The GOYN family in Mombasa engaged in a three day planning meeting to lay strategies and activities for the new year. The work planning workshop brought together GOYN staff from GDI, CRS and the anchor partner Swahili Pot, the multi-
stakeholder advisory team consisting of the Deputy Governor Mombasa County HE. Dr. William Kingi amongst other ecosystem players, the GOYN Youth advisory Group members and opportunity youth drawn from the 6 sub counties of Mombasa. During the workshop, the participants were informed on the research findings from previous
and ongoing research activities in the county which informed the strategic interventions put forward for the new year.
The co-creation workshop aimed at ensuring that all stakeholders meaningfully participate in the development of the proposed interventions as well as clearly define their roles in the implementation phase. Speaking during the workshop, the Deputy Governor HE. Dr. Kingi reiterated the commitment from the Mombasa County Government towards the initiative with its unique approach towards empowering the youth population in Mombasa. “We appreciate this partnership for bringing all the stakeholders together to address the growing youth unemployment in our county” he equipped.
In his address,the chairperson Swahili Pot Hub Mr. Mahmood Noor who also doubles up as an advisor to the GOYN initiative underscored the need to make every of the 373,000-opportunity youth count. “We need to ensure that we reach that marginalized youth in Mwakirunge and every other corner of this county. Our efforts and those of our partners should not just reach those accessible to us but in the spirit of leaving no one behind be able to transform the livelihoods of the youth of Mombasa County” he concluded. The last day of the workshop created an opportunity for the youth to co-design solutions to address the challenges on access of information. The young people developed
interesting concepts one of them being “Mbele na Info” platform which would act as a one-stop shop platform for information on employment and entrepreneurship development including training for the young people in Mombasa.
By the end of the workshop, the team was able to develop a detailed plan for the year as well as set key milestones for the various stakeholders for the coming year. We are all looking forward to an impactful year ahead and can’t wait to engage with the opportunity youth in the county!