Leonie Mills
Pronouns: She/Her
Organisation: African Youth Security Network
Country of origin: Ghana
Profile
Leonie Mills is a Ghanaian peacebuilder who was born and raised in London but currently lives and studies in Ghana. Leonie said she founded her organisation due to the bias, limited range and lack of diverse perspectives in the academic world. According to Leonie, the youth also needs a voice in Security Studies because those matters ultimately affect them. Aged 26, she co-directs a pan-African organisation called African Youth Security Network. This organisation aims to foster connections among young peacebuilders across Africa, facilitating meaningful dialogue among the continent’s youngest voices. Currently, the organisation is comprised of more than 40 members and continues to grow.
Story
As a junior academic in the field of African Peace, Security and Development, Leonie Mills realised that the dominant voices and theorists in that academic field were mostly ‘old, white men from the Global North. Youth, they were not really seen as agents of change or they did not really seem to have agency. They were either potential threats, because they could be seen as rebels, or they were seen as victims of insecurity,’ Leonie said. She co-founded the African Youth Security Network, which is based in Ghana. Her motivation was to champion and centre the voices of youth within Africa, giving them agency and their own discourse around what is happening across the continent regarding peace and security issues.
Leonie and the more than 40 other members of the organisation post weekly articles analysing peace and security issues around Africa, and host events and discussions around these topics. ‘We have come to realise, actually, that our problems are very similar and interconnected. People in the Gambia, people from Mali, people in Nigeria saw that their problems were more alike than they initially thought,’ Leonie said. The organisation aims to build horizontal relationships with like-minded individuals and connect those interested in these discussions.
The events are held online due to lack of funding. ‘The main obstacle we face is funds. Really, we have had no funding, we have zero funding. And that is not from a lack of trying, like we try,’ Leonie said. There is little funding destined for organisations that are focused on prevention or knowledge creation, she said. Funding goes to where damage has already occurred. Nonetheless, Leonie views this as an advantage of her organisation, because hosting online events means that more people from around the continent can be connected at the same time. ‘There are people from different African countries. That is what makes me proud. Having someone from Algeria, or from Gambia in the same space is just mind blowing to me,’ Leonie said.
Another challenge for the organisation is striving to be representative. Access to the internet is necessary in order to be a part of the organisation, but this excludes those without access. Thus, communities that are most at risk may not be able to participate in the discussions. In order to overcome this and reach a broader audience, the team has been working on other creative projects such as podcasts, conferences and summits.
Leonie said that anyone who wants to start their own initiative should just do it. ‘Just go for it!’ She hopes that the next generation will cultivate the same relationships, the same networks and the same discussions, continuing to raise up the future leaders of peace and security.