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Young people in Ethiopia are coming of age amid high rates of unemployment and political and social instability. They face gender, cultural, traditional and social norms and barriers when it comes to education, access to services, public and civil participation, and when looking for work - all of which contribute to a sense of frustration and hopelessness, and can hold them back from exploring new opportunities.

Our team has been working to gain a better understanding of young people’s aspirations, challenges, motivators, influences and needs when it comes to access to relevant services, education and training, health and wellbeing, job creation and employment.

Through our series Negat (Dawn), on radio and television, we are reflecting stories and experiences of young people as they deal with these challenges in their communities around Ethiopia. We focus on the barriers that hold young people back, and share the way they navigate and overcome these challenges to illustrate resilience, inspire their peers, and change negative public perceptions and attitude towards young people.

Find our radio programme on  and the TV show on  (links lead to third-party sites).

Meet some of our Negat team:

"The concerns of Ethiopia’s young generation include education, jobs, and our wellbeing. For me, as part of this young generation, producing Negat was not just producing a programme about something I barely know. It was like exploring my own life. From the drama series we have produced, and from the contributors and guests we have talked with, I have explored my own environment, challenges, and opportunities. That is what makes producing Negat special for me.

"Through the characters in our Negat drama series, we have tried to reflect the lives of many Ethiopian young people. Negat creates a place where young people who are involved in volunteerism, apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, and art can share their experiences in education and in building a career path. Family and community members also share their thoughts on these experiences and goals.  

"Producing Negat helps me to understand that, in their day-to-day life, Ethiopian young people face challenges that make them feel hopeless and unable to find work. The challenges are different from place to place. Their perceptions of work, of access to information, of unreachable opportunities and a lack of skills are some of the challenges that many young Ethiopians are facing.

"While producing the show, we have tried to cover such problems. We have tried to show possible ways to find opportunities and information, and ways that young people can develop their experience and skill. We have also talked with experts and officials on how government and society can create a better place for young Ethiopians.

"The very interesting thing about our Negat TV and radio programmes is that we have put a lot of hard work to make them interactive and entertaining. We believe that delivering the programmes in a very interesting and entertaining way helps us reach the heart of audiences easily."

"As a young person, being involved and working on a project that highlights the challenges of employment, job creation, wellbeing, and other issues youth face in our country, and that points out ways to inspire and help them better explore their options, has been a very interesting learning experience for me.

"Our research findings were an important element behind the programme. They helped us to come up with a well-structured communication framework to design the episodes.

"We put a lot of hard work into planning and preparation, while setting specific communication objectives to address, and including contributors that resonate with urban and rural audiences.

"Traveling to places and meeting contributors, interacting with youth, producing the episodes, and the teamwork required to deliver our 12 episodes were what I most enjoyed from this journey. Of all the profiles we featured, a group of young people in Adama city who produce bicycles out of bamboo was the story that surprised me the most. 

"One thing that I hope sets a good example for other programmes is our approach to gender inclusion on the show. We followed the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s 50:50 Project to ensure we fully included women and girls in our programmes. Female experts, decision-makers and role models were our advisors, and presented as part of our solutions.

"We also featured profiles of young people, young contributors and young decision-makers and experts - defying the old narratives that portray young people as the cause of a problem, and elders as part of the solution. Many young people in Ethiopia are fed up with this stereotype, and felt they were not being represented in shows made for young people. And I think that makes Negat unique and paves the way forward for future TV programmes."

Negat (Dawn) is broadcast on one television and one radio station in Addis Ababa, and one radio station in Amhara region, and accompanied by social media content. It is funded by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation as part of our ‘Engaging young people through media’ project, working to gain a better understanding of young people in the country: their aspirations, and what factors hold them back from succeeding in employment, and living healthy, active lives. Read our research here.