Message From The Convener

Dear Delegate

For more than a decade, the Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference (SARSYC) has served as a platform where young people, researchers, academic institutions, policymakers, and development partners from across the region come together to exchange ideas, influence policy, build partnerships, and champion solutions that advance youth health, education, and sustainable development. What began as a youth-led dialogue on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights has evolved into a powerful regional force for health and education advocacy, collaboration, and action across Southern Africa.

The theme of SARSYC VI, “Align for Action: Sustaining Progress in Youth Health and Education,” speaks to both the achievements we have made and the responsibility we share to protect and advance them. Across our region, young people continue to navigate complex and interconnected challenges, including inequalities in education, mental health concerns, substance abuse, climate-related vulnerabilities, digital risks, and evolving development priorities. Yet these challenges also present opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and transformative leadership.

At the heart of SARSYC is a simple but powerful conviction: young people are not merely beneficiaries of development; they are drivers of it. When youth leadership is supported by evidence, strengthened through partnerships, and given meaningful opportunities to engage, it becomes a force capable of shaping policies, influencing institutions, and transforming communities.

This belief is reflected in the growth of initiatives such as the Regional Research Indaba, which continues to demonstrate the value of youth-led research in informing policy and practice, and in regional alliances such as the Girls Education Advocacy in the Region (GEAR) Alliance, which emerged from SARSYC resolutions and has grown into a model for transnational advocacy and collective action. These achievements remind us that lasting progress is possible when ideas are matched with commitment and when dialogue is translated into action.

As we look toward the future, the need for regional solidarity has never been greater. Sustainable progress in youth health and education will require stronger partnerships among governments, academic institutions, development partners, the private sector, and young people themselves. It will require evidence-informed decision-making, innovative thinking, and a shared commitment to ensuring that no young person is left behind.

May the conversations, partnerships, research, and commitments inspired through SARSYC continue to strengthen our collective efforts to create a healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous Southern Africa. Most importantly, may they continue to empower young people to lead with courage, purpose, and vision.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for contributing to a movement that continues to shape the health and education of young people in Southern Africa through #DrivingRegionalSolidarity.

Sincerely,


Mr. Jimmy Wilford Convener, Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference (SARSYC)
Executive Director, Students and Youth Working on reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT)