PULLING DIFFERENT STRENGTHS INTO THE COALITION

ADAPT AS

M4M had to adapt rapidly and respond to an ever-changing pandemic. There was no time for developing a perfect plan. As new evidence came to light, the team had to be quick on their feet, updating messages – sometimes there were several revisions a day. Each partner contributed what they could, when they could, while working from home. Mentor explains: “We had to move quickly and trust each other. There was empathy and understanding with regards to childcare and maintaining a work–life balance. A lot of initial decisions were made during WhatsApp conversations.”

Coalition Challenges

Coalitions tend to have a louder voice and greater reach, enabling them to make significant gains. However, they do struggle to maintain momentum; constrained by limited time, resources and bureaucracy. These are some of the main challenges to consider when forming a coalition:

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Coalition members recognise the value of collaboration and agree voluntarily to give their time to the coalition. However,

It is important to partner with organisations that are missionaligned, but also to ensure that they can bring something different to the table. Real Reform deliberately ensured diversity in its steering committee, with representatives from ECD forums, NGOs, legal organisations, a funder (DGMT), and a policy-focused organisation (Ilifa Labantwana).

Another critical point is that coalitions need actors who have influence. Influence can be in the form of one’s ability to mobilise a large membership, the ability to influence policymakers or the ability to engage the media. Scholtz warns: “When coalitions do not have members who can generate influence, you are in danger of setting yourself up to fail.”

As an advocacy organisation, Youth Capital brings experienced government lobbying and research to the table but relies on partners with on-the-ground experience to drive the Action Plan. When pairing research with community-specific experience, Youth Capital can make a much stronger case to the government.

A missing piece of the puzzle for Youth Capital is extending the network beyond the civil society space. It is trying to make inroads into the private sector as that partnership could help address challenges that inhibit employment for young people. “I think including the demand-side is the missing piece in a lot of youth development work,” says Duncan-Williams.