YMCAs throughout the continent are involved in civic education and engagement programmes. This was prior to the 4rm S2C concept, and these programmes are now including aspects of the S2C in them. Designed to ensure the active participation of young people in civil society processes,  these programmes provide basic civic education, promote youth volunteerism and service learning, and organise local and national level advocacy on critical youth issues. The youth themselves understand civic engagement, whether they are young intellectuals or poor uneducated youth living in slums, as the creation of belief and ability in young people to change their conditions positively, through the three levels of social transformation: sensitisation, attitude change and behaviour change.