Localizing youth volunteer developmental service in Kenya

Abstract

The report is based on interviews with Kenya National Youth Servicemen and Officers, Kenya Voluntary Development Association Volunteers and officials and representatives of International Student Movement for the United Nations (ISWTJN) from Sweden, Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Libya. The central issue in this report is the question of the relevancy of the conventional youth programmes in Kenya and the question as to the degree of alien imported values, goals and aspirations being imparted to Kenya Youth by the International Voluntary Services (e.g. VSO, Peace Corps etc.) and the Kenyan foreign financed Voluntary Organisations. The study shows that Kenyan youth programmes are not consistently evaluated against our developmental realities or aspirations and suggests that a massive re-orientation for most of our vouth organisations is long over-due. This, it is suggested, could be done through dynamic leadership training and incentives system to attract local leaders, the development of a national level youth policy from which each youth organisation will derive its programmes and a re-orientation of youth activities to projects which make useful contribution to our developmental programmes, especially in the rural areas.