The Youth Cafe is a youth development organisation that takes pride in creating a society where men and women are treated equally and with respect. By embracing gender transformative strategies that offer chances to question gender norms, advance social and political positions in communities, and address power imbalances between people of different genders, we embrace diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI).
The Youth Cafe was started as a response to the gender issues that are still not adequately addressed. The Youth Cafe examines and analyses new gender issues, raises awareness of them, and encourages constructive masculinity and women's empowerment.
The rising need for gender equality education prompted us to broaden our scope of services to reach the larger mass and offer amicable solutions to vulnerable people in society, specifically targeting corporates and the grassroots level. We are facing a crisis of democratic institutions where the power of actors and institutions to represent and fight for social justice has been undercut, and civil society spaces for advocacy and action are severely restricted.
When recruiting young people for our programs, we make sure that both males and females of all ages—between 18 and 21; 22 and 25; 26 and 29; and 30 to 35—are equally represented, in accordance with The Youth Cafe requirements of 60% females and 40% males.
The Youth Café aims to advance gender equality by changing systems, transforming norms, and shifting power differentials so that diverse youth, including male and female youth in different age categories, influence decision-making and development agendas. The Youth Cafe considers intersectional power differentials and inclusion, including who engages in research, critical reflection and learning, data analysis and synthesis, implementation and decision-making, and barriers to participation that different groups face.
In addition, the Intersectional Gender Analysis has also been utilised to guide the identification of cross-sectoral issues in each target area and internationally, as well as the overall project activities and methodologies. The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor of The Youth Cafe co-leads these with feedback from young people and youth organisations.
The Youth Cafe employs intersectional gender analysis, also known as GESI analysis, which takes into account the various interconnected aspects of human identity that are connected to systemic injustices and discrimination on a global scale. These aspects include gender identity, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and refugee status.
By conducting Intersectional Gender Analyses, The Youth Cafe explores the relationship between identity-based differences (primarily but not only gender and age) in social, economic and political life. The analyses can help anticipate opportunities and challenges in how partners, stakeholders, participants, alumni, and indirect beneficiaries experience The Youth Cafe and what specific challenges they face in participating fully in social and political life.
Recognising that diversity is different in various contexts and cultures, The Youth Cafe uses gender studies to identify historically underrepresented communities and intersectional connections, including women and girls, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ communities. Our main goals are to measure power dynamics, inclusion, and engagement while surfacing constituent voices, and we constantly modify our methods as we learn more.
The Youth Cafe integrates intersectional GESI considerations into each activity and offers a stand-alone gender analysis and GESI capacity-building opportunities. TYC will take this approach to include people with disabilities, working with affinity networks such as the International Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability. TYC will map out civil society networks to identify organisations within the in-country focal points with a broader reach of the mentioned youth segments to complement the TYC database. To prioritise GESI across Youth Panel, we will offer and ensure:
Gender equality and social inclusion (GESI): The Youth Cafe:
The Youth Cafe offers gender audit and assessment services, gender policy development, sexual and reproductive health training, and advocacy and capacity building on gender issues. Our focus is on gendered research, gender-based violence, and positive masculinity.
“I would like to thank The Youth Cafe for allowing me to be part of this process of advocating for gender equality. This will surely go a long way in promoting equality in organizations.”
The Youth Cafe is committed to preventing and responding to any form of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (as well as child abuse and abuse of adults at-risk), whether carried out by staff/representatives or resulting from our work.
From April to May 2021, The Youth Cafe conducted an Intersectional Rapid Gender Analysis in Kisumu County. This analysis aimed to enhance youth work readiness in Kisumu County by promoting engagement between youth, higher education institutions, and the private and public sectors. Read the Kisumu Report here. The same analysis was conducted in Embakasi in Nairobi County. Read about the Embakasi Report here.
Our Safeguarding Policy outlines our commitment to protecting anyone who comes into contact with The Youth Cafe from sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse in all its forms.
The Youth Cafe recognizes that these harms are gross human rights violations rooted in an imbalance of power, particularly gendered and sexualized abuses of power. This Policy is supported by the Child Safeguarding Policy, Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy, and Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse (SHEA) at Work Policy.
If you have any questions about these policies or want to report a Safeguarding concern, please get in touch with the regional Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@theyouthcafe.com.
“The Youth Cafe’s experience, professionalism and knowledge in what they do is top notch. The gender audit report was comprehensive and enabled us to implement the recommended changes swiftly.””
In Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, The Youth Cafe works to study and analyse the significance of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in achieving Universal Health Coverage. The Youth Café advocates for SRHR education, comprehensive sexuality education, and abolishing harmful traditional practices.
The Youth Café has prioritised ending Violence Against Women and girls, men and boys. We provide services that empower both women and men to secure their future by taking actions that seek to end Gender-Based Violence. We provide a framework for mainstreaming gender in all projects and institutional mechanisms to ensure effective implementation.
Our contributions to Gender Equality
Leveraging Ideas and Expertise to Overcome Poverty, Empower Women, and Initiate Programs That Promote Gender Equality
Supporting women, girls, and young people are more important than ever. The denial of women's and girls' basic human rights and a rise in sexual assault and other forms of violence are both consequences of gender inequality. Additionally, food insecurity brought on by extreme poverty and climate change increases the vulnerability of the world's poorest population, particularly women and girls. We are running creative programs to stop abuse and violence together. For women and young people, it generates sustainable income and gives them the tools to lead their communities.
2. Increasing Economic Autonomy For Young Men And Women
The Youth Cafe’s staff and volunteers work with local partners to empower women and youth-led collective ventures and small businesses. Women and adolescents are imbalanced by the effects of poverty and unemployment. Still, Africa has the fastest-growing and youngest population in the world.
Women and young people can generate money through economic endeavours like soap manufacturing, small animal rearing, beekeeping, and vegetable farming. Investing in the economic development of women and young people means funding the fight against poverty and global economic expansion.
4. Workshops
Through virtual training and workshops created to be easily used in the workplace, our webinars are expertly delivered with the most recent skills and resources on diversity, equality, inclusion (DEI), equal opportunity, and inclusion. For subscribers, the webinar is offered at least once each month in real-time online.
5. Advancing Africa Young Women’s Leadership
For women, achieving and maintaining power is challenging. Barriers to leadership appear insurmountable in many of the nations we serve in. Lack of access to education and training, as well as fewer possibilities for mentoring to foster leadership qualities, contribute to attitudes and views that women are not treated equally to males at home, at business, and in government. The Youth Café works in various fields, including research, by providing up-to-date empirical knowledge regarding gendered behaviours, expectations, and discourses in politically crucial ways.