About Us
We are a youth-centred ecosystem organisation turning young people from beneficiaries into builders.
A connector, convener and enabler
The CLINK Initiatives is a youth-centred ecosystem organisation connecting young people, organisations, expertise, technology, knowledge and opportunities. We do not try to be a specialist provider in every sector affecting young people. Instead, we build the platform through which the right people and organisations create solutions together.
The CLINK Initiatives does not need to own every solution. It needs to build the platform through which the right people and organisations can create solutions together, reducing duplication with organisations already working in health, protection, climate, education and other sectors, and creating a credible role as connector, convener, innovation enabler and knowledge platform.
Young people should not only be beneficiaries; they should be designers, builders, connectors and leaders of solutions.
- Positioning
- A youth-centred ecosystem organisation connecting young people, organisations, expertise, technology, knowledge and opportunities.
- In one sentence
- The CLINK Initiatives connects young people with the expertise, organisations, technology and opportunities they need to turn the challenges affecting them into practical solutions.
- Core philosophy
- Young people should not only be beneficiaries. They should be designers, builders, connectors and leaders of solutions.
A future where young people lead, innovate and collaborate to create lasting solutions to challenges affecting their communities.
To equip young people with the skills, leadership, networks and opportunities to thrive, and connect them with organisations, expertise and technology to co-create practical solutions to challenges affecting their lives and communities.
The best youth-focused solutions emerge when young people, specialist organisations, knowledge, technology and resources work together.
- Young people bring
- Lived experience, ideas and energy.
- Partners bring
- Expertise, resources and institutional capacity.
- We bring
- The platform that connects them.
How Change Happens
Our model follows a clear sequence. Each stage builds on the one before it, and the partnership model is what carries it forward.
- 01
Young people
Young people identify needs, challenges and opportunities from their lived experience.
- 02
Capacity
The CLINK Initiatives builds leadership, practical skills, critical thinking and knowledge.
- 03
Connection
Young people are connected to mentors, specialists, organisations, institutions and opportunities.
- 04
Collaboration
Young people and partners co-design responses using appropriate technology and evidence.
- 05
Solutions
Teams develop campaigns, services, products, community interventions, digital tools or policy responses.
- 06
Testing and learning
Solutions are tested, measured, documented and improved.
- 07
Impact
Promising approaches are strengthened, replicated, scaled or used to influence programmes and policy.
What we are trying to achieve
Four objectives guide how we prioritise our work and measure progress.
Develop young leaders
Build leadership, civic participation, communication, critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving capacity.
Expand skills, networks and opportunities
Connect young people to mentors, employers, fellowships, scholarships, internships, entrepreneurship, technical experts and other pathways.
Enable youth-led innovation and collaboration
Help young people identify problems and work with specialist partners to design, build, test and improve practical solutions.
Generate knowledge and influence
Produce research, evidence, learning and policy-oriented knowledge that improves youth-focused programmes and decision-making.
Build around the gap
We do not create a new programme merely because a problem exists. We first ask who is already doing credible work, what young people actually need, what gap remains, and what we can uniquely contribute. Then we build the partnership around that gap.
From beneficiaries to builders.
What The CLINK Initiatives should not become
- Another generic digital skills centre.
- Another youth empowerment organisation with disconnected short-term projects.
- A specialist health or GBV service provider without the required technical capacity.
- A climate organisation simply because climate is a current funding theme.
- A conference and event organisation.
- A certificate-distribution programme.
- A technology company whose social mission is unclear.
How The CLINK Initiatives is governed
Accountability sits with the Board. Delivery is lean by design, with specialist capacity accessed through partners and the Technical Advisory Network rather than built into every theme.
| Body / Role | Primary responsibility |
|---|---|
| Board of Directors / Trustees | Governance, fiduciary oversight, strategic direction, risk and accountability. |
| Executive Director | Overall strategy, organisational performance and external representation. Leads resource mobilisation and partnership negotiations, chairs management meetings, and reports to the Board of Directors/Trustees. All management reporting lines ultimately run through this role. |
| Programmes & Leadership Coordinator | Runs the Youth Leadership Academy, mentorship matching, civic leadership activities and community leadership projects. Owns youth engagement quality and thematic programme coordination across the nine issue areas. |
| Innovation & Partnerships Lead | Owns the Innovation Lab and the CLINK Youth Solutions Challenge end to end, from problem identification through co-design to showcase. Manages the partner pipeline (NGOs, government, universities, private sector and funders) and moves partners through the four partnership levels. |
| Operations & Finance Manager | Finance, administration, HR, procurement, compliance and internal systems. Keeps the organisation audit-ready and manages any SMEDAN/CAC regulatory obligations, grant reporting and budget tracking. |
| Knowledge & Evidence Officer | Research, monitoring and evaluation, opportunity mapping, case studies and policy briefs. Owns the indicators in the monitoring and evaluation framework: reach, capacity, networks, innovation, collaboration, outcomes, knowledge and sustainability. Turns pilot results into learning products. |
| Communications & Brand Officer | Manages the website, social channels (@TheCLINKInitiatives) and public storytelling. Keeps brand usage (logo, colours and tone) consistent across materials, and handles press/media relationships and the Youth Solutions Challenge public showcase. |
| Youth Advisory Council & Volunteer Coordinator | The liaison between the Youth Advisory Council and the Executive Director/programme teams, plus day-to-day coordination of volunteers and the Technical Advisory Network pool. Keeps youth voice embedded in programme design and review, not just consulted after the fact. |
| Youth Advisory Council | Formal youth voice in programme design, review, communications and innovation priorities. |
| Technical Advisory Network | Non-permanent specialist pool providing sector expertise and quality assurance. |
Management structure
Seven core roles form the lean management structure for the September 2026 launch, led by the Executive Director and accountable to the Board of Directors/Trustees. Specialist technical capacity is accessed through partners and the Technical Advisory Network.
- Board / Trustees
- Executive Director
- Programmes & Leadership Coordinator
- Innovation & Partnerships Lead
- Operations & Finance Manager
- Knowledge & Evidence Officer
- Communications & Brand Officer
- Youth Advisory Council & Volunteer Coordinator
The Youth Advisory Council and Technical Advisory Network have direct access to the Executive Director and relevant programme teams.
Pending
Board of Directors, Executive Director and Youth Advisory Council bios and photos will be added once appointed.
Want to work with The CLINK Initiatives?
We are happy to discuss partnership, programmes and how the model could apply to the issues you work on.