7 finalists to compete for slots in British Council's leadership programme

Imagine having only four minutes to convince a panel of judges why your idea could make the world a better place. 

This is exactly what seven young people from Kenya will do on Thursday evening at Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi as they fight for a chance to be part of British Council’s Future Leaders Connect Programme.

The programme, which is in its second year, is a flagship youth leadership project of the British Council designed to connect, empower and equip exceptional young people between 18 to 35 years from around the world with the policy and leadership expertise.

Thursday’s event will see seven young Kenyans battle it out to win a slot in the four places reserved for Kenya in the programme.

JUDGES

Judges will include Irũngũ Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya, TerryAnne Chebet, Chief Executive Officer of Fanaka TV and the new British Council Country Director Ms Jill Coates.

Also in attendance will be an invited audience of 200 people. The event will be broadcasted live on Facebook.

The seven were shortlisted for the final selection out of 1,321 applications (from Kenyans) received by the British Council for the 2018 edition of the programme.

In 2017, five Kenyans joined winners from 10 other countries for an intensive leadership session in the UK. They met the Elders- a group of prominent international figures including former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and Graca Machel, the late Nelson Mandela’s wife, and visited the UK Houses of Parliament.    

GLOBAL VISION

The 2018 winners will travel to the UK in October to meet policy makers and British MPs.  The British Council aims to support a network of emerging leaders whose global visions and values will help them tackle the challenges they face in their regions.  

“Through Future Leaders Connect we will help a new generation to understand practical policy development by putting them in contact with the leaders of today and helping them to develop the skills and international contacts they need to make positive change,” says Sir Ciarán Devane, the Chief Executive of the British Council.

Data from the 2018 applications in Kenya shows that the top policy issue applicants cared about was access to education alongside health, food security, education, climate change and peace.  

 “It is a rich programme and very enlightening. It offers a unique opportunity for one to meet and interact with some of the best policy-making practitioners around the world,” says Christine Mwangi from Strathmore University, who was one of the six Kenyans in the programme in 2017.