If it seems to be beyond reach, I will reach for it

Faith Manthi, 26, is the Vice Chairperson, (Partnerships and Resources) of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC). PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU

What you need to know:

  • This means Faith and her colleagues are the official representative voice of the more than 1.2 billion young people in the Commonwealth – youths aged 30 and below, who comprise more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s population.
  • The campaign is majorly on social media. To be eligible for nomination, one must be a member of a national youth council or a registered youth-led organisation and between 15-27 years.
  • Faith explains that the body aims to advance the youth development agenda by integrating young people into the development work of the Commonwealth at national, regional, and Pan-Commonwealth levels.

Last year in November, Faith Manthi, 26, was elected Vice Chairperson, (Partnerships and Resources) of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC).

She was elected by national youth delegates from the 53 Commonwealth countries at a General Assembly at the Commonwealth Youth Forum in Malta, Europe, during the 24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Being in the nine-member executive, she is part of the leadership that will give strategic direction to the coalition of national youth councils and other youth-led civil society and private sector bodies from across the member countries.

This means Faith and her colleagues are the official representative voice of the more than 1.2 billion young people in the Commonwealth – youths aged 30 and below, who comprise more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s population.

Faith explains that the body aims to advance the youth development agenda by integrating young people into the development work of the Commonwealth at national, regional, and Pan-Commonwealth levels. It also advocates on behalf of this group and encourages youth-led action on development challenges throughout the Commonwealth.

“We started work in March this year, and have already started mobilising the voices of young people on issues that affect them most, such as employment, equality and climate change,” she explains. The CYC will be working on four agendas, including: entrepreneurship and professionalisation of youth work, climate change, sexual reproductive health and championing for peace. Their expectation is that they can influence policy in the various governments that improve the lives of the youth.

“We are also advocating for governments to meaningfully engage young people. One of the roles I have found we must play is strengthening of young people’s participation in decision-making,” says Faith, adding that she is working with the Ministry of Public Service, Youth & Gender Affairs as well as other organisations, including NGOs with a focus on youth development.

BEYOND REACH

“What we are looking for is a sustainable platform for unified engagement with decision makers and youth-led development initiatives,” said Faith, who will hold the position for three years.

 “The way we work is that each representative picks best practices in their countries, which we then try to apply one another’s countries”.

The priority, she adds, is to have young people play a central role in delivering the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Faith, who was born in Mombasa and brought up in Malindi and Kola, Machakos County, explains that she was at first apprehensive about whether she would at all make it to the CYC. At the time, in July 2015, when she saw the call for applications on the UNESCO website, she was a member of the UNESCO Youth Forum in Kenya, and had just returned to the University of Nairobi to study for her Masters in Project Planning and Management. Her first thoughts were, “This can’t be easy. I would never be picked in a process involving 53 countries.”

“Anyway after much pondering, I decided to give it a try. If I lost, I would not have lost anything I had in the first place, and if anything, nobody ever died of applying for a job. I told myself that if I failed, at least I had tried,” says the second born of four siblings.

Faith has always been a go-getter.

“The will to attempt even where things seem beyond my reach…I think that is one of my intrinsic qualities. I love to challenge myself,” says the young, woman who describes herself as outgoing.

She inspired by the helplessness she sees in most young people around her, young people who have not discovered yet, the potential that lies within them.

She admires personalities such as Maya Angelou, the late American poet and civil rights activist.

“She was tenacious, a quality I have seen in many successful people around the world – Maya’s persistence to succeed in spite of having undergone many challenges is inspiring.”

SINGLE VOTE

In the run-up to the elections that saw her take the top seat, her life a whirlwind of activities that normally surround campaigns.

“Once finalists are selected is when the vigorous process of campaigns actually begins. Each country has a single vote - you have to get yourself out there and make yourself known by youths from all these 53 countries. You must have an impressive manifesto,” she explains, adding that the competitive nature of the elections means that you have to sell yourself really hard. National youth councils have delegates, these delegates are the ones that vote.”

The campaign is majorly on social media. To be eligible for nomination, one must be a member of a national youth council or a registered youth-led organisation and between 15-27 years.

Since taking over office, most of Faith’s time has been spent collecting data on the issues the CYC intends to work on. Even though she does not earn a salary, only getting occasional stipends and allowances when she is working on projects, she gets to travel around the world often. 

“Right now I am working on setting up structures that will enable us to liaise with partners whom we can collaborate with to achieve the milestones we set to achieve,” she explains.

Top on her list is a concept paper to get the Uwezo Fund and Youth Enterprise Development Fund to work better for the youth in Kenya.

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Bio:

Age: 26

Position: Vice Chairperson, (Partnerships and Resources) of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC)

Chairperson, UNESCO youth forum.

Institution: University of Nairobi

Course: Masters in Project Planning and Management

Awards: Commonwealth champion for youth development