The Youth Café (TYC) is a trailblazer in youth empowerment in Kenya, utilizing Participatory Budgeting (PB) to drive accountability, transparency, and good governance. Through its innovative PB approach, TYC has successfully mobilized over 76,000 young people across 12 counties, empowering them to take part in crucial budgetary decisions. With a staggering $3 million USD allocated through this process, TYC has set a new standard for how public resources can be managed effectively and ethically when young people are at the helm. This initiative not only empowers youth to influence public resource allocation but also transforms them into vigilant custodians of government accountability, ensuring public funds are directed toward community-driven solutions. 

Participatory budgeting: A powerful tool for accountability

Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process that allows citizens, particularly youth, to directly engage in deciding how public funds should be allocated. Through TYC’s innovative PB framework, young people are trained and mobilized to oversee budgetary decisions in crucial sectors such as infrastructure, social services, and economic development. This approach not only enhances transparency but also ensures that government spending aligns with the priorities of local communities.

By embedding youth participation into the budgeting process, TYC disrupts traditional governance models, ensuring that funds are directed toward projects that truly address community needs. More importantly, this engagement serves as a mechanism for accountability—youth act as watchdogs, holding their governments responsible for delivering on public promises, improving the overall quality of service delivery, and curbing corruption. TYC’s PB approach is designed to build trust between citizens and their local governments, transforming young people into active agents of accountability.

Youth-led monitoring and oversight: A new standard of accountability

TYC’s PB initiatives go beyond participation—they place youth at the center of monitoring and oversight. Young leaders are trained to evaluate how budgeted funds are spent, particularly on high-priority community projects such as infrastructure improvements, health services, and education. This level of engagement ensures that local governments remain transparent and accountable throughout the implementation of public projects.

To equip youth with the necessary skills, TYC provides comprehensive training on public expenditure tracking, project management and anti-corruption practices. This ensures that youth can not only identify and report mismanagement but also advocate for corrective actions. Their participation in these oversight roles transforms them into key stakeholders in the governance process, enforcing a standard of integrity and accountability rarely seen in traditional systems.

Youth participation in monitoring also promotes greater quality control in service delivery. By tracking the implementation of projects, young people can identify inefficiencies, provide real-time feedback, and ensure that funds are being used for their intended purposes. TYC celebrates these efforts by awarding certificates of participation, formally recognizing the role of youth as custodians of public accountability and fostering a sense of civic responsibility and ownership among young participants.

Tailored outreach: Engaging Kenya’s diverse youth population

TYC recognizes that Kenya’s youth are a diverse group, requiring a multi-faceted outreach strategy to ensure widespread engagement in PB processes. With over 90% mobile penetration in the country, TYC has adopted technology as a cornerstone of its outreach strategy, providing young people with easy access to PB information through mobile platforms, social media, websites, and SMS. These digital tools allow youth to stay informed about key dates, processes, and opportunities to participate in PB, regardless of their geographic location or socioeconomic status.

However, TYC does not rely solely on technology. It complements digital outreach with in-person engagement, particularly in marginalized and rural areas, where face-to-face interactions between youth and government officials are crucial. This direct engagement ensures that every young person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to engage in the PB process. TYC’s dual approach of tech-driven solutions and personal engagement ensures a more inclusive and transparent process where youth participation is not just encouraged but facilitated.

Collaboration, visibility, and transparency: The role of storytelling and media

One of the defining features of TYC’s PB approach is its focus on collaboration and public visibility. TYC works closely with local media, community leaders, and youth organizations to generate excitement around the PB process. This includes the use of inspirational storytelling to showcase the impact of youth-led projects, as well as publicizing the success of PB initiatives through flyers, banners, online videos, and social media campaigns. These efforts are designed to make PB not just a process but a movement—one that is transparent, inclusive, and accessible to all.

TYC also partners with mass media to reach disengaged or disillusioned youth, using radio, TV, and social media platforms to reignite conversations about governance and public service. This extensive outreach ensures that no segment of the youth population is left behind, and that every young person understands how PB can serve as a tool to solve community problems and drive meaningful change.

By showcasing success stories TYC demonstrates the real-world impact of youth participation in PB. This visibility not only builds public trust in the process but also positions youth as agents of change capable of shaping their communities for the better.

Learning from global best practices: The Boston Youth PB model

TYC’s approach to Participatory Budgeting is informed by international best practices, such as Boston’s “Youth Lead the Change” program. In this program, the Boston Youth Council is entrusted with managing a $1 million capital budget, where youth propose and vote on projects that directly impact their city. TYC has adapted this model to fit the Kenyan context, offering youth training in leadership, decision-making, public speaking, and teamwork. These skills are essential for ensuring that youth participation is not merely symbolic but substantive, with tangible impacts on governance and public accountability.

Driving accountability: A core pillar of TYC’s mission

At its core, TYC’s participatory budgeting process is about driving accountability. By giving young people the tools to actively participate in public expenditure decisions and monitor the use of public funds, TYC ensures that governments remain answerable to the people they serve. Youth-led monitoring, particularly in sectors like infrastructure and social services, has resulted in significant improvements in the quality of service delivery, reduced corruption, and a heightened sense of public trust in government institutions.

By fostering youth-led oversight, TYC empowers young people to not only participate in governance but also to hold their governments accountable for their actions. This creates a ripple effect, where greater transparency in one area leads to broader improvements across the entire public sector.

Conclusion: A model for global youth-led accountability

The Youth Café’s use of Participatory Budgeting exemplifies the power of youth-driven governance and accountability. By empowering young people to play a central role in budgetary decisions and oversight, TYC is setting a new standard for participatory governance in Kenya and beyond. Through inclusive participation, tech-enabled outreach, and a strong focus on collaboration, TYC ensures that youth voices are heard, that public resources are managed responsibly, and that communities are empowered to hold their leaders accountable.

TYC’s Participatory Budgeting model is a beacon of transparency, accountability, and youth empowerment. It serves as a blueprint for how youth-led governance can drive real change, improve public trust, and enhance the overall quality of governance. By elevating young people as champions of accountability, TYC is not only reshaping Kenya’s governance landscape but also setting a global standard for youth-led civic engagement—one that is undoubtedly deserving of recognition and accolades.