Where did we start?
The childhood sexual violence ecosystem faces many challenges. The traumatic nature of the work and the sheer prevalence of violence means that it is hard to engage potential donors and supporters. An estimated 1 in 8 girls and 1 in 11 boys have experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood, according to UNICEF. As a sector, it is highly fragmented and plagued by high levels of burnout, as well as being hugely under-resourced. And yet, it is also characterised by gifted, committed, innovative and resourceful leaders, especially young leaders.
These were some of the truths we faced two years ago when we designed an intergenerational systems leadership programme with Ignite Philanthropy: Inspiring the End to Violence Against Girls and Boys.
One message was loud and clear: with care, shared power, and interconnection, the next generation of leaders can transform the future of this movement. Learning partners emphasised both the proximity youth have to children’s realities, and their capacity for bold ideas, innovation, and fresh leadership. And yet—too often—the space to lead isn’t given to young leaders.
And so we called our programme Sprout, to showcase how power can be reclaimed and find its way back through the cracks in the system, with nurture and community.
#SPROUTFELLOW, is a community of young, courageous changemakers around the world, working to fight violence against children. We are survivors, activists, advocates, and most importantly, builders of a safer world.
– Janet Aguti, SPROUT Fellow 2024
SPROUT is a transformative leadership programme, co-designed with Ignite Philanthropy, to nurture an inclusive, intergenerational movement that can drive systemic change to end childhood sexual violence, while promoting youth agency and fostering collective action. SPROUT fosters five values: futures orientation, systems thinking, agency-centrism, creative spirit and collaboration. These capabilities are cultivated through learning partnerships, in-person training, virtual drop-ins, one-to-one coaching, and impact funding to bring to life the visions of our SPROUT fellows – a set of next generation leaders from across sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.
To help to shift power, our role was first to listen. Through the lived experiences, reflections, and leadership of the Fellows, we uncovered three dominant myths surrounding power. More importantly, we learned how an emerging generation of leaders is challenging them every day. Three deeper truths emerged, offered by the Fellows and shaped by them, which are a testament to the power reclaimed when community leads.
- The notion that “Power is ‘out there’” was transformed by a growing confidence that believes “Power is within”. In embracing a whole-of-person approach to systems leadership, Sprout serves collective ambitions to realise a more just future for childhood wellbeing.
- The perception that “Power is scarce” was reframed as a resounding truth that “Power grows when shared”. We recognise the limitations of traditional power structures, and instead aim to strengthen intergenerational collaborations and networks to build a social justice movement for change.
- In experiencing how systems can evolve through care, connection and shared purpose, we flipped the notion that “Power equals control” into an approach that looks to create conditions for change, possibilities for growth and collective reimagination – “Transformation requires using power to nurture”.
SPROUT understands that isolated leadership cannot transform systems, but we can reclaim power through nurture and becoming guides within our communities.
In Part 2: How foresight can be threaded into the fabric of change.
This blog post was written by members of the Ignite Team, with contributions from Alannah Lewis, Evy Peña, Kushal Sohal, Lenka Chobotová and Nzwaki Adonisi.
