Young Citizens Forum - Frequently Asked Questions

The Young Citizens Forum [YCF], formelly known as the Young Leaders Forum (YLF) is a multidisciplinary program on social, economic and political challenges at the national, continental and global levels that brings together talented active young minds and political activists who are working towards social justice and democracy. The program has been actively running for more than 20 years, with more than 500 alumni, some in notable leadership positions in the country and the world.

The participants meet for 2 - 3 days every month, with 6 – 7 interactive sessions on the contemporary global and Tanzanian issues that they face as leaders. The sessions cover a wide range of topics, from essentials of communication, democracy and social justice, human rights, digital democracy, urbanization, global economy, design thinking, climate change and just transition. Participants get to directly engage in sessions, including community visits to put into practice what they learn.

• Feedback from the YCF alumni shows that their participation in the program was life-changing as it shaped them for the leadership career they want
• The program offers important, relevant and up-to-date skills that every young leader should have to excel in leadership.
• The program is conducted for six to seven months, in a conducive environment, which gives participants flexible time to gain as much skills and knowledge as possible.
• The training involves the participation method, which involves reaching out to the community to practice what they learn
• The network of more than 500 YCF alumni since its inception in the early 2000s is a huge capital for a career leader

The program sessions are conducted at the FES Office in Dar es Salaam, where participants meet for two to three days each month, usually from late February to late October.

The sessions are conducted in the English language.

Yes, the certificate of participation is awarded at the end of the program.

You can apply online, visit https://tanzania.fes.de and fill out the application form.

Please read carefully the application information and fill in your details correctly.

A team of judges will review all applications and notify the selected applicants via email for interviews where they will conduct both written and oral interviews. That is the final stage where the successful applicants will be enrolled in the program.

This is a fair and competence-based opportunity. The selection process does not discriminate against gender, race, disability, or religion.  However, to be considered eligible, the applicant must be:

• Between 21 and 35 years old
• Tanzanian and currently residing in Tanzania (Mainland and Zanzibar) and should be in the country during the course of implementation
• Holders of a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent or pursuing first degree by the time of application

• Politically active individuals
• Involved in a project or initiative and/or active in civil society, political parties, or trade unions

Due to the high number of applications received, it usually takes up to three weeks from the application's last day to announce the list of successful applicants. Please watch your email and our social media pages closely for updates on your application status.

Yes, applicants are encouraged to apply again in the following cohort if they are not selected in the current cohort. Many applicants have been selected after more than one trial.

There is no fixed number of applicants taken in one cohort. However, the program usually takes in up to 30 participants per cohort.

Applicants must be Tanzanians and residing in Tanzania during the time of the program. Although the program will be conducted in Dar es Salaam, the application is not limited to Dar-based residents. We receive applications from up-country and Zanzibar residents too.

No, the interview process involves both written and oral interviews which are conducted in person, in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar respectively. Selected applicants from up-country will have to travel to FES Office in Dar es Salaam for the interview (all costs covered), and selected applicants in Zanzibar will be notified of the location of the interview in Zanzibar.

The interview focuses on assessing the applicants’ knowledge of contemporary issues on the nation's political landscape and the world, and practical strengths of their leadership skills.

Successful applicants will be notified via email throughout the selection process. Beware of scammers, FES Tanzania will not charge for any fee to push your application through!

FES Tanzania covers all the costs and participants will not pay any fee during the application or throughout the program.

FES Tanzania will cover the transport and accommodation costs for the upcountry and Zanzibar residents.

If you have further questions, please email info.tanzania(at)fes.de or call +255 22 2668 575.