Sprout: Next Generation Systems Leaders for Child Safety and Well-Being
Ignite Philanthropy’s Sprout programme has successfully completed its first two cycles, with the initial round closing in May 2024 and the second in June 2025. Across these cycles, 35 youth Fellows from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa have completed a six‑month learning journey, culminating in the creation of their own impact projects.
What is Sprout?
In collaboration with our design partner School of International Futures (SOIF), and with the support of Oak Foundation, we launched Sprout in 2024. Sprout is a transformative learning programme designed to nurture the next generation of system leaders committed to advancing children’s well‑being and safety. The programme combines tailored, interactive in‑person and virtual sessions to maximise leadership growth and development. As part of their journey, youth Fellows pair with senior practitioners as Learning Partners, fostering intergenerational dialogue and the exchange of experiences.
Why Sprout?
Sprout emerges as a direct response to the need to broaden the lens on the childhood sexual violence sector while promoting youth agency and fostering collective action. It provides a space to nurture systems leadership that mobilises innovation through coalition-building, fostering networks within and across systems to drive improvement and cross-boundary leadership.
How Sprout Nurtures Participants
Sprout offers a hybrid programme, integrating online sessions and one in-person meeting over a six-month duration. Fellows learn, connect, experiment and engage virtually twice a month.
Participants benefit from:
Meaningful connections with next-generation leaders across borders. Engage in community-building activities, learn from peers and foster strong relationships within a global network of system leaders.
Capacity-building to amplify leadership skills. Hands-on sessions and peer-to-peer learning strengthen essential skills such as systems thinking, futures thinking, advocacy, storytelling, and more to drive (even more) positive change within their communities.
Access to funding. Participants unlock the potential to access seed funding for cross-cutting collaborations to bring projects to life.
Intergenerational knowledge exchange and accompaniment from Learning Partners. Participants are matched with a Learning Partner - Child Sexual Violence sector leaders, foresight practitioners, and survivors - bringing diverse perspectives and intersectional approaches.
Ongoing Impact
The Sprout programme has strengthened self‑confidence, inspired community‑driven innovations to end childhood violence, amplified collaboration and storytelling, and highlighted wellbeing as a cornerstone of holistic leadership—essential in a field that is both physically and mentally demanding. Looking ahead, we envision Sprout flourishing through a dynamic alumni network and an expanding support community, planting seeds of positive change within their communities and beyond. Discover more in the Sprout 2025 Impact Report.
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