Open government strategies and initiatives aim to support democracy and inclusive growth. They are an important tool to increase transparency, accountability, and integrity, whilst building stronger relationships between government and citizens allowing them to participate in policy-making. As the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Open Government underlines, open government, and stakeholder participation initiatives should include specific efforts “dedicated to reaching out to the most relevant, vulnerable, underrepresented, or marginalized groups in society”. Although youth are a highly heterogeneous group with different backgrounds, skills, and capacities, they often find it more difficult than other segments of society to make their voices heard. Youth can be considered as one of the groups that requires specific efforts.
Justifying Meaningful Engagement And Inclusion Of Young People In Political Processes.
More transparency, better accountability, and greater responsiveness to the youth demographic are elements young Kenyans yearn for. The Kenyan government is beginning to respond to these demands. To encourage more civic engagement by younger citizens, the government is taking measures through the World Bank's Kenya Accountable Devolution Program (KADP) to incorporate public participatory budgeting into their budget decision-making process. The 2007 general elections highlighted Kenya's failure to engage its youth constituency effectively in political, governance, and electoral processes. Building trust between young people and democratic institutions is critical as young people make up a substantive part of the overall Kenyan population.
The Youth Café Receives The WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Youth Award 2021.
The WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award is a non-profit organization financed by the City of Gothenburg, Region Västra Götaland and several member organizations and companies. It is the world’s largest sustainability award that aims to recognize and support outstanding contributions from around the world. The goal of the award is to stimulate creativity and achieve lasting synergies as it strives to strike the right balance between ecological, environmental, and social needs. The prize has been presented in Gothenburg since 2000. The WIN WIN Youth Award is an international award that aims to empower and reward young people who play an active role in the creation of a more sustainable future.
Report On Youth Leadership And Political Participation In Kenya
Youth leaders from across Kenya came together to find solutions on ways to strengthen youth political participation in Kenya. This was particularly poignant, especially in the context of the upcoming general elections in 2022. The event was hosted by GovJunction, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and The Youth Café on November 20, 2021.