Talk to us

The Networks · For funders and partners

Seven networks. One back office. A generation that stays in office.

The Centre for Youth Policy convenes seven regional networks of young parliamentarians across ninety nations and territories. This page sets out the case, the model, where each network honestly stands, and what we will report back.

7
regional networks
90
nations and territories in scope
1
shared secretariat
2023
first network founded, in West Africa

01 · The gap

Winning is rare. Staying is rarer.

Half the world is under thirty. Its parliaments are not. The few young people who do win a seat usually arrive alone, with a mandate, little staff and no one their age on the benches beside them.

2.8%

of members of parliament worldwide are 30 or under.

37.1%

of parliamentary chambers have no members aged 30 or under at all.

2025

the first year since tracking began in 2014 that progress stalled.

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, Youth participation in national parliaments, 2025.

How change happens

  1. Elected

    Win the seat

    The networks recruit only people who have already done the hardest part.

  2. Organised

    Find the others

    Peers across the region, across parties, facing the same votes and the same voters.

  3. Delivering

    Do the job well

    Research, communications, casework tools and staff, so the first term produces results.

  4. Renewed

    Bring the next one through

    Members who deliver win again and pull the next young candidate into the room behind them.

02 · The model

Owned by members. Run on shared rails.

Each network is its own organisation in the eyes of its members: its own name, leaders, agenda and gatherings. Underneath, one secretariat does the work no small network could afford alone.

Members decide

Sitting young legislators

Elect their leaders, set priorities, speak in their own name. Government and opposition alike.

Seven networks

    Regional agendas, regional gatherings, regional identities.

    One secretariat · Centre for Youth Policy

    • Research desk and trackers
    • Member services and websites
    • Convenings and travel
    • Finance, compliance and reporting
    • Fundraising and partnerships
    • Safety and crisis support

    Cheaper to grow

    A new region plugs into systems that already exist. The eighth network costs far less to start than the first.

    Lessons travel

    What works for a young senator in Belize can reach a councillor in Montenegro, because both sit on the same rails.

    Local legitimacy

    Members follow their own leaders, not a foreign programme. The secretariat serves and does not speak for them.

    03 · What makes it different

    Built for the term, not the campaign.

    Plenty of good work helps young people run. Far less helps them govern once they win. Here is where the networks sit.

    Common approachThe networks
    Who is in itAspiring candidates, activists, youth councilsSitting elected legislators only
    When it helpsBefore and during an electionThe whole term, and the next campaign
    ScaleOne country, or one global meeting a yearRegions of neighbours who legislate on shared problems
    Who sets the agendaThe programme or the donorThe members, through elected leaders
    Starting a new regionBuild staff and systems from scratchPlug into a shared secretariat
    EvidenceEvent attendance and anecdotesTracked against the Centre's country-by-country data

    Global bodies such as the IPU's Forum of Young Parliamentarians are where young members meet the world. The regional networks are where they work with their neighbours in between. We see the two as complementary.

    04 · State of play

    Where each network honestly stands.

    Four of the seven were founded this year or are still being founded. This is the picture as each network publishes it on its own site, October 2026. Funders should know what is built and what is still being built.

    In place Under way Next

    05 · What we will report

    Judged on outcomes, every year.

    We will publish these for each network annually, alongside the Centre's own research. Where a number is small or bad, we will say so.

    1. Verified membersSitting legislators, every seat checked before a member is listed.
    2. Reach of the gapMembers as a share of all young legislators in the region, from our trackers.
    3. Staying in officeMembers who run again and win, against the regional rate for young legislators.
    4. Cross-party mixBalance of government and opposition, and of women and men, among members.
    5. Work done togetherPeer exchanges, joint motions, shared questions and bills drafted with network support.
    6. Services deliveredBriefings, member sites, casework tools, staff and fellows placed in members' offices.
    7. SafetyMembers supported through harassment, threats or crisis, reported without names.
    8. MoneyWhat each network received and spent, restricted and unrestricted, in one public table.

    06 · Questions funders ask

    The hard questions, answered plainly.

    Is this partisan?

    No. Members come from government and opposition. The networks do not endorse candidates or parties, and the secretariat takes no money from political parties.

    Who controls the networks?

    Their members. Each network elects its own leadership and sets its own priorities. The Centre provides the secretariat and does not direct votes, positions or statements.

    Doesn't this duplicate global forums?

    Global forums are where young legislators meet the world a few times a year. Regional networks are where they work with neighbours who share borders, markets and voting blocs. Members often belong to both.

    What happens when members lose their seats?

    They stay connected as alumni, and network leadership is drawn from several countries so a network does not reset every time one country votes.

    How is money split between the networks?

    Gifts restricted to a network are spent on that network. Unrestricted gifts fund the shared secretariat and go where need is greatest. Both are reported in the annual table.

    Why is a US nonprofit running networks abroad?

    The Centre is a 501(c)(3) in Washington, DC. That lets it receive gifts, hold funds for networks not yet registered in their own regions, and report to funders to US standards. Each network is free to register locally as it grows.

    How do you keep members safe?

    Young legislators, especially women, face heavy online abuse. Members get digital security audits, misinformation response, crisis communications support and harassment guidance through the secretariat.

    07 · Ways to fund

    Pick the level you want to work at.

    Across all seven

    The network fund

    Unrestricted support for the shared secretariat. The most flexible gift, and the one that makes every other gift go further.

    One region

    Back a network

    Fund one network's secretariat costs and member services, with reporting specific to that region.

    One moment

    Underwrite a gathering

    A regional conference where members meet, set their agenda and bring in the next intake.

    One service

    Fund a service line

    The research desk, member websites, staff and fellow placements, or safety support, delivered to members in every region.

    A new region

    Seed the eighth

    Help young legislators in a region without a network start one, on rails that already exist.

    Let's talk about where you can help.

    We will share budgets, member lists by network and our annual reporting on request.

    Write to us Give online Back to the map