Looking beyond the pandemic, this question takes on a whole new meaning. As human mobility is called into question across the world, the way we move - or do not move - is changing rapidly. 

The Open Think Tank Network members - Agora (UK), Foraus (CH),  Polis180 (DE), and Ponto (AT) - plan to experiment with a participatory foresight methodology to create explorative future scenarios on how people move across the world by 2050. The Youth Cafe  has partnered with the Open Think Tank Network on this policy project called “The Future for Human Mobility”. Whether you are professionally involved with the topic of migration, or you are an individual looking to increase your expertise of the subject, you are warmly invited to participate in our upcoming workshops. These have been designed to challenge long-held assumptions about migration through creatively immersing ourselves in the experiences of five fictitious personas. The objective of this participatory workshop series is to bring together diverse perspectives on the future of migration to generate innovative policy recommendations that help organisations and policy makers to become more agile and able to adapt in a proactive rather than a reactive way. Interested to join? All the details on each of the three workshops can be found below. Although registration on Eventbrite is required for each individual workshop, all three workshops are part of the process and we strongly recommend participants register to each one in order to maximise the impact of ideas.

 When and where?

Drivers workshop 2nd of March 2021, from 6 to 9 pm CET

What drivers of change will affect our personas’ mobility? What are the main megatrends? Which are key uncertainties and potential disruptions? What are highly unlikely game-changers? In a collaborative effort, we will use the STEEP approach to rank drivers by likelihood and impact. The results will be uploaded to Policy Kitchen, where they can be refined even afterwards in preparation for the subsequent Scenario Workshop.

Register here.

Scenario workshop 31st of March 2021, from 6 to 9 pm CET                                             

This workshop is about challenging the status quo, or getting better at doing so, by asking “What if?”. To stimulate creative and forward thinking, we will create qualitative narratives that emphasize possible structural changes and their consequences for the mobility of your persona of choice. We will be asking ourselves: What is the context of mobility/migration in 2050?  How do changes in this context and interactions between individual drivers influence the decisions/choices of my persona of choice? Let your creativity run free in this explorative workshop. Confirm your participation in this workshop here:

Ideation workshop 4th of April 2021, from 6 to 9 pm CET                                                    

After rehearsing the possibilities of tomorrow in the last workshop, the ideation workshop aims at identifying the necessary action today. Empowered by provocations and insights, we will come together to find ways to prevent or increase the likelihood of the scenarios developed. The objective of this entire participatory, iterative, foresight experiment is to generate innovative policy recommendations that help International Organisations and policy makers to become more agile and able to adapt in a proactive rather than a reactive way. Add your voice to this ambitious project and support us in making it fly. Confirm your participation in this workshop here.

The Process

What will happen to your ideas afterwards? We will collect your visions and develop short, fictitious personal stories of mobility. These will serve as a script for a mockcast, a fictional documentary-style podcast series. The stories will then be bundled together and contextualised for a short written output, so that your ideas will reach policy-makers. Make your voice heard!

The Youth Café is aware that migration affects youths around the globe hence the salience of migration issues is getting higher on the policy agenda. Youth migration includes employment, education, marriage, and escape from poverty, violence, conflict and environmental change. Migration can thus affect young people negatively or positively depending on the conditions in the environment.

The Youth Café is determined to guide young people through advocacy and changes on issues that affect them. The scope of migration cuts through all the thematic areas at The Youth Café which young people identify with. Taking part in this issue transcends the goals of The Youth Café to the very needs of young people across the globe regardless of age, gender, education or other identifying characteristics.

How does migration look like in Kenya?

Kenya is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country that has registered different forms of migration in the past few years.  Migration happens slowly but gradually bringing forth changes in the social, political and economic structures of the country. It is therefore an important aspect to consider when developing policies, advocating for development and championing sustainable changes. Migration in Kenya  is both irregular and regular depending on its causes and the effects that the movement has on the country. A common form of irregular migration in Kenya is human trafficking which has increased with susceptibility of youths and children to predators.  Forms of trafficking prevalent in Kenya were labour and sex related at 44% and 53% respectively. Women are more susceptible to this form of unlawful migration as they seek ways to get out of poverty and improve their lifestyle.

On regular migration, there are many cases of immigration to European countries for the sake of better education and employment opportunities. Top destinations are the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.  These destinations are famed for better schools especially at the higher level. However Kenyans can be found in most regions of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania. Migration to the Middle East for employment appears to be trending upwards, particularly to Saudi Arabia. Movement to other African countries especially Tanzania and Uganda is also common for better entrepreneurial opportunities.

Internal migration is very common in Kenya since all the counties have similar laws enacted by the national government. Movement within the country is not restricted and it can be temporary or permanent depending on the person.  Rural-urban migration has increased over the years because of the movement away from agriculture. Rural areas support the bulk of large and small scale agricultural activities which are the backbone of the country. Urban areas harbor large organizations and businesses which are attractive to people who desire white-collar jobs.  Since people with college/university degrees have increased over the years, entrepreneurship and businesses have increased in urban areas. While rural-urban migration is not as common, it is still a reality for people who see opportunities in the rural areas.

How does migration look like in the African context?

According to a report published in 2019, Africa is the youngest continent for international immigrants at the median age of 30.9 years. The report also provides that less than 16% of global migrants are Africans while more than 40% are Asians. While movement to other European countries is common, the highest percentage of migration in Africa happens within the continent. The narrative of migration in Africa has been construed by the emphasis on migration outside the continent while in reality, the greatest migration happens within the continent and specific countries.  Conflicts, violence, disasters and the effects of climate change displace millions of people, but the vast majority of the displaced remain within the borders of their own country. The phrase “Africa on the move” has been used often to refer to the voluntary movement of many people in Africa within the African continent. Regional partnerships have allowed people to move in different countries without burdening restrictions which constrain the migration process. Movement within the continent has made it easier for trade, access to education, health services and employment opportunities.

To learn more about this project or make enquires, contact us.