In the last days of July 2025, youth from Namibia’s southern regions convened to turn community challenges into sustainable solutions. Over a three-day #BeFree Big Talk: Solutions Now event (30 July – 1 August) in the ǁKaras Region, young innovators pitched ideas addressing issues like unemployment, education barriers, and resource gaps. Supported by UNDP Namibia and partners, their grassroots projects are translating global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into tangible local action, marking an early celebration of International Youth Day 2025’s theme: “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond.”

Why Youth, Why Now: International Youth Day 2025 (observed 12 August) carries special significance as the world reaches the midpoint toward the 2030 Agenda. This year’s theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,” underscores how young people’s community-driven initiatives can accelerate progress on global goals. Nowhere is this more evident than in Namibia, where youth comprise roughly 70% of the population, yet face disproportionate challenges. Namibia’s youth unemployment stands at about 46.4%, and in the remote southern Hardap and ǁKaras regions, opportunities are especially scarce. A recent AYO survey found 85% of young participants were frustrated by unemployment, 72% cited limited education access, and 68% concerned about a lack of resources. These statistics translate into daily hardships and curtailed aspirations for a generation that has much to contribute.

UNDP Namibia and local partners, Active Youth Organization, and the One Economy Foundation have been actively investing in youth empowerment initiatives. Initiatives like YouthConnekt Namibia, launched in 2022 in partnership with the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, connect young Namibians to training, funding, and networks across Africa. The #BeFree Movement, spearheaded by the One Economy Foundation (an NGO founded by Namibia’s third First Lady) and youth-led groups like the AYO, provides platforms for young people to discuss challenges and drive solutions in their communities. These efforts align with Namibia’s national strategies (e.g., the Third National Youth Policy) and the global SDGs, recognizing that empowering youth isn’t just altruistic, it’s strategic for sustainable development. As UNDP Namibia’s Deputy Resident Representative, Christian Shingiro, has observed, “Young people are not just beneficiaries of development; they are the drivers of it. When youth thrive, the whole nation thrives.”

Empowering Southern Youth: Between 29 July and 1 August 2025, the remote town of Lüderitz and its surrounding communities became a hive of youth-driven innovation, with over 500 young people singing, dancing. The room was electric. The #BeFree BIG Talks: Solutions Now event unfolded over three days in the Hardap and ǁKaras regions. The programme kicked off with outreach to rural schools and culminated in a high-profile youth “Big Talk” at the Lüderitz Waterfront amphitheater.

 Youth-Led Innovations: On 1 August, anticipation buzzed as the shortlisted young innovators presented their ideas born from local experience and months of mentorship. Three dynamic youth teams stepped forward with inventive approaches to some of their region’s toughest problems:

Jisreel Naruseb – Mental Health & Employment: Representing a youth group from Keetmanshoop, pitched a project to empower vulnerable young men as a means to tackle mental health issues. His solution proposed community programs that provide job skills and support networks, “sowing seeds of hope and resilience” in communities hit by substance abuse, gang violence, and gender-based inequity. By uplifting at-risk youth with economic opportunities, the project aims to break cycles of despair and improve well-being.

Albertina – Green Tech for Communities: A young female innovator introduced a cutting-edge energy management system powered by artificial intelligence. She demonstrated how smart tech could optimize electricity use in local facilities, lowering costs and promoting renewable energy. This idea, effectively bringing AI into everyday life, showed the audience a future where rural towns can be more sustainable and digitally connected by just managing power use better.

Geraldo Fredericks – Recycling for Change: The spotlight then turned to Geraldo from Lüderitz, who unveiled a creative waste management initiative. His team's proposal, a “reverse vending machine” (RVM) scheme, incentivizes recycling by allowing people to deposit plastic bottles in exchange for small rewards. This innovation, designed to keep the coastal town clean, resonated with the audience as a smart blend of environmental consciousness and community engagement.

Collectively, these youth-driven solutions embodied the event’s spirit. They addressed multiple SDGs: good health and well-being, quality education and decent work, affordable clean energy, and climate action. “It was inspiring to have leaders listen to us,” Jisreel noted afterward. “We showed that we, the youth, have ideas to solve our community’s problems if given a chance.”

High-Level Dialogue: After the pitches, the event transitioned into an interactive dialogue bridging youth and decision-makers. Moderated by One Economy Foundation’s youth coordinator, Lelly Amunyela, the panel featured prominent figures, including;

• Christian Shingiro (UNDP Deputy Resident Rep.),

• James Mnyupe (Namibia’s Green Hydrogen Programme lead),

• Lucy Hooft (Coordinator of the Lüderitz Blue School initiative),

• and Jessy Abraham (Namibia National Students Organization spokesperson).

In a lively Q&A with the youth audience, panellists discussed how to expand opportunities for young people in fields like renewable energy and marine resources (key industries in Lüderitz). They highlighted that education and skills are the bridge to inclusion: for example, the Green Hydrogen program and the Blue School are offering scholarships and training so local youth can partake in emerging sectors, whether marine biology, chemical engineering, or accounting. The UNDP representative underscored continental initiatives like YouthConnekt Africa and Timbuktoo (UNDP’s new youth innovation incubator) as powerful avenues for Namibian youth to access funding, mentorship, and networks beyond their borders.

Local leaders also took note. Representatives of NovaNam (a regional fishing company) and the Lüderitz Town Council, who helped sponsor the event, lauded the youths’ ideas and spoke about aligning them with municipal plans. The atmosphere was one of mutual commitment: youth asking for support and inclusion, and officials pledging to follow up. As one observer put it, the dialogue “linked community insight with institutional support,” exactly what the event aimed to achieve.

“Development is not something we do for young people; young people are development.” – Christian Shingiro, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, emphasizing youth agency during the panel discussion.

“We came with ideas and left with partners.” – Geraldo Fredericks, youth innovator, on the collaborative spirit after presenting his recycling project (expressing the sentiment that community leaders showed willingness to support youth ideas).

These voices capture the event’s essence: a celebration of youth initiative and a call to treat youth as equal stakeholders in development.

Youth at the Helm: The immediate impact of the #BeFree Big Talk was to elevate youth voices from marginalized regions onto a national stage. For many participants, it was the first time sharing their ideas directly with high-level officials and experts. This not only boosts the confidence and leadership skills of the young presenters but also helps policymakers hear fresh perspectives. By the event’s end, community leaders had been presented with actionable solutions crafted by youth, a reversal of the usual top-down approach to development.

Tangible Solutions for SDGs: Each youth-led project addresses local facets of global goals. For instance, Jisreel’s youth empowerment initiative targets SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG8 (Decent Work) by reducing substance abuse and unemployment. Albertina’s AI energy idea advances SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG9 (Industry, Innovation) in a community context. Geraldo’s recycling RVM project tackles SDG12 (Responsible Consumption) and SDG13 (Climate Action) at the grassroots. If even a portion of these ideas are realized, the benefits could include safer neighbourhoods, smarter energy use, and cleaner public spaces in the region. These improvements contribute to Namibia’s broader development priorities, including its commitments under the UN SDG framework and national plans like Vision 2030.

Community and Gender Inclusion: The event was also a platform for inclusive dialogue. Young women and men participated equally in proposing solutions and voicing concerns. Notably, one of the star innovators, Albertina, is a young woman in tech exemplifying how empowering youth also means uplifting female change-makers to break gender stereotypes. The outreach in schools (like the session in Tses) inspired students, both boys and girls, to stay in school and envision careers solving community problems. Over the longer term, sustained support to such youth actions can help reduce inequalities by region (leaving no one behind in remote areas) and by generation (ensuring youth are partners, not passengers, in development).

A Model for Youth Engagement: UNDP and partners see this initiative as a model that can be replicated in other regions. It operationalizes the idea of “localized SDGs,” showing that global goals take life when local youth define what Quality Education or Climate Action means for their villages or towns. By documenting the process, organizers intend to share lessons with others. In a country where youth often migrate to cities for lack of opportunity, such community-level innovation hubs could encourage young talent to remain and invest in their hometowns, thereby distributing development more evenly.

The momentum from the #BeFree Big Talk: Solutions Now is set to continue beyond International Youth Day:

Scaling Up One Solution: In partnership with UNDP, the organizers will support at least one standout idea from the event to be refined and presented on a bigger stage. The best-performing project (to be selected based on feasibility and impact) will receive coaching and resources to pitch at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2025, to be hosted in Madagascar. There, our Namibian youth representative will share their local innovation with hundreds of peers and investors from across Africa, opening doors to funding or mentorship on a continental level.

Local Adoption: Back home in Lüderitz, UNDP, AYO, and the One Economy Foundation are encouraging the Town Council to adopt one of the youth solutions for piloting in the municipality. This could mean, for example, integrating the recycling RVM initiative into the town’s waste management program with municipal backing. If the council allocates budget or technical support, it validates the youths’ work and helps ensure the idea doesn’t fade after the event. 

Ongoing Engagement Platform: Recognizing that youth need continuous engagement, UNDP Namibia plans to launch a podcast series, “Namibia Rising: Voices for Change,” later this year. This youth-focused media platform will amplify stories like those from the Big Talk, giving young innovators, especially from rural areas, a regular voice. It will also discuss topics such as climate action, digital skills, and entrepreneurship, building a knowledge-sharing community. AYO, which co-hosted the event, will help mobilize listeners and content, ensuring the conversation with Namibian youth keeps growing.

Call to Action: All stakeholders are invited to support these next steps. Government ministries and private companies can partner with the youth projects, for instance, by providing seed funding, mentorship, or integrating solutions into existing programs. Community members and civil society can help monitor and refine the pilots, ensuring they truly meet local needs. And the youth of Namibia are encouraged to keep the momentum: join networks like YouthConnekt Namibia, participate in upcoming innovation challenges, and hold leaders accountable to their promises made at forums like the Big Talk. As International Youth Day reminds us, local actions matter, and everyone can play a part in turning a young person’s good idea into a reality that benefits all.