Inclusive practices and platforms that elevate marginalized youth voices.
Inclusive practices and platforms that elevate marginalized youth voices.
The Challenge
Marginalised youth - including persons with disabilities, girls, youth from rural communities, and those from ethnic minorities - are doubly excluded: from civic participation and from the organisations that claim to serve them. Accessibility is often treated as an afterthought rather than a design principle. AYA believes that if inclusion is not embedded from the start, it is not inclusion at all.
Our Approach
Inclusion at AYA is not a detached programme - it is a standard applied across every initiative. A minimum of 15% of all programme participants are persons with disabilities. All communications materials are designed for accessibility. We partner with OPDs to mainstream this.
Current Initiatives
a community education initiative serving under resourced learners includingÂ
- Leadership and wellbeing curriculum co-designedÂ
- Youth academic support and mentorship for students
- Connections to the wider Youth Leadership Academy curriculum
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Key partners: Anita McKaney, WESKA School Madina
Pipleline
Accessible digital storytelling and creative expression platforms that centre marginalised youth voicesÂ
- Accessible content formats including audio, visual, and sign language
- Youth with disabilities featured in and leading arts programming
- Digital storytelling with accessibility-first design principles