The What. Part I

So you’re wondering, “What exactly is The Youth Manifesto?” 

The idea of The Youth Manifesto (TYM) came to me in September/October 2025. What about this: You’re probably wondering, what’s all this about? I was the same! Before me, I had a seed that would need nurturing, but no clear idea how. So I set out to work.

In trying to perfect my elevator pitch for TYM, especially as I had begun planning for the podcast episodes I would record in March during my time at home 🇬🇭, I might have described it to others as:

• A research project
• A youth-focused podcast focused on creating a sense of shared reality among young people
• An opportunity to invite young minds to share ideas, directly challenging the false idea that young people are passive participants in society
• An avenue for knowledge production that aims to be accessible by young people and exist as a pool of knowledge everyone can draw from — from the everyday young person, to the authority figure seeking data to inform policy formation.

Neither of those descriptions was wrong. The Youth Manifesto is a space For, By, and With young people. It is not meant to be a political movement. It is not rooted in the idea that any nation or world is being mismanaged and therefore requires “youth saviours”.

It is a space for exchange, for enquiry, for growth, for community, for empowerment.

It is a space where I myself get to discover my voice by speaking out loud — by writing here, and speaking (podcast episodes, and wherever I am given the opportunity to). I get to build and train my voice by practicing in the open. Through The Youth Manifesto, I also get to give to young people like myself what I have been given by the people I cherish the most; a safe space to speak, be heard, learn, and grow.

My name is Miriam Esi Akpene Kepomey, the steward of this space. I am taking the bold, nerve-wracking step to ignore the questioning voices in and outside my head that would much rather see me stuck in my comfort zone. The Youth Manifesto is where this intentional effort has begun. It might not be where it ends. 

I do not know where this journey will take me, but I will continue to show up. 

Before I conclude, here are a few things I would like you to know:

• I value patience, prudence, and self-awareness. I have learnt to question my motives before I act, and thus, tend not to move without tactful caution.
• That said, I prefer to move at a pace that honours these principles. Therefore, my presence here will reflect that. I will intentionally prioritise that pace over the need to keep up with any sort of metrics. 

Keep an eye out for my next article. I’ll be dishing out some deets on the recorded podcast episodes!

Thank you for spending your time here! Your presence is valued and appreciated.