What it takes for youth programmes to succeed

Young people in Kenya, like everywhere in the world, have distinctive needs, challenges, concerns and expectations.

But while the government has always come up with special programmes to empower the youth through trainings, different funds and apprenticeship programmes, the jury is still out on whether these programmes, serviced through taxpayers’ money, have succeeded.

The government, therefore, hopes to adopt a mainstreaming strategy, where youth affairs will be addressed at all levels in government departments and agencies.

Two weeks ago, the government held a three-day youth mainstreaming workshop, bringing together stakeholders in government, the private sector and youth groups, to discuss ways of harnessing youth participation and involvement in the country’s development agenda.

Will youth mainstreaming be the magic wand for young people’s problems in Kenya? Will it address fundamental shortcomings experienced in youth programmes? What are some of the loopholes, and how can these be sealed to be more effective?

This week, we engage some of the young people who participated in the workshop, to share their views on why think government projects fail and what should be done differently to change the situation.

FAITH MANTHI, 27

Commonwealth Youth Council

Faith is the outgoing vice chairperson in charge of Partnerships and Resources at the Commonwealth Youth Council, an elective position she won in 2015. She has passion for social work, with a bias for the areas of youth development, sports for development and gender issues. Faith is currently taking her Master in project planning at the University of Nairobi.

How can the government best address youth affairs?

I believe most young people have been empowered with the necessary skills and synergy. They already have a voice.

Mainstreaming them into the institutional setups is key.

But focus has to widen from youth in urban areas to the rural folks where government presence is still mildly felt. But even as the government involves young people in different programmes, it has to engage them not merely as beneficiaries, but also in the decision-making, planning, budgeting and implementation phases of these programmes for them to ‘own’ them.

These programmes must also be sustainable. After all, the president is after securing a legacy.

How differently would you approach youth issues if you had the power?

Rather than come up with new platforms, I would instead endeavour to synergise the many structures and programmes that we have in place, particularly youth-inclusive policies.

Another agenda would be to isolate youth affairs by having a youth-specific ministry. I would also create in each county a separate youth office with personnel who engage youth more directly and at a personal level.

I would also put more emphasis on moving away from rhetoric and getting to work, which is what we need. With a population made up of 60 per cent youth, we cannot afford to ignore this rich demographic dividend anymore.

How can youth participation and involvement in the various youth programmes be enhanced?

The youth should be engaged in policy and even budget reviews. They have the responsibility to hold national and county governments accountable to the youth-centric processes and developmental programmes. We have what it takes to bring the change we want to see.

What is Commonwealth Youth Council and what is its mandate?

The Commonwealth Youth Council was established in 2011, with the aim of engaging and empowering young people in decision-making and national development in the 52 Commonwealth countries. The council acts as an advocate and voice for young people from all the Commonwealth countries.

We interact with the youth at the Pan-Commonwealth, regional and national level, by advancing the youth development agenda and coordination of activities and youth policies.

What is the role of council members?

These act as representatives of the 1.2 billion young people in Commonwealth countries.

They meet on the side lines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit which is held biennially, and come up with recommendations on different matters that touch on their welfare, guided by the theme of that year’s summit. They also come up with projects that they can carry out on their own or through the support of their governments.

What are some of the achievements of the council?

In the 2015/2018 period, we had a four-point agenda namely political; promote peace and tackle violent extremism, social; address sexual reproductive health (SRH) among the youth and environmental; address climate change by promoting conservation measures for a blue economy.

During this period, we also came up with the ‘I am Able’ initiative which sought to promote the welfare of young people living with disabilities.

The project was launched in Kenya, and adopted elsewhere in the Commonwealth world. Antigua and Barbuda, for instance, has even set up a commission called ‘I am Able’ to critically look into issues of young people living with disabilities.

The President has previously directed government agencies to mainstream youth affairs with little success…

While the President’s directive was a noble idea on the surface of it, there was little such a directive could achieve seeing the directive was not anchored on any written document. For actual and productive involvement of the youth, there has to be a policy in place. The workshop could not have come at a better time.

BRIAN CHANZERA, 26

Youth leader, Kilifi County

Brian is a graduate of business administration from Kenya Methodist University and a Master student in international relations at the United States International University (USIU-Africa).

The reigning Mr Kilifi County is passionate about youth empowerment through mentorship, coaching, public speaking and youth rights. His grassroots campaign ‘Toothbrush for Identity’ aims to sensitise youth in his community on the importance of oral health.

The campaign is also symbolic in that it addresses issues of drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and poverty in his community.

Have you ever benefited from a youth-targeted government programme?

Yes, but only minimally. I have applied for the Uwezo Fund loan on numerous occasions without success. I honestly think the government needs to review how its programmes operate, especially in the rural areas.

This is so because information does not reach most of the youths targeted by such programmes, especially in counties in remote places such as Kilifi. Also, the threshold of eligibility is too high for the majority of would-be beneficiaries.

Why do you think most government projects for the youth fall short of their objectives?

Bias is to blame for why most government programmes fail to achieve the intended effect. The selection process in some of the youth programmes are not equitable in terms of region and gender. Towards this, I would recommend that all processes must be above-board for there to be any significant change.

Corruption is definitely the biggest threat to the success of government youth-oriented programmes. When money meant for young people is pilfered, as has been happening at the National Youth Service (NYS), this compromises the quality of services that the youth receive, or no services at all. At the end of the day, the government’s agenda of empowering the youth is hurt.

I strongly feel that there is a serious deficiency in proper sensitisation. Most young people in my county, especially the semi illiterate, are not aware of government programmes that address their welfare. The government must use appropriate and friendly channels when advertising these programmes. It should make the process of applying for the youth fund, for instance, less laborious.

What is your greatest concern that you think has not been addressed by the government?

The issue of unemployment and underemployment is a thorn in the flesh of most of Kenya’s youth. Both the national and county governments have not established adequate measures to absorb fresh graduates into their workforce at the entry level. Creating an all-round labour force making it seamless for one to move from one job to another in a related field would minimise cases of young professionals getting stranded in case of retrenchments.

STEPHEN NDAMBUKI, 31

Stephen is a population programme officer at National Council for Population and Development (NCPD.)

What is the role of the National Council for Population and Development?

NCPD is a semi-autonomous government agency under the ministry of Planning and National Treasury. The council is charged with coordinating all programmes in the country. These include donor-sponsored and government-funded programmes. The council also mobilises resources and support for such projects. The council conducts research on emerging population issues such as teenage pregnancy, the youth bulge and unemployment, and is responsible for identifying and advising the government on areas that may not have received adequate attention.

What would you say has been the most elaborate way that NCPD has engaged young people in Kenya?

The government has come up with a strategy known as the Demographic Dividend Roadmap, which is a framework that will ensure integration of youth issues in development planning with the aim of harnessing active youth participation in the process. The strategy identifies priority action areas, which include health and wellbeing of young people, education and skills development, employment and entrepreneurship and human rights and governance. Each government department, including those that deal with agriculture, energy or education, will be required to implement each of these four pillars.

Do you think youth representation in Kenya has yielded noteworthy change?

The National Youth Council (NYC) is the official state-recognised body responsible for articulating all youth-related issues in Kenya. I personally feel that NYC has not been effective in agitating for the rightful place of young people. As a constitutional body, efforts must be made to rid the body of any political interference for it to deliver. I also believe that young people in this country are not adequately represented in decision-making organs.

Who is to blame for lack of enough representation of young people?

While women groups have been aggressive in their push for inclusion in entities that matter such as appointment to senior government positions, this aggressiveness and consistency has been lacking on our part as young people. Either we are too distracted in other pursuits, or we are not passionate enough in the drive for recognition. We must also refuse to be used as political ammunition during elections and only vote in people who genuinely mean to address our challenges. But perhaps worth asking, do young people have role models in youthful leaders who would inspire them to run for elective office?

Do you think the workshop achieved its intended objective?

The workshop aimed at engaging different government departments and establishing what policies and strategies they have on youth. The workshop also looked at ways of harnessing and harmonising these strategies. There were very rich discussions on how best to incorporate youth in the country’s development agenda. So yes, the workshop was a success.

FYI

The objective of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) is to empower youth to ensure their full potential and participation in society as equal and valuable partners.

By so doing, Unesco considers young people as a resource, not part of the problem and as partners as opposed to mere beneficiaries in the design, implementation and evaluation of programmes aimed at improving their welfare.

Unesco employs a variety of approaches to involve young people in its activities. These include:

Ensuring the presence of young women and men in Unesco bodies such as the secretariat, delegations, and national commissions.

Unesco has also developed partnerships with young people, to solicit and integrate their views and priorities and collaborate with them in setting up projects and programmes.

Additionally, the UN body provides assistance to member states in mainstreaming youth issues into their policies and programmes in order to create spaces and opportunities for empowering young people and giving recognition, visibility and credibility to their contributions.

Unesco disseminates publications and information material concerning the youth in its sustain campaigns and through coordinated action with other UN agencies and programmes.