Throughout the 2011 uprising and ensuing transitional period in Yemen, youth played a critical role in driving forward efforts to reform the country’s systems of governance to be more accountable to and inclusive of Yemenis from all walks of life. However, despite Yemen’s rapidly growing youth population, young leaders have been marginalized since the end of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) and beginning of the ongoing conflict. The resulting social polarization has fragmented existing youth networks and closed off any remaining space for Yemen’s diverse youth to share experiences and problem-solve across party lines.

To help empower Yemen’s future public leaders and strengthen their leadership capacities, and based on the success of the first cohort of the program, DeepRoot Consulting is launching the second phase of the program "Hikma Fellowship for Public Leaders", Funded by the government of the Netherlands, which aims at strengthening the political capital of Yemeni youth leaders and their participation in decision-making processes. Applying DeepRoot’s participatory and inclusive approach, the program will target a carefully selected group of first- and second-line emerging leaders from all political parties and independents to participate actively in the fellowship program.