It’s always a blessing whenever young people pull us into their circles for conversations as they showcase their passion for different issues. Yesterday was exactly that day when we were invited to grace an International Youth Day, 2023 Picnic for clubs and society leaders from universities in Nairobi Metropolitan Region, to celebrate their initiatives on environmental management.
The theme for this year’s Youth International Day is ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World’ which coincided perfectly with the Africa for SDGs and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) green skills actions and lifelong learning initiatives, they are engaging in their respective universities and communities, for a better future. Green Skills for Youth, refers to the knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed to develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient environment/society. It’s a call for young people to take the lead and take over their spaces and steer both policy-making and development agenda, towards a better society. It’s a call to action. A call to the Kenyan youth to mobilize within their circles and lead the nation on different levels.
The conversations were mind-boggling and a reminder to the older generation, that it’s time for the leadership, the society, and the nations to begin making institutional arrangements for the young generation that is Africa. It was a reminder to the older generation to begin focusing on policy arrangements, that will include the next generation of Africa, which will be the youth. In Nairobi alone, it’s predicted that in 2050, that is in the next 27 years, Nairobi will have 15 million inhabitants, and more than 73% of that, will be young people. It was a call, to those on the helm, to begin a systemic approach, that will begin to pave the way, for the next generation of Africa.
They also agreed, that higher institutions need to be the next frontier for mobilizing young people into actions and decisions meant to shape the future of our nations. Where the same has been happening, the young people agreed that it was still on a low level, compared to all the facets needed in shaping the future of our nations. It will take the young people to mobilize within themselves and engage in actions that will lead to sustainable societies in Africa. It will take the young people to green Africa, it will take the young people to clean Africa. It will take the young people to innovate, and give solutions that will serve their needs as the bigger constituent of Africa. They also agreed to give each other chances and platforms that will champion their passions and the greater good.
With this same intense, and simultaneous agreement on the need to ensure a pragmatic approach to a generational shift, we can’t wait to be invited to more spaces that have young people holding conversations of the future. We look forward to more of these engagements.
Happy International Youth Day to all the Youth of Africa!
