Youth Unite for Development

By Philip Tembula

Young people are the back bone of any society. So as goes the saying. Without youth, society has no future. Hence to build a promising future, society must invest in the youth. They ought to be empowered for a prosperous future.
In Nakuru Municipality enterprising youth groups which are a force to reckon with have emerged. The groups’ leaders comprise of dedicated and informed young people who are out to unite and enlighten other youths through community based development programmes.
With or without sponsors, these community based organizations are dedicated towards achieving their goals- to empower the Kenyan young people for a better Kenya.

(YEP) – Youth Empowerment Programme – Africa

Youth empowerment programme –Africa (YEP) is a youth development centre based in Nakuru and has braches in other urban centers. YEP is dedicated towards enlightening youth for self employment and career prospects.Started about two years ago, the centre headquartered at Mawanga estate off Nakuru / Nayhururu highway near KITI college has been able to recruit and train over ten thousand youth drawn from all parts of the country.
The directors of the centre Aura Nimrod and Alex Nyongesa say that YEP is a real youth development centre. “We had observed with concern the hopeless state of most Kenyan youths especially in rural areas. We thought there was something we could do to elevate them” says Nimrod.
In seminars, the centre trains young people short courses in sales and marketing, business management, communication skills, food and nutrition, project management, proposal writing, environmental studies, HIV and AIDS, Counseling among others.
Already many of the youth graduating from the centre are self employed or employed by YEP or other organizations while others are pursuing studies in related fields. The centre according to the directors has so far trained over ten thousand youth.
YEP has opened centers in Kisumu, Kisii, Meru, Nyahururu, Eldoret, Embu and Machakos. The directors say that YEP is also planning to “go across the boarder” by opening other branches in Uganda and Tanzania.



(BISOKEP) - The Bibliographic Society of Kenya Project

The Bibliographic Society of Kenya Project (BISOKEP) is another youth Community based organization based in Nakuru Municipality.
According to the co-coordinator of the Project Eric Sindabi, BISOKEP aims at promoting youth community based media and creative activities. It also aims at promoting a reading culture in local communities. He adds.
BISOKEP are publishers of regional newspapers, newsletters and entertainment magazines. Through workshops, youth get practical experience in media activities like basic news writing skills, photography, advertisement and newspaper distribution.
The youth also learn how to design, print, and market T-shirts, stickers, calendars, cards, and banners among other media products. “It is a practical creative youth empowerment project” says the coordinator.
BISOKEP is an association of Mass Media and Communication students of Egerton University based at the Nakuru Town Campus. Sindabi who works at the library department says that one of the aims of the university is to promote development in local communities. Other clubs at the Campus like PASAF, NATOKA and Christian Union actively participate in community services.

(REPACTED )– Rapid Effective Participatory Action in Community Theatre and Education

REPACTED is yet another youth community centre based in Nakuru Municipality. It comprise of trained youth and volunteers from all walks of life and vast cultural backgrounds in Kenya and beyond. The group is dedicated at changing the social-economic standards of marginalized young people and uses theatre as a weapon. The group is now counting its 8th year of community outreach communication and education on HIV AIDS, TB, malaria and drug and substance abuse.
James Karogo one of the group’s leaders says that through theatre and other creative activities they have been successful in elevating awareness in local communities. “By visiting schools, prisons, children homes, and slum areas among other activities we give fellow youth tips on how to nurture a better future. Theatre and music is our tool,” He says.