Latest News And Updates
In the context of increasing food security, more sustainable and resilient food systems will ensure people have access to safe, nutritious, and healthy food while preserving the environment. At the beginning of October 2022, The Youth Cafe, Foraus and other partners discussed Food Systems Challenges and Policy Solutions in the Eastern African region. This article states the main challenge areas and solution pathways for decision-makers.
When the people most impacted by a challenge become part of solution-building, solutions are more likely to meet urgent needs sustainably. Young people possess the greatest understanding of their needs. They also possess the creativity and energy to see old problems in new ways. Youth participation in program design and delivery can drive innovation, increase retention of program participants, lead to longer-lasting program outcomes, and positively impact surrounding systems.
The fifth edition of the network's annual conference was attended by 125 scholars, practitioners and policymakers from every continent. The Youth Cafe staff were happy to have participated in this event. Network members came from the US, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, Israel, India, Taiwan, Australia and 13 European countries, including Ukraine. Entitled "Innovating Deliberative Democracy", the conference dealt with three key themes: political participation, inclusive participation and democracy in (times of) crisis.
The Youth Cafe, in partnership with Foraus, is working on a project to promote One Health and Food Security in East Africa. One Health as a concept first appeared in 2004, when a coalition of global health experts laid its foundations with the so-called “Manhattan principles”, setting the agenda for fifteen years of advocacy by several academic and non-profit organizations.
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.
The Youth Cafe has established the Africa Continental Youth Parliament (ACYP). African young people, youth-led organizations and networks now have a safe and inclusive platform to participate in dialogues, debates and thematic discussions, access key information, learn about policies and partnership and actively engage in policy making and monitoring as well as in influencing the decision-making processes. Seven major programmes have been established to support the youth needs, vision and aspirations under the ACYP structure.
The Youth Cafe signed The Partnership Agreement and the Learn-to-Earn Coalition Agreement with Nexford University, which will positively impact many youths' lives. The Youth Cafe will receive partnership benefits, including an exclusive scholarship to The Youth Café community and shared revenue with The Youth Café for every member of its community who enrolls at Nexford through marketing initiatives and earns up to $300 in shared revenue.
The Youth Cafe proudly became an active member of The East Africa Philanthropy Network (EAPN), formerly the East Africa Association of Grantmakers (EAAG), is a network of local charitable trusts and community, corporate and private foundations passionate about promoting a culture of giving in the region. Through this integration, The Youth Cafe will receive membership benefits, including opportunities to connect with colleagues within an active and diverse network of philanthropy professionals.
The Youth Cafe has become member of the Global Waste Cleaning Network o for 36 months running from 01 August 2022 till 30 September 2025. The Global Waste Cleaning Network (GWCN) plays a vital role in the growing worldwide movement to reduce the impact of Environmental pollution on the society via advocacy and the implementation of evidence-based programs to reduce pollution in Oceans, Coastlines, Lands, and the Atmosphere. The purpose of the Global Waste Cleaning Network is to support environmental activities, showcase, connect and train the network members, contribute to ecological debates, foster environmental research, and spread environment-related information.
The Financial Literacy program for Kenyan youths is a collaboration between The Youth Cafe and the Co-operative Bank of Kenya. Throughout the project, The Youth Cafe leads the management while staff at Cooperative Bank form part of the core management team, and leads the partnership's technical excellence. This project is aimed to assist in demystifying the banking sector and offer expert advice, and educate the youth to improve their ability to make sound financial decisions in areas such as Credit and Debt:
