Free academy programme empowers Namibian youth

The International Youth Fellowship (IYF) recently held its IYF Free Academy graduation ceremony at the Khomasdal Community Hall with the vision to equip Namibian youth with capacity, leadership and hope.

The event marked the end of a three-month training programme aimed at empowering young Namibians with life skills and personal development tools for free.

Of the 312 students enrolled this year, 85 received completion certificates.

Open to those aged 15 and older, the IYF Free Academy offers weekend classes in various areas ranging from accounting and cooking to kung fu, K-pop dance, theology and foreign languages such as Korean, Chinese, Portuguese and Afrikaans.

“The IYF Free Academy is not just a skills programme. It’s a platform of change,” says Palyomwene Mutilifa of IYF.

“We bring together local and international volunteers to share information and mentor the youth. Through experiential learning and value formation, we believe that we’re raising the next generation of leaders.”

Amalia Shishiveni (26), who completed the cooking course, says her life has been changed by the experience.

“It was such an honour and a privilege to have completed my course with IYF,” she says.

“They provided a chance for us young people, particularly those who couldn’t afford formal schools. I now feel confident enough to venture into a small catering business utilising the basic but effective recipes I learned. The mind education talks also influenced how I respond to everyday situations. I’ve come to realise that acceptance and understanding of other people is the secret to community-building.”

The mind and character education classes, along with weekly chapel time, are the core pillars of the academy’s programme of study.

These classes are intended to develop self-awareness, emotional intelligence and a positive, goal-directed mindset in attendees.

Rauna Kweenda (24), a basic accounting graduate, says: “IYF educated me on how the accounting skills I learned will help me serve other students who are not performing well in commerce. But above all, I learned self-discipline, team work, and how to carry burdens with humility. Not all struggles are permanent. I learned to be positive – and to keep God at the centre of it.”

With youth joblessness and poor access to quality schooling still top priorities in Namibia, the IYF Free Academy is a beacon of possibility, offering not only skills, but confidence, community and a new sense of direction.

“Development of youth begins with creating space for potential to unfold,” Mutilifa says. “And that’s what IYF is doing weekend by weekend.”

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