The South African Cities Network (SACN), under the banner of its Urban Safety Reference Group (USRG) platform, conducted a competition focused on gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, featuring six teams from across South Africa. The competition consisted of two rounds. In the first, six youth-led organisations that proposed GBV prevention programmes underwent a 5-month capacity development process, including mentorship and training on community engagement, leadership, and design thinking. The second round saw three interventions receive small grants based on refined strategies and potential impact.

Key achievements included:

• • Enhanced GBV prevention capacity in community engagement, leadership, and design thinking
  • Development of sustainable and scalable intervention strategies
  • Fostering peer collaborations between youth organisations, and between youth organisations & government entities
  • Creation of innovative GBVF prevention approaches
  • Documentation and advocacy for successful interventions

The competition highlighted the crucial role of youth leadership in addressing gender-based violence prevention and response and improving community safety. By providing capacity building, mentorship, and financial support, it empowered young leaders to create sustainable, impactful interventions. The collaboration between youth-led organisations and government stakeholders amplified the effectiveness of these initiatives, establishing a powerful model for future GBVF prevention efforts.