OPINION| 16 Days of Activism: Expect no meaningful change without the youth

KAKAMEGA, Kenya, Dec, 3- Young people, historically have been leaders and catalysts for movements that have resulted in positive change in our societies.

Regrettably, even as change makers in our society, the youth age bracket continues to be the excluded, majority are seen as outsiders when it comes to matters advocacy and activism thus resulting in us being left behind the group.

As a young person, passionate about advocacy in human rights and social justice and part of the Kakamega social justice center- an organization that is youth led- more often than not we have found ourselves out of our own depth in activism.

In the month of November alone which is when we begin to mark the 16 days of activism against gender based violence, we have had four different cases of gender based violence in which the perpetrators of the abuse have been both male and female.

Out of the four incidents, three victims did not survive.

This has been overwhelming with regards to following up and offering support for the victims and those affected.

We’re now in the process of ensuring that justice is served and that our people are sensitized against the vice.

This being a voluntary position where you mostly rely on our own resources and sometimes shared resources from other young people, you are working with limitations.

This has partly resulted to delayed justice or lengthened the route to accessing it.

Moreover, there is a generational divide between an establishment for gradual change versus the youth fired up approach for urgency for change.

Being a generation that has seen things change so swiftly and devastatingly so, it is frustrating to believe in a system that advances for slow and gradual approach, hence the approach for radical and urgent solutions.

This has more than often been looked down upon by a lot that results to stereotyping of young people as simply being impatient.

Same lot questions the validity of our voices while our efforts are met with crumbling complacency.

We are often labelled as problematic, selfish and seen as having a lack of understanding of real issues.

This failure to acknowledge our capacities can be demoralising.

Whereas it is important to recognize our inadequacies, when this view is not balanced , without a recognition to our strengths, it results in faulty assumptions that become a hindrance to our urge to contribute to something larger in our communities.

Over the years, I have realized that I need more than just passion to make any advance in activism.

And this is the case to many others out there. Three years later since I joined activism, I’m still learning.

Many times, I have felt like I am sinking deep in an alien space with little knowledge on where to begin resulting in me grappling with information that made little sense.

When you are not equipped with the right skills, taking the lead and initiative on causes you are passionate about is not easy.

I believe in building foundational skills that empower young people to meaningfully engage and implement their ideas which is crucial in fostering strong youth led initiatives.

We are not voiceless, we are only deliberately silenced or preferably unheard when we work in unsupportive spaces where our capacities and opinions are disregarded.

It is important to challenge our mindset as a society and work together towards breaking down barriers that impede our engagement in advocacy and activism.

The writer, Stephanie Kusa is the Executive Director, Kakamega Social justice Centre.