Young people leading change in Gugulethu

The Amasoja Leadership Initiative is a youth leadership programme based in Gugulethu, Cape Town. It supports young people as they navigate the transition into adulthood by strengthening leadership, confidence, purpose and opportunities to contribute positively to their communities.

The initiative is implemented through a partnership between the Swedish non-profit organisation Contribution to Opportunities (CTO) and the South African organisation Call 2 Care (C2C). The programme is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), enabling a long-term investment in locally led youth leadership and community development. Together, we combine international partnership with locally rooted leadership and community ownership.

ABOUT GUGULETHU

Gugulethu is a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, established during apartheid as part of the forced racial segregation of the city. Its history has left lasting inequalities that continue to shape opportunities for young people today.

Young people in Gugulethu grow up in a community rich in creativity, relationships and local initiative, but many also face significant structural barriers as they move towards adulthood. High youth unemployment, limited access to further education and employment, exposure to violence and substance abuse, and a lack of safe and supportive spaces can make the transition from school to adult life particularly difficult.

For some, leaving school means entering a prolonged period without clear pathways into further education or stable employment. Others may have ambitions for the future but lack access to networks, practical guidance, positive role models or opportunities to develop the confidence and skills needed to take their next steps.

At the same time, Gugulethu has never been defined only by its challenges. It is a community with a long history of resilience, creativity and people organising to improve their own surroundings. Young people themselves are an important part of that capacity for change.

This is the context in which Amasoja was born – and why locally rooted youth leadership remains at the heart of the initiative today.

Where it all began

Contribution to Opportunities (CTO) was founded in Gugulethu, Cape Town 2014, with a simple belief: lasting change happens when local leaders are trusted, supported and given the opportunity to grow.

In 2016, CTO came into contact with a self-organised group of young people in Gugulethu who called themselves Amasoja.

At the time, Amasoja was not a formal organisation or programme. It was a group of young people who had grown up surrounded by gang violence, drugs and poverty. Frustrated by the violence in their community, they had taken it upon themselves to protect their neighbourhood, often through vigilante actions and confrontations with people they believed were involved in crimes.

CTO recognised something deeper.

Behind the anger was leadership. Behind the frustration was commitment. These young people wanted to create a safer community—they simply lacked positive tools, guidance and opportunities.

Instead of fighting crime with violence, with the help of CTO, they began learning how to create change through leadership, responsibility and community engagement.

That transformation became the beginning of Amasoja as we know it today.

The meaning of Amasoja

The name Amasoja comes from the phrase "I'm a soldier."

Not a soldier fighting people—but someone who chooses to fight against hopelessness, violence, addiction, poverty and the belief that nothing can change.

As one of the young leaders expressed in the documentary, ”Our Pride”:

"The change starts with me."

That idea continues to shape the programme today.

Growing together

Between 2016 and 2020, CTO worked closely with Amasoja to help transform the original youth initiative into a more organised movement centred on positive leadership, personal development and social entrepreneurship.

The young people were supported not simply as participants, but as emerging leaders with the potential to create opportunities for themselves and others. CTO provided mentoring, leadership and life-skills development, support with job and study applications, workshops, excursions and team-building activities. Some participants were supported into employment, while others gained experience in organising activities and events within their community.

CTO also created a small community-based incubator space where young people could meet and access computers, Wi-Fi, printing and other practical resources.

At the same time, Amasoja organised activities for younger people in Gugulethu, including sports, township cinema, educational support and community events. The ambition was increasingly for the young people themselves to take responsibility for planning, organising and leading activities.

This became an important principle of Amasoja: youth should not only receive opportunities – they should be given the tools and responsibility to create opportunities for others.

Amasoja eventually grew to include both young adults who needed support to change direction in their own lives and younger learners who needed encouragement, positive role models and safe activities while still in school.

This early model planted the seeds of the cascading leadership approach that remains at the heart of the Amasoja Leadership Initiative today.

A period of change

Like many organisations around the world, CTO was deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

International travel stopped, local activities became difficult to sustain and the original organisational structure gradually dissolved. Although the programme continued on a smaller scale through local engagement in Gugulethu, many of the larger activities had to pause.

The vision, however, never disappeared.

The relationships remained.

And so did the belief that Amasoja still had an important role to play.

A new chapter

In early 2025, CTO began exploring how both the organisation and Amasoja could be revitalised. Rather than simply restarting the activities that had existed before the pandemic, the aim was to build on the experiences of the past and develop a stronger, more sustainable model for the future.

The starting point remained the same idea that had shaped Amasoja from the beginning: young people should not only participate in activities – they should be supported to become leaders, role models and active contributors within their communities.

During 2025, CTO began developing a new programme concept and entered into a partnership with the South African non-profit organisation Call 2 Care (C2C). With funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), this work developed into what is now the Amasoja Leadership Initiative.

The first programme cycle was launched in Gugulethu in February, 2026.

The new programme draws on lessons from the original Amasoja Youth Initiative while introducing a more structured approach to leadership development. In the earlier initiative, CTO supported young people through personal development, life skills, employment and study opportunities, community activities, excursions, mentoring and organisational development. The young people were also encouraged to create activities for others in the community – from sports and township cinema to educational and social initiatives.

These experiences demonstrated something important: leadership development is not only about teaching leadership skills. Young people also need opportunities to belong, to build confidence, to discover what they are capable of and to practise taking responsibility for others.

The Amasoja Leadership Initiative was developed around these lessons.

Today, the programme primarily supports young adults as they navigate the transition into adulthood. Through a structured year-long leadership journey, participants work with personal development, decision-making, communication, responsibility, future pathways and community engagement.

At the same time, they put leadership into practice by mentoring younger learners through the programme's weekly after-school activities. In this way, an idea that was already present in the original Amasoja – youth supporting other youth – has become a central part of the programme model.

The programme follows four developmental stages:

Zone 1 – Grounding & Belonging
Building trust, emotional awareness, confidence and a sense of belonging.

Zone 2 – Direction & Decision-Making
Exploring future possibilities and strengthening the ability to make informed decisions about education, employment and life.

Zone 3 – Responsibility & Leadership in Practice
Turning personal development into action through communication, facilitation, mentorship and community leadership.

Zone 4 – Transition & Next Steps
Reflecting on the journey, identifying realistic next steps and preparing for life beyond the programme.

Leadership workshops are complemented by mentoring, excursions, leadership camps and youth-led activities that allow participants to experience new environments, strengthen relationships and put their learning into practice.

The form of Amasoja has changed considerably since a group of young people first decided that they wanted to make their streets safer. But the fundamental idea remains:

change begins with young people recognising their own capacity to lead – and using that leadership to create opportunities for others.

Looking ahead

The Amasoja Leadership Initiative continues to evolve, but its purpose remains unchanged.

We believe that every young person has the potential to become a leader when they are given trust, guidance and meaningful opportunities.

By investing in young people today, we hope to contribute to stronger communities tomorrow.

Watch our story

The documentary "Our Pride" tells the story of how CTO first met Amasoja and follows several of the young people whose lives shaped the initiative.

Although the film captures a particular moment in time, the hopes, challenges and dreams it portrays remain at the heart of the Amasoja Leadership Initiative today.