Call For Papers: 2010 National Youth Conversation Conference on Peace, Reforms and Youth Economic Empowerment, 12th-16th Oct 2010

Kenya Youth Parliament, the organizers of the 2010 National Youth Conversation; Conference on Peace, Reforms & Youth Economic Empowerment in Nairobi, Kenya from Oct 12th to 16th, 2010 invites you to participate in the oncoming largest gathering that brings together social activists, peace builders and  youth leaders in the pursuit and defining of a Better Kenya.

This conference brings together only four (4) participants from every constituency as a ‘Call to Action’ to assist young people ‘learn’ and ‘understand’ their roles in Building a Peaceful Kenya and provide them with tools, information and ideas of participating and influencing the Reforms Agenda at the grassroots levels.

This will be achieved through the design of Individual Action Plans (IAP’s) to be implemented at grassroots level and coordinated Constituency Actions Plans (CCAP’s) to be coordinated by Kenya Youth Parliament and its partners.

This conference is a follow-up of activities being ran under the aegis of the Youth Platform for Change “YP4C” namely the National Youth Conversation Café’s in the grassroots areas, the Koffi Annan Justice and Peace National Tournament Coordinated by  Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and Sports Connect Academy (SCA) , and a play which has been specifically scripted to capture the issues in the proposed constitution as well as the events during and after the post-election, radio drama and stage play to be staged at different venues of the country by Artists Forum International (AFI).

To learn much more about Youth Platform for Change (YP4C) and its partners, write to info@kenyayouthparliament.org, copa@copafrica.org and safer. Nairobi@gmail.com

African youth declare that governments must foster entrepreneurship to eradicate poverty

The 1st World Youth Meeting at Bari, Italy ended yesterday where African delegates released a Declaration that recognised the challenges African youth face including unemployment, corruption,  poverty, lack of access to meaningful education, climate change effects, and civil wars among others.

The Declaration further demanded that African youth be included in decision making and that poverty eradication approaches focus on entrepreneurship development, specifically through the creation of youth funds.

Read the Declaration here

Youth Voices and Actions on the Reform Agenda

The youth of Kenya, uniting under the leadership of the following organizations namely; The Youth Agenda (YAA), Nyanza Youth Coalition, Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA), Kenyan Network of Grassroots Organizations (KENGO), Coast Education Centre (COEC), and Citizens Assembly meet in Nairobi beginning October 24, 2009 to discuss the pressing issues surrounding the reform agenda. 

Taking cognizance of the fact that Kenya has a large, ever growing, educated, and yet increasingly frustrated youth population; and acknowledging that the unprecedented violence sparked off by the dispute over results of the 2007 presidential election brought a new focus on the large number of dissatisfied youths, a section of youth leaders was prompted to come together upon realizing that there is an urgent need to sensitize and mobilize young people towards a reconstruction of their country by constructively getting them involved in taking control of their political, social and economic welfare through a creative and strategic engagement in the reform process. 

It is in view of the foregoing that the youth leaders have mobilized young people to a national conference in Nairobi to enable them add their voices to, and take both personal and collective responsibility in demanding the implementation of  fundamental reforms as stipulated in the National Accord.

In demanding the implementation of the National Accord, the leaders also seek to marshal the youth behind resisting manipulation and plunder of public resources by the ruling elite and instead deploy their numbers, energy, courage and devotion to actively demand for transparency and accountability, and advocate for an end to the pervasive culture of impunity, corruption and violence.

A pre-conference workshop will evaluate the current state of affairs in the country in order to facilitate a comprehensive briefing of participants to be drawn from all constituencies of the Republic of Kenya who will be attending the National Conference scheduled for November 17, 2009.

Signed on behalf of the youth organizations by;

Hassan Ole Naado

Member, Steering Committee