From 26th – 30th August 2024, 8 YEC members met physically in Nairobi, Kenya and 5 joined online for the official launch of the ICYE Youth Engagement Committee. This was the first time youth representatives from ICYE’s global network gathered in person, marking a significant moment in fostering intercultural dialogue, collaboration, and action. The meeting provided a unique opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s goals and challenges, particularly regarding decolonising international volunteering service (IVS), creating a more inclusive and sustainable IVS framework, and creating a global action plan that could shape the future of volunteering worldwide.
The YEC’s new action plan will guide their work in the coming years. It outlines the key objectives the members hope to achieve, including improving youth engagement, increasing diversity in volunteering, addressing global inequality in the sector, and decolonising the volunteering narrative. The action plan emphasises collaboration across ICYE members and commits to ongoing efforts in making volunteering more inclusive and equitable. The main goal is to influence and inspire more young people to take action, by participating in multiple ways and at different levels in volunteering, decision-making, and taking responsibility for shaping our future, contributing to a more peaceful and sustainable world.
On Thursday, 29th August, 17 local stakeholders attended the public networking event, including Dr. Orpha Nyakundi from the Kenyan National Committee UNESCO.
The networking event brought together a variety of NGOs and organizations based in Kenya. This was an opportunity for the YEC members to meet local leaders and learn firsthand about the community-driven efforts in Nairobi. The Kenyan leaders also refined the YEC’s Action Plan. Attendees actively contributed through discussions and feedback, ensuring inclusivity. Suggestions were incorporated, and the YEC engaged with specific working groups on the action plan. The key takeaway from the networking event was the value of international cooperation. It was clear that while the challenges may be global, the solutions are often local. The exchange of knowledge between the global YEC network and local Kenyan organizations demonstrated the power of collaboration across borders. It also highlighted the mutual benefits of volunteering—not just for the volunteers, but also for the communities they serve.
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The meeting funded by the UNESCO participation programme and the Mekriba Foundation.
