Young graduates embracing an ubuntu ethic through giving back and leadership. Ubuntu and youth studies in Africa

Africa contributes to theories of philanthropy through the African social philosophy of Ubuntu, a code of ethics that seeks to honor the dignity of each person and is concerned with the development and maintenance of community networks through mutually affirming and enhancing relationships. Giving back refers to activities contributed to one’s own community, typically understood as related to volunteering, reciprocity, civic self-efficacy and Ubuntu in scholarly literature. Those committed to giving back are described as engaged citizens who possess particular skills, establish social connections within a community, and hold a responsibility to a community. This chapter presents narrative examples about the giving-back trends among a cohort of African graduates, who are beneficiaries of a scholarship from a global foundation that funded the five-year longitudinal cohort study on which this chapter reports. The study found that giving back is embedded in African cultures, which place a strong emphasis on the importance of solidarity, reciprocity, and relationship building. Participants have been socialized to think of themselves as inextricably bound to others – this is an Ubuntu ethics. Using indigenous philosophies of ubuntu, umoja, harambee, and ubuntu bulamu, this chapter makes a case for the innateness of giving back for a cohort of young Africans.