Building bridges between Indigenous youth leadership and philanthropic support for self-determination.

In June 2025, Azimuth World Foundation had the privilege of participating in “Empowering the Future: Indigenous Youth and Funders’ Dialogue for Transformative Change,” a virtual dialogue co-organized by International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) and Mastercard Foundation.

This gathering brought together Indigenous youth leaders from across the globe with philanthropic organizations to discuss strategies for supporting Indigenous-led initiatives and advancing self-determination.

Centering Indigenous Youth Leadership

The dialogue was anchored by the powerful presentation of the Global Indigenous Youth Manifesto, developed through inclusive, youth-led consultations and unanimously adopted during IFIP’s February 2025 Global Conference in Naivasha, Kenya.

Marcos Che from Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya presented the manifesto’s process and key demands, emphasizing how Indigenous youth voices from different regions and contexts were meaningfully included in its development.

The manifesto addresses critical interconnected challenges facing Indigenous youth worldwide: the disproportionate impacts of climate change, systemic discrimination and human rights violations, lack of meaningful representation in decision-making processes, and barriers to accessing funding that could support Indigenous-led solutions.

As the document powerfully states, “We, as Indigenous Youth, are the inheritors of our ancestors’ wisdom and the future stewards of our lands and cultures. We are ready to lead the way.”

Learning from Indigenous Youth Advocates

The dialogue featured remarkable Indigenous youth leaders whose work embodies the manifesto’s vision.

Gladys Kiplagat from the Baringo Indigenous Peoples’ Organization in Kenya shared insights about supporting Indigenous youth working in remote or under-resourced areas, drawing from her experience advocating for the Endorois community—a people who have faced forced displacement twice, first for conservation projects and later due to climate change impacts.

Joshua Lazier, Head of Indigenous Youth Program at Youth Initiative for Land in Africa and Secretary General of African Youth Pastoralist Initiative, addressed critical opportunities that funders often overlook when they choose not to invest in Indigenous youth. His perspective highlighted the intrinsic link between land rights and social resilience, emphasizing how Indigenous youth are not just future leaders but present-day change agents with innovative solutions.

Transforming Philanthropic Approaches

The conversation between youth leaders and funders revealed both progress and persistent challenges in how philanthropic organizations approach Indigenous communities. Representatives from Ford Foundation, WK Kellogg Foundation, and Azimuth World Foundation shared their experiences while acknowledging the need for continued transformation in funding structures and practices.

At Azimuth, our motivation stems from witnessing the incredible power Indigenous youth have to strengthen entire communities. Through our partnership with Jamii Asilia Centre in Kenya on the Revitalize the Roots: Bikaptorois initiative, we’ve seen how youth-led knowledge preservation projects can become catalysts for profound community healing. When Endorois youth collected stories and testimonies from community elders, it brought community members together from across the region—some seeing each other after years apart.

The key elements that have guided our approach include supporting capacity beyond project implementation, making space for ideas to emerge organically, and seeking allies who will join us in supporting our partners’ uncompromising, self-determined vision. This requires embracing different timings and ways of doing, learning what results and outcomes mean in different contexts, and being prepared to have our assumptions challenged.

Beyond Funding

One of the dialogue’s most important insights was recognizing that Indigenous youth need support beyond financial resources. As discussed during the conversation, this includes building trust through flexible, long-term commitment that can adapt to changing circumstances—particularly for Indigenous communities in remote areas facing climate impacts, extractivism threats, and acculturation pressures.

Effective support means investing in relationship-building, providing multi-year flexible funding, helping partners access networks and international forums, and recognizing that remote doesn’t mean less capable. Indigenous youth in remote areas often have strong connections to traditional knowledge, and funders’ role is to amplify their work rather than reshape it.

True partnership requires involving Indigenous youth in designing evaluation processes, listening to what they’re actually saying about their needs, and being prepared to step back when necessary. As emphasized during the dialogue, supporting Indigenous-led initiatives to develop their networks makes projects less dependent and more resilient to changes in the funding landscape.

Moving Forward Together

The dialogue concluded with commitments from both youth leaders and funders to continue this collaborative work.

What emerged clearly is that Indigenous youth aren’t just preserving the past—they’re actively creating futures where Indigenous territories are safeguarded and Indigenous cultures, worldviews, and identities thrive. They’re demonstrating what true community means, where past, present, and future vibrate in unison. Their enthusiasm and commitment, even when facing extraordinary challenges, offers profound lessons about resilience and hope.

For funders, the invitation is clear: trust the vision of Indigenous youth organizations, provide flexible support, and be prepared to learn. As we’ve experienced at Azimuth, being part of making their vision come true feels like one of the most important things we can do right now. Indigenous youth are full of hope, and they’re making the rest of us more hopeful too.

The Path Ahead

This dialogue represents more than a single conversation—it’s part of a growing movement toward transformative change in how philanthropic organizations support Indigenous communities.

The Indigenous Youth Manifesto serves as both a roadmap and a call to action, demanding that funders move beyond traditional models toward approaches that truly center Indigenous self-determination.

When Indigenous youth are supported as leaders, decision-makers, and innovators rather than merely recipients of aid, the results benefit not only their communities but contribute to solutions for the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and social justice challenges facing our entire planet.

The full Global Indigenous Youth Manifesto is available here, offering detailed recommendations for funders committed to supporting Indigenous-led transformative change.