Kenyan Youth Post-2015 Synthesis Workshop 30th-31st May 2013, Nairobi

Background information

OAYouth-Kenya and IYC-Kenya have partnered with Africa Monitor, Text for Change and other partners to implement a project to enable Kenyan youth participation in the post-2015 Agenda through the use of the new media, particularly crowd-sourcing, mobile technology and radio campaigning. We have established a mobile based e-platform to mobilize perspectives from a minimum of 15,000 youths in Kenya on the post-2015 agenda and make available regular information feeds about current debates related to the post-2015 global dialogue.  Young people can participate by sending an sms with the word POST2015 to 21222. The project was launched on 13th April 2013 in the University of Nairobi.

Several documents have been released detailing the aspirations of young people in regards to the Post-2015 Agenda. Notable ones include the African Youth Declaration on Post-2015 Agenda by OAYouth-Kenya and the report by VSO Jitolee from their youth consultation. Further the Government through the Ministry of Planning are conducting the national consultations with an aim of releasing a national report in June 2013. The CSOs are also consultation in order to feed their input to the government process.

In consultations with UN Agencies, CSOs, youth serving organizations and the Ministry of Planning and vision 2030, the need has emerged to have a Kenyan specific youth position that would address pertinent and key issues that affect young people and pull all the papers that have been drafted with different youth organizations with an aim to consolidate a one position paper that will feed to the National consultation taking place in June 3013. It is on this basis that the Organization of African Youth-Kenya, in partnership with various organizations, seeks to have Kenyan Youth Post-2015 Synthesis Workshop to engage and consult hence come up with the position paper.

Objectives of the Workshop

·         To assemble youth with experience in sustainable development and technical skills to synthesize the various documents on Post 2015 and based on their experiences.

·         To develop a consensus document that targets specific youth issues that will culminate into Kenyan Youth position on Post-2015 Agenda.

·         To strengthen partnership within Kenyan youth and youth serving organizations in the country to implement MDGs based projects.

Methodology

The Kenyan Youth Post2015 Synthesis Workshop will run for two days in Nairobi, between 30th and 31^st May, 2013.  The workshop will have 70 participants. The breakdown of the participants is a follows:

• Kenyan youths
• Workshop conveners
• Workshop partners

Workshop Matrix

The conveners in consultations with other youth serving organizations have selected various documents that will form the basis of the discussions, including the Kenyan 2011 MDG status report by the Ministry of Planning and Vision 2030. The documents will be sent to the analysts prior to the workshop. The Organization of African Youth-Kenya has also been running sms and social media based platforms that will also offer raw data on youth views on Post 2015Agenda

During the workshop, the particulates will work in panels/groups and securitize the documents to identify a trend of common emerging issues that are relevant to the Kenyan youth.

After the intense synthesis, the identified key issues will be discussed and a draft document availed. The draft document will then be subjected to analysis, debate and adjustments.  The outcome document will then be validated as the Kenyan youth position on Post 2015.

Expected outcome:

• Create more awareness and enable broader youth participation in the Post-2015 Agenda.
• Release a Kenya Youth Position Paper on Post-2015 Agenda to feed into the National Report.

Feeding into other process

Kenyan Youth position on 2015 document will be fed into other formal process so as to enhance its value. These are:

• Kenya National CSOs forum (20 slots already reserved for young people)
• Kenyan National Consultation on Post 2015 to be hosted by the government (10 slots for young people reserved.)

Partnership

The Organization of African Youth-Kenya seeks to have as many partners as possible to ensure that the process is legitimate, valuable and broad based. While we had thought of having the process of consultations across the country, resource constraints have impeded such engagements.

However, we aspire to make the engagement an open process that is inclusive. Partners can therefore take part in the process through various kinds of support.

The worth of partnership is based on the informational and data value that we will obtain. The information can be used for youth advocacy, policy influence and developments, projects developments and resource mobilization. The partner’s engagement in the process would also help to raise the grassroots voices of the youth they serve within their networks.

UN DAY 2012 ; UN4U

Faces of Peace Kenya has  been nominated by the United Nations Information Centre(UNIC) to organize an outreach program for the Kenyan youth in the build up to the 2012 UN Day that will be held on 24^th October, 2012; themed ‘UN DAY 2012 ; UN4U’. 

 To mark UN DAY 2012, UN Information Center has partnered with Faces of Peace Kenya to:  (1) reach out  to youth and  inform them about UN (2) Know what youth Organizations are doing (3) find ways of working together in  future (4) promote peace and humanitarian work .

According to UNIC,  “this year we plan to have interactive sessions with youth pretty much like the group you have.  We plan to exchange information with each other and see how best we can enhance the peace and humanitarian agenda as will be deemed fit”.

 http://visit.un.org/wcm/content/site/visitors/lang/en/home/to_see_and_do/lectures/un4u/pid/19466

The outreach  events will be held on;

                       17th  October, 2012 , 9:00 am—12:00 pm ; at Baba Dogo Community Hall

                      and

                    8th  October, 2012 , 9:00 am—12:00  pm at Ruiru Town, Focus  Youth Centre. 

This is a golden chance for us to get to know how well we can collaborate with the UN Agencies. 

We will also run an essay contest. They are to do an original, well-articulated and objective in the setting of; “ if you were UN Secretary General, how would you work with the youth to enhance the peace and humanitarian agenda in the context of globalization” 400-500 words, and  send to fopakenya@gmail.com by 15th October, 2012.  The winners will have their essays published in Faces of Peace e-Journal, attend the UN Day celebration in 24^th October at Gigiri and get books award from the UNIC. 

We hope  to see you 

Faces of Peace at Inaugural International Day of the Girl Child; UN Headquarters

We as Faces of Peace Kenya felt honored to be invited to take part in the first ever Iternational Day of the Girl Child, 11, October , 2012 at UN, Gigiri.

 What challenges faces the girl child? What can be done to alleviate these? What is the African position on MDGs, more so Goal 5? These are some of the issues that came out during the Inaugural International Day of the Girl Child at UN Headquarters at Gigiri , Nairobi,  11 October , 2012.

UN Staff on why girls must work hard to make it, Int'l Girl Child Day, 2012, Nairobi

It was great honor for Faces of Peace Kenya to be invited to this first event of its kind . the guests of the day, young Kenyans from UPEED organization in Banana Kiambu, told their stories that captivated the audience.

The organization of young girls carries out girl child empowerment initiatives in their small way. They have ‘a chama’, an informal saving schemes where they do small savings. This is a good move since the financial inclusion in Kenya , coupled with poor credit rationing, despite the emergence of agency banking, has been very limited. 

The group also has a football initiative, Hopes Soccer Sisters Football Club. Through sports, they are able  to rally the young girls and pass crucial information on health education and life skills.

When asked about the day, their leaders asked for need for genuine involvement of youth  from the grassroots , in all spheres of development.

And we toured the UN Complex freely with friendly guides 

And admired the works of Prof. Wangari (RIP) the village girl whom became a world champion through little things:

 UPEED Girls at tree planted at UN by Prof. Wangari (RIP) in 2004

There were also presentations about UNFPA, Tunza, UNIC, and a billion tree campaigns.  UNFPA according to the youth officer, Baluda, involves the youth through policy making, trainings, life skill education, and advocacy. 

The most inspiring talk came from Linda of Ghetto Radio. According to Linda girls have to dream and dream, “never stop dreaming even if you will achieve what you want at 90”. She talked of a tweet she read in the morning that: “if all presidents were women, there would be no war”.

Faces of Peace asked for need to focus on girls in rural and slum areas and also to mentor them during holidays. 

From the personal testimonies of the UN staff, the ladies who made it against all odds, it was evident that girls need to work hard and not settle for less.

According to Linda of Ghetto FM “what a man can do, a woman can perfect” . Happy International Day of the Girl Child, 11, October , 2012.

4th October, 2012, a Children’s Show at Lang’ata Women’s Prison

Have you ever imagined that some women are imprisoned while having weeks old babies. Some are single mothers with no one to take care of the babies when they are jailed.

That is what some babies and children face at Lang’ata women’s prison.

During our visit there on 4^th October, 2012, we wanted to give the children some reason to smile and be happy.

Yes, it was that good. They are welcoming and happy and friendly.

We talked, laughed and played , and too they sung for us.

Some have ‘few teeth’, making them more beautiful and shiny., some are cheeky and playful, some are very shy.

Since this was the week of the Nairobi  International  Trade Fair , that happens just some few kilometers from the prison, we want the children also to have a ‘show within the prison walls’.

As we shared with them, we realized that they are very smart and looking forward to a bright  future.

 As we talked to their mothers, we realized that they need a lot of things such as clothes and reading and playing materials, and personal effects. But we asked their mothers to change for better once released and ensure that the children are educated. Its good that the convicts have short courses in hairdressing, computer skills, farming, cooking etc that can enable them set up enterprises after serving their terms.

The deputy officer in charge made us have a deeper reflection. We never thought of this: “you know the children get happy when they see men, a father figure, they miss this in their lives”. That was the message. The children are growing up without interacting with male adults since most wardens are female.

So how can we peace together the missing link? Yes we did it for some hours, but more visits would enhance their growth and development.

As usual, we do appreciate the work of officers. And as we left , we brushed their shoes, as a sign of humility, and asked them to keep shining in their service. 

We were happy, as we left, but sad that we had few clothes and some items to give.  Some children cried as we left. Then we became sad again.

What can you do to help an innocent  baby; child whose mother is jailed for life? Over to you !