On Friday, the 28th of May 2021, The Youth Café, together with its partners held a virtual launch of their strategic plan for 2021-2023. The event was held under the theme ‘Empowering Youth in Africa’ and was aimed at discussing critical issues such as promoting youth-led accountability, prosperity, and social justice. 

According to the three-year strategic plan, The Youth Café seeks to build a world on the collective principles of solidarity, justice, equity, universality, inclusion, human rights, diversity, and the integrity of the planet.

Founded in 2012, the Kenyan based Non-Profit Organization aims to model, inform, and advance youth-led approaches to sustainable development, environmental stewardship, social equity, democratic governance, and economic viability by making use of innovative research, media, policy, advocacy, as well as cross-cultural and intergenerational partnerships. To date, the organization has reached 1.6 million young people across Africa.

Partner organizations of The Youth Café who took part in the event included Regional Program officer at IREX, James Karongo, Dr. Emma Newport from the University of Sussex, and Faridah Abdalla of the SOS Children’s Village.

The Youth Café’s Executive Director, Willice Onyango stated that the Strategic plans’ aim by the year 2023, is to focus on eight thematic areas namely: Arts, Culture, and Sports, Peace and Security, Governance and political inclusion, Environment preservation and Climate Change, Education and skills, jobs and entrepreneurship as well as universal health coverage reform.

He also added that through this strategic plan, they hope to address the intergenerational gaps and help those who form part of the marginalized community. 

May Maloba who is a board member of The Youth Café, the Country Director of the Global Health Innovations and a nurse said, “The plan highlights key issues and addresses adolescent challenges. The Youth Café has also played a major role in championing and helping those who have been affected by the Aids pandemic. She also stated that she is impressed with the general innovative and creative mindset as well as their willingness to seek advice from their partners.   

Part of the purpose of the event was to highlight developments leading up to where the organization is now.  Some major milestones were also highlighted at the virtual event such as projects carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Youth Café played its part and noted gaps with the financial challenges faced in various communities as well as the mental health problems they had confronted. Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Youth Café took the opportunity to provide unconditional cash transfers to help lessen the effects of the pandemic on marginalized and disadvantaged youth of Nairobi, Kenya.

Maureen Mwangi, who is a volunteer at The Youth Café, is a beneficiary of the COVID cash transfer, said that she was able to assist her family with basic necessities as soon as they had encountered economic hardships. “Being at home, we used to attend online classes. I used the money to buy data”. She said that the funds also assisted greatly in easing the stress of the COVID-19 lockdowns and the restrictions. These are just some of the beneficiaries who form part of the 200 000 youth who received the COVID-19 relief funds over the past four months. 

The Youth Café work with over 4500 interns globally through their programs, and volunteers like Binti Zani who is a third-year student at the University of Nairobi, she stated that part of being an empowered African youth is having the ability to take charge of her own life, implement change, make informed decisions for herself and impact other youth. Since the recent celebration of Africa day, she also spoke about making use of African culture to embrace her heritage and recognizes how this cultural heritage has helped during the COVID pandemic.

“This for me means, embracing my heritage and being able to take advantage of opportunities to better my life and the lives of others.”

She also added that The Youth Café’s programs empower African youth by being the perfect embodiment of social, intellectual, and cultural aspects of empowerment by putting the youth at the center of the decision-making processes.

Key-note speaker at the launch, Dr. Cherie Enns said that the strategic plans document already shapes partnerships and the direction of where leadership stands across Africa and within the organization.

In her address, Dr. Enns encouraged participants to tell their story beyond Kenya and the rest of the continent and become agents of change as well as take part in setting the agenda for youth. 

Entrepreneurship developments was also brought up for discussion during the event. This also forms part of the organization’s eight thematic areas with the sole purpose of making use of sports, arts, and culture to promote economic stability and growth amongst youth in Africa. Some of the goals included in The Youth Café’s strategic plan included networking with secondary schools and universities to set up a call center to assist in the future.  

Participants praised the organization for its strategic plan in addressing gender gaps and creating a space for inclusivity in their actions. One of the areas that some of the participants at the event commended, was the increase in skills development and creating more partnerships and collaborations with national governments.

With a general blend of the young, the old and the middle aged, The Youth Café always looks for ways of integrating and strengthening referral linkages in terms of research and training. Moderator and Communications, Advocacy and Digital Engagement Associate, Malika Pyarali said that,“

Although this plan is ambitious, it is appropriate to the scale of the impact we are trying to make. This will require us to summon our strength and continue to learn and adapt in order to support the young people that we are so dedicated to serve and live up to the youth lead principals that we embrace”.

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