The world's demography is quickly changing, and there has been one defining factor: the percentage of young people has been growing. In tandem, the number and magnitude of human challenges has increased, and this has led to rethinking of how we actually tackle human development challenges. Engaging young people in addressing these issues is one of the most important strategies.
So, on 13th April 2012, I was fortunate enough to represent African Youth Initiative on Climate Change - Kenya, together with my colleagues Ben and Suzie from the same organization. We also joined Juliani, a UNEP environment ambassador, as he was shooting an upcoming documentary with MTV on youth activism and climate change mitigation, called 'Kama si Sisi'.
The crux of this occasion was engaging students from Dandora Secondary school on youth leadership and activism. Dandora is one of the low-income settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, and most of its inhabitants are from the lower tier of the socio-economic pyramid. I was greatly impressed by their mastery of environmental issues, as well as activism and leadership. Most of the students were members of the school's environment club, and they had attended several conferences on youth leadership and environmental governance. They also has sustainable projects through the environment club, such as: an organic garden, recycling plastic and also holding several clean ups; I was more than inspired! Ben and I finally got an opportunity to enlighten the students on the Green Economy concept for sustainable development, as well as on the forthcoming Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
By the end of the day, I was more than assured that young people have taken the onus of tackling outstanding human development challenges, and that there is hope!