By Wamukoya Baptister John Kenya YMCA
My first S2C activity was a meeting on 8 November 2009 with the Nakuru YMCA Kenya Branch youth who participated in the baseline survey as enumerators (see Africa Alliance website for details), along with other youth. I presented the S2C model embraced at the summit to these 27 youth.
They were very engaged when I took them through simple steps of advocacy as a mean of creating awareness on issues that deny the youth space, voice and ability to influence in the community.
The participation from the youth towards this issue made me see the hope that we as YMCA need to have towards transformative action.
The best example the youth gave that involves advocacy approaches is when handling Work for Youth, a government programme locally known as Kazi kwa Vijana. Most of the YMCA youth participated locally and as they had not been paid their dues this had forced them to demonstrate at some point to demand for their “right” which they didn’t get. As they put it: kazi kwa vijana pesa kwa waze - youth work but old guards get paid.
As a way forward, the youth accepted to apply these advocacy steps and during the upcoming youth con-vocation (on 3-6 December, to share the findings and feelings as we embark on advocacy approaches as a mean of creating a wider awareness in Kenya YMCA family.
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