inclusive Prevention and Reintegration is a multi-year project funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and coordinated by the World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD). The project works across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with civil society partners to strengthen inclusive prevention and reintegration approaches and support meaningful youth participation. In Tanzania, C-SEMA is implementing project activities, including the establishment and capacity-building of the Youth Advisory Board.

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