Youth Persona
Name: Sheila
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Highest level of education: Form four leaver yet to join TVET
Occupation: Self employed - Thrift cloth shop on social media.
Religion: Spiritual but not religious
Ethnicity: Maasai
County: Nandi
Motivations (What motivates this youth’s participation in civic engagement through digital media?)
She wants more and more youth to participate in civic engagement
Sheila wants young women to take up leadership positions
She gets time to air out his opinions without discrimination
She gets to connect with a community with whom he shares her ideals
Aspirations (What aspirations does this youth have of civic engagement in the digital space?)
She wants to be a human rights activist
She envisions a better future for youth in Kenya
To create a safe online community for young people to safely engage in civic matters
Challenges (What obstacles or barriers does this youth face in their civic engagement digitally?)
High number of women online Harassment/trolling
Lack of trust in the internet due to high prevalence of false news and misinformation.
Declining trust in political processes
Data breaches
Digital surveillance
Stigma young people face regarding their characteristics and influence on society
Support (What support does this youth need to increase their digital and media literacy in order to participate in civic engagements?)
Skills on how to use social media so they are better able to encourage others to take part in civic engagement
Fact checking to not fall victim to fake news
Market gap (what people do at their leisure time so she is able to attract more people)
Know what lingo i.e. memes young people use
Awareness and capacity among adults to equip young people with the tools, support and encouragement needed to be civically engaged
Adequate data and research on the impact of young people’s participation and civic engagement
Opportunities (what can this youth take advantage of digitally to improve their civic engagement?)
Through digital media Sheila is able to reach a huge number of people
Safe online communities
Online youth civic discussions
Blogging/vlogging
Leadership moment (When, where and how does this youth feel they can take actions/roles/opportunities to lead and influence civically in the digital space?)
When many people engage with their posts
When she reaches many people and gets feedback from this people on the impact she has made
Quote (“The infrastructure available in my community is very poor, it limits the level at which I can connect with my peers in the digital space”)
“I would like to see more and more women and youth in Kenya take charge and have their voices heard on digital platforms.”
Where does this individual get their civic/political information? (e.g. news, opportunities)
Blogs
Facebook
Zoom Conferences
Word of mouth
Twitter
Instagram
Digital Access and Literacy
How comfortable is this person with using digital communication tools? Very Comfortable
What digital devices do they have frequent (every day) access to e.g. computer, mobile? Mobile, Laptop
What digital communication tools do they use the most? (WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, social media – facebook etc)
How does this person describe their internet connectivity? Not very Stable as the network provider provides cheap bundles with stability problems.
What types of media is this person attracted to (i.e. sources, formats, etc.)?
Infographics
Memes
Tiktok/ short videos
Photos
What digital media literacy learning and research questions does this person need/want to know?
Where can young people go to develop their media and digital literacy learning skills? i.e. Digital Institution
How best can young people fact check and verify information that is shared on digital platforms?
How can young people leverage the digital space and use it to influence policies and budgetary allocations?