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During political transitions, activists sometimes have an opportunity to “cross over” into government so they can advance democratic reform from within as elected or appointed officials.

In 2018, Zambia grappled with political turmoil, a stifled democratic process, and limited political opportunities for the constructive engagement of young people. Physical violence among youth from different political factions was a hard reality. Amid this challenging context, two friends from opposing parties, Thompson Luzendi and Nawa Sitali founded Youth4Parliament (Y4P), with the vision to […]

Are you a civil society leader interested in going into politics? In this #CrossoverInitiative video Gina Romero, former Chief of Staff at the Secretariat of Education in Colombia shares two key pieces of advice for civil society leaders interested in crossing over into government. First, power can be felt. Know yourself and know your values. […]

After many years of leading initiatives in civil society and being part of the Red Latinoamericana de Jóvenes por la Democracia (JuventudLAC), Byron Rodríguez decided to crossover into government to advance democratic reforms. At 32 years old, Byron was elected to represent Quetzaltenango at the Guatemalan Congress. In this #CrossoverInitiative video, Byron reflects on how […]

Despite coming from diverse backgrounds Danieal Chacón Arias from Ecuador, and Mensur Seferovic from Boznia-Herzegovina share a passion for working in local government to build more inclusive communities. In this #CrossoverInitiative conversation, Daniela and Mensur share how their desire to create change in their communities led them to transition from civil society into local government […]

Mumbi Namwawa is a Program Officer at the People’s Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia. She is also a member of Youth4Parliament and Girls Gone Political (GGP), two social movements that seek to increase youth participation and representation in politics and the civic space. After being involved with Youth4Parliament, Mumbi decided to join […]

Cynthia Mbamalu is the Director of Programs at YIAGA Africa and Co-founder of #NotTooYoungToRun. For many years, Cynthia has worked to increase the participation of youth and women in political spaces in Nigeria and other African countries. As more civil society leaders are crossing into government, Cynthia believes that civil society organizations should continue to […]

Vedrana Vujovic is a dedicated public servant from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, currently serving in the Council Assembly in Sarajevo and the House of People Parliament, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her political motivation stems from growing up in a war-torn society and her ambition to facilitate positive change and a better environment in her […]

After political transitions, activists sometimes have an opportunity to “cross over” into government so they can advance democratic reform from within as elected or appointed officials. Watch how past experiences can support government work once in a new role.