Tlokweng District Council has launched the EMPOWER+ Youth Parliament initiative, creating a new platform for young people to take part in community decision-making and help shape solutions to issues affecting rural communities. The initiative introduces young participants who will play an important role in establishing a rural youth Parliament in the district. The programme comes at a time when youth participation is increasingly recognised as an important part of inclusive community development and effective governance. Through training, international exposure and civic engagement, the initiative seeks to equip young people with practical skills that can help them participate more confidently in public affairs. The launch marks an important step towards giving young people in Tlokweng a structured platform through which they can identify challenges, engage decision-makers and contribute to the development of their community.
The initiative gained further momentum after a delegation of seven participants returned from Romania following the first youth mobility activity under the Empower-plus initiative. The delegation consisted of one youth worker and six youth participants who travelled to Romania last month to take part in the international programme. Upon their return, they addressed the Tlokweng Council during a full council session on Monday, sharing their experiences and the lessons they gained through the mobility programme. Their participation gave them an opportunity to interact with young people and youth workers from different countries while developing skills relevant to civic participation. The experience also provided an international perspective that can help the participants understand how young people in different communities approach social challenges and engage in decision-making processes.
The Botswana delegation was joined in Romania by partners from the host country Romania, Madagascar and Mauritius, as well as another Botswana team from Mogobane. Bringing together participants from different countries created an environment where young people could exchange ideas, experiences and approaches to community development. International youth mobility programmes can expose participants to different perspectives while encouraging them to think beyond the challenges facing their immediate communities. For the Tlokweng participants, the experience offered an opportunity to build relationships and learn alongside young people from other rural and developing communities. These interactions can also help participants recognise common challenges while identifying approaches that could potentially be adapted to their own communities.
The youth mobility component is designed to equip young people with skills that are fundamental to both domestic participation and engagement in a global environment. Young people need more than awareness of community challenges if they are expected to contribute meaningfully to decision-making processes. They also need communication, leadership, problem-solving, collaboration and civic engagement skills that can help them participate effectively. The Empower-plus programme provides a structured environment where these abilities can be developed through practical experiences and interaction with other participants. By strengthening these skills, the initiative aims to prepare young people to become active contributors to their communities while also giving them the confidence to engage with broader international networks.
According to the organisers, one of the main purposes of the youth mobility was to provide rural youth with a platform to address challenges affecting their communities. Rural young people can face specific barriers related to access to opportunities, participation, employment, services and platforms for expressing their views. Giving them a dedicated space to discuss these challenges allows them to move beyond simply identifying problems and begin considering practical solutions. The programme also encourages young people to participate in community decision-making, which can help ensure that development discussions reflect the experiences and priorities of younger residents. The proposed rural youth Parliament is intended to provide a more structured mechanism through which this participation can continue at community level.
Civic engagement sits at the centre of the EMPOWER+ initiative because meaningful youth participation requires young people to understand how they can contribute to public life. A rural youth Parliament can create an organised platform where young people discuss issues, develop proposals and engage relevant authorities on matters affecting their communities. Such a structure can also help young participants develop an understanding of leadership, accountability and the responsibilities that come with civic participation. The objective is not simply to create another youth organisation, but to develop an actionable model that can function as a practical platform for dialogue and community involvement. The Tlokweng initiative therefore places young people in a position where they can contribute ideas while learning how community decision-making works.
EMPOWER+ is an Erasmus Youth Project focused on empowering rural youth and establishing or strengthening rural youth Parliaments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its central mandate is to build youth Parliament structures that can provide young people with platforms to address issues affecting them. The project recognises that young people need meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions that influence their communities and their futures. By developing a functional rural youth Parliament model, the initiative seeks to turn youth participation into an organised and sustainable process. The work taking place in Tlokweng forms part of this broader effort to strengthen rural youth engagement and create mechanisms that allow young people to communicate their priorities to decision-makers.
The programme also aligns with Botswana’s development aspirations under Vision 2036 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Its focus on inclusive development supports the broader objective of ensuring that different groups within society have opportunities to contribute to national and community development. Youth participation is particularly important because today’s young people will become tomorrow’s leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs and community decision-makers. The programme’s emphasis on innovation also encourages participants to consider new approaches to addressing challenges rather than relying only on established methods. By connecting youth empowerment, civic participation and innovation, EMPOWER+ supports efforts to create communities where young people can contribute actively to development.
During their address to the Tlokweng Council, the youth called on government to join the initiative and support the development of the rural youth Parliament framework. They urged government to adopt and implement the framework currently being developed to establish an actionable and functional rural youth Parliament model for the Tlokweng community. Government involvement could provide an important link between young people’s proposals and the institutions responsible for responding to community needs. Collaboration between young people, local authorities and national government can also help ensure that the proposed model is practical, sustainable and responsive to local circumstances. The call from the youth demonstrates their desire to move beyond participation in workshops and international exchanges towards establishing a lasting structure that can operate within their community.
The launch of EMPOWER+ in Tlokweng represents an opportunity to place young people closer to the centre of community development and decision-making. The experience gained through the Romania mobility has provided participating youth with international exposure, new skills and a broader understanding of civic engagement. The next challenge will be turning those lessons into a functional rural youth Parliament that can consistently identify community issues, engage stakeholders and contribute practical recommendations. Strong collaboration between the youth, Tlokweng District Council, government and programme partners will be important in moving the initiative from a framework to an effective community structure. If successfully implemented, the EMPOWER+ Youth Parliament initiative could give young people in Tlokweng a stronger voice while demonstrating how rural youth participation can support inclusive development, innovation and long-term community progress.
