KENYA YOUNG GREENS

Lobbying and Advocacy

64th Global Peace Voyage of the Peace Boat: The African Youth Forum on the Millennium Development Goals in Africa

The Kenya Young Greens chairperson attended the 64th Global Peace Boat Voyage in which over 800 participants were aboard a ship and she was the international guest speaker on the Millennium Development Goals, they visited Kenya (Mombasa), Tanzania (Zanzibar), Mozambique, and South Africa, the two weeks voyage ended on 14th February 2009

Africa –Europe Youth summit (Lisbon Portugal)
The Africa‐youth summit took the Youth in Europe and in Africa through the process towards the Africa youth summit and presentation of the youth summit methodology and how Europe could channel more opportunities to African youth, among the topics discussed included, Mobility, Millennium Development Goals, Employment. Kenya Young Greens sent one participant.

The G8 summit (Germany Berlin)
Kenya Young Greens sent a representative in the 2007 G8 summit where she participated in a number of Global topics among them, Climate change, fare trade, free trade, migration, and sustainable development.

Europe‐ African youth convention (Senegal)
Kenya Young Greens was represented in the consultative meetings towards the heads of state summit in Accra Ghana on issues affecting Africa, topics of discussion included: poverty eradication, active participation of women in the society, post‐conflict resolution and reconstruction, minority right and fight against racism‐xenophobia.

European Consultations with African Youth Diaspora Living in Europe
Kenya Young Greens sent a participant to the above forum which came up with a report to be presented in European Union‐African Summit which was to be held during the second semester of 2007.The youth consultations was aimed to allow youth representatives from Africa and Europe to express their main concerns, to the heads of states and governments during the summit. The recommendations were also aimed at development of a sustainable Africa‐Europe Youth Plan of Action to be implemented by relevant actors, taking into account the existing realities, partnership and good practices, thus operating positive transformation in the realities and relations between young people in Europe and Africa. Issues raised and discussed were focusing on eight working areas which were deemed as adversely affecting young people in both continents; Millennium Development Goals, Good Governance and Democracy, Peace and Conflict, Globalization, Trade and Social‐Economic Development, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Migration, Mobility, Intercultural Dialogue and Co‐development, Employment and Decent Work Agenda, Strategy and instrument for Africa‐Europe Youth Participation and Co‐operation.

Biodiversity Coalition
Kenya Young Greens joined the Biodiversity Coalition Network to push for a more consultative process in the development of the Biosafety Bill 2007. The bill has been passed by parliament though the process was never consultative and special issues among them; the plight of organic agriculture were never considered, the president assented to it.

Kenya Wetlands Forum
Kenya Young Greens is a member of the Kenya Wetlands Forum and it has been sending a representative to the forum‘s monthly meetings, wetlands are under siege. The forum is currently pursuing the wetlands policy development that has been overshadowed by the Environmental policy that is being developed, policy makers have been sidelining the wetland policy development but rather giving proposals that other relevant sectoral policies like the water policy be considered as an acceptable document by the wetlands stakeholders, however, it should be noted that Kenya is a party to the Ramsar Convention which specifically calls for a wetland policy in its 2003 to 2008 strategic plan to the Contracting Parties. The Forum has also participated in a lot of advocacy and lobbying against wetlands encroachment without due process like conducting appropriate Environmental Impact.

Kenya Forest Working Group
Kenya Young Greens is a member of the Kenya Forest Working Group and it has been sending a representative in all its meetings at the East African Wildlife Society offices, notable initiative that Kenya Young Greens is taking an active role in is the National Alliance on Forest Agenda Beyond 2007.
This is an alliance of the likeminded civil society and the public at large, which seek to secure political parties to give forests the needed attention by committing themselves to a 2007 and beyond forest agenda that will contribute to enhanced conservation of forests for the betterment of Kenyans.

Awareness creation

Climate Change – Youth Speak
Kenya Young greens together with Heinrich Boll foundation Horn and East Africa and Kids call
Campaign organized school based‐interactive climate change workshops in two schools: at Precious Blood Girls in Kilungu Eastern province on 26th June 2008 and in Moi Forces Academy in Nairobi on 29th August 2008

Climate Change workshop
Kenya Young Greens organized a one day workshop on climate change themes and their local relevance in Kenya on 7th April 2008 at Lillian Towers Safari Club.

Climate Change Video Show
Climate change video shows, that is, An Inconvenient Truth by Former US Vice President Al Gore, the Hot Spots‐Africa Speaks on Climate change and Nick News Global Warming Kids Perspectives at the Goethe institute on 13th April 2008

Nick News Global Warming‐Kids Perspective
Kenya Young Greens partnered with Lucky Duck Productions, producers of Nick News TV series (NICK NEWS is a news program for kids; it airs on Nickelodeon, a U.S. cable channel) in conducting interviews for Kenyan Kids for their forth coming Special Programming on Global Warming, its effects on communities from kids’ perspective. The interviews involved kids between the ages of 13 and 16.

UN Global Road Safety Week (23rd to 29th April 2007)
Kenya Young Greens participated in the event whose theme was; ‘road safety no accident’.
Our objectives were;

Our events were in Nairobi, Kisumu and Busia and our main focus was on the cyclist.

World Environment Day; 5th June 2007
Kenya Young Greens took part in marking this day and had a representative in the national steering committee that coordinated the national event that was held in Nyeri district near Mt. Kenya.

World Day to Combat Desertification 17th June 2007
Kenya Young Greens took part in marking this day and had a representative in the national steering committee that coordinated the national event that was held in Baringo district in Rift valley province

Millennium Development Goals Half Time Evaluation
Kenya Young Greens took part in marking this day on July 7th 2007 which was held in Kisumu to evaluate the government’ performance on the progress made so far, challenges and the prospects.

Millennium Development Goals Pan African Essay Competition 2008
Kenya Young Greens in partnership with the United Nations Millennium Campaign conducted an essay writing competition all across Kenya, which targeted secondary school students.
The essay competition was part of the African wide activity dubbed as ‘The Pan African Essay Writing Competition’ and involved the secondary school students writing an open letter to the President of their country, assessing progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and suggesting solutions.