Embassy-hosted internships
Structured placements and engagement tracks hosted with diplomatic missions — giving young people first-hand exposure to international relations and public diplomacy.
See the programsBased in Addis Ababa · Working worldwide
Where young people
meet the world.
Connect to the World brings the next generation face to face with the institutions that shape it — embassies, the African Union, and global partners — through hosted internships, international events, and intensive courses.
Addis Ababa · seat of the African Union
9°N 38°E
Hosted in partnership with the embassies of
- Republic of Türkiye
- United Mexican States
- Republic of South Africa
Our purpose
A generation ready to engage the institutions that govern their future.
Across the continent, ambitious young people are kept at arm's length from the rooms where decisions are made. We close that distance — pairing youth with embassies, multilateral bodies, and policy leaders so that engagement becomes a habit, not a privilege.
3.
Embassies partnered for hosted events in Ethiopia
3.
Continents represented through our convenings
6+
Modules in the Navigating the AU System course
1.
Mission — connect youth to the world
What we do
Three ways we put young people in the room.
Every program is built around a single conviction: proximity changes everything. Sit a student across from a diplomat, and a career path opens.
International events
Convenings and cultural exchanges hosted with embassies in Addis Ababa — connecting youth with Türkiye, Mexico, South Africa, and the wider diplomatic community.
View past eventsIntensive courses
Practical, expert-led courses that demystify complex systems. Our flagship, Navigating the AU System, maps the African Union from the inside out.
Discover the courseFlagship courseCohort-based
Navigating the AU System
Replace with a photo from the courseNew · Intensive course
Make sense of Africa's most important institution.
The African Union sets the agenda for a billion people — yet its organs, processes, and entry points remain a closed book to most of the young Africans it serves. Navigating the AU System opens it.
- The architecture — the Assembly, Executive Council, the Commission, and the Peace & Security Council, explained.
- The entry points — youth programs, internships, fellowships, and ECOSOCC consultations.
- The practice — how decisions are really made, and how to make your voice count.
Track record
Events hosted with embassies in Ethiopia.
Youth & diplomacy with the Embassy of Türkiye
A convening on culture, scholarship pathways, and Türkiye–Africa cooperation, connecting students with mission staff and alumni networks.
Cultural exchange with the Embassy of Mexico
An evening bridging two continents — language, opportunity, and people-to-people diplomacy between Mexico and Ethiopia's young leaders.
Dialogue with the Embassy of South Africa
A conversation on pan-African solidarity, the AU, and the role of young people in shaping the continent's next chapter.
Our homeAddis Ababa
The diplomatic capital of Africa
Replace with a city or team photoWho we are
A bridge between youth and the wider world.
We work from Addis Ababa — home to the African Union, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and more than a hundred diplomatic missions. There is no better place to teach young people how the world is organised, and how to take their seat at the table.
Connect to the World turns that geography into opportunity: hosted internships, embassy convenings, and courses that translate complex systems into clear, usable knowledge.
Read our storyI walked in as a student and left with a network — and the confidence to use it.
Why it matters
Opportunity should not depend on who you already know.
For too many young people, the doors to diplomacy and policy are invisible — let alone open. We make them visible, then walk through them together. Every cohort widens the circle.
Get involved
Bring Connect to the World to your campus, mission, or institution.
Partner with us to host an event, open an internship track, or run a cohort of Navigating the AU System. We would love to hear what you are building.
Stay in the loop
Occasional updates on cohorts, events, and opportunities. No noise.
Thank you — you're on the list.