Months after two cohorts of young advocates completed the LEAP Academy, the programme's impact is still unfolding in quiet but powerful ways.
Across communities, participants are beginning to implement advocacy ideas, strengthen local initiatives, build support networks, and chronicle their leadership journeys, often in contexts where visibility can come with risk.
For many participants, the Academy was more than a training programme. It became a rare space for connection, reflection, and collective care.
Designed to support emerging young leaders working across health, wellbeing, and human rights issues, the LEAP Academy brought together more than 60 participants from across West and Central Africa through two intensive leadership academies held in late 2025 and early 2026. Through workshops, peer learning, storytelling, and advocacy training, participants explored leadership and community mobilisation alongside sessions on safeguarding, mental health, and digital safety.
But some of the programme’s most meaningful outcomes have emerged after the academies themselves.
Today, participating organisations are taking part in ongoing mentorship programmes led by regional and global experts, helping young advocates strengthen their leadership journeys and turn ideas into practical action. At the same time, several organisations have begun implementing seed-grant initiatives focused on community-led responses that align with broader health and human rights priorities.
For participants, this phase is about applying what they learned within the realities of their own communities.
“LEAP equipped me with strategic direction and proposal-writing skills that I was able to apply directly to the LEAP Academy Seed Grant call. I helped lead my team in developing our application, and we were successful in securing funding to advance our work in health and human rights.”Okoli Chidera Godfrey
LEAP Academy Champion
Alongside this work, a group of LEAP Academy Champions has been documenting their journeys through creative, anonymised storytelling. Their reflections, shared through audio diaries, photography, and written narratives, offer a glimpse into what leadership can look like in complex and restrictive environments.
“The stories emerging from the LEAP Academy capture moments of determination and resilience. With the support of Frontline AIDS, photography and videography workshops were organised to help participants strengthen their digital storytelling skills through anonymised, safeguarding-focused approaches to content creation. This was something new, different, but also useful for the participants,”Eddy Rudram
Communications and Advocacy Manager, Y+ Global
Rather than focusing on visibility, the storytelling process prioritises dignity, consent, safeguarding, and digital safety. Many of the stories focus on collective care and the quieter moments that shape advocacy work behind the scenes.
Some reflections speak about the emotional realities of leadership. Others highlight the reassurance that others are navigating similar realities and working toward the same hopes for change.
“Through LEAP, I gained critical skills in strategic advocacy and navigating restrictive environments, refining my leadership to help drive more inclusive health and rights responses for young people living with HIV.”Maxime Bivina
LEAP Academy Champion
Throughout the programme, participants have continued to show that leadership is not always loud or public. Sometimes it looks like supporting peers, continuing community work despite barriers, or simply creating safer spaces for conversation and support.
As the program continues to evolve, the focus has shifted toward mentorship and ongoing peer support, largely supported by Y+ Global and Frontline AIDS, in collaboration with various organisations in the West and Central Africa region that possess knowledge and skills related to health and human rights.
“The Academy was never intended to end after the workshops. What we are seeing now is participants translating learning into action through mentorship, storytelling, advocacy, and community-led initiatives that continue strengthening health and human rights responses.”Enoc Siméon KRA
Project Officer: LEAP Academy
Later this year, participants from both cohorts will reunite at a Learning Exchange to reflect on lessons learned, share experiences from mentorship and seed-grant implementation, and strengthen regional connections. The gathering is expected to create further opportunities for collaboration and peer learning while highlighting the evolving journeys of young leaders across the region.
As the LEAP Academy continues, its impact is perhaps best understood not through workshops or action plans alone, but through the growing confidence, solidarity, and determination of the young people who continue the work long after the sessions end.
About the LEAP Academy
LEAP (Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Pride) Academy, funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and led by Y+ Global and Frontline AIDS, is a collaborative, regionally driven initiative designed to strengthen the leadership, advocacy, and human rights capacities of emerging young leaders across West and Central Africa.