Youthmakers Hub has been active in Kenya since 2018 — but May 2025 marked a first: our team visited the Turkana region for the very first time. What made the moment even more special was that during the same days, YMH was implementing two projects in parallel in Turkana — the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab — Power of the Collective, working directly with youth, and the 3is project (Impactful, Inclusive, Integrated Higher Education in Eastern Africa), an Erasmus+ Capacity Building initiative working with universities, including Turkana University College. Two projects, two audiences, one shared goal: building capacity where it matters most. Read more about our work with the 3is project in Turkana here.

On 20–21 May 2025, Youthmakers Hub led a training in Lake Turkana, Northern Kenya, under the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab — Power of the Collective programme, in collaboration with Learning Lions.

The training, “Lead the Narrative: Communication for Youth Advocacy,” reached over 30 young participants from marginalized communities, including refugees from the Kakuma Refugee Camp — making this one of the most meaningful capacity-building experiences in the programme so far.

Over the course of the training, participants built hands-on skills in communication and storytelling, social media strategies for advocacy, networking and public speaking, and pitching and stakeholder engagement. Through interactive workshops, real-life simulations, and team-building activities, participants developed personalized advocacy approaches tailored to their own realities and communities.

The training moved from structured learning into practice — starting with sessions on crafting messages for change and leveraging social media for advocacy campaigns, then moving into interactive exercises including the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab App workshop and a pitching game where participants learned to present their ideas to different stakeholders. The programme closed with sessions on networking and public speaking, team activities, and a certificate ceremony.

A key highlight was the App workshop. Participants were introduced to the free mobile app created by YMH for the programme — offering opportunities to engage, learn, and network — and shared their feedback as part of the app’s co-creation journey with 10,000 young people.

Youthmakers Hub trainers worked closely with Learning Lions to ensure the programme was context-driven and inclusive, addressing the unique challenges faced by refugee and marginalized youth.

Following the training, the YMH team visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp — connecting with youth-led organizations founded by participants, strengthening partnerships with grassroots initiatives, introducing funding and learning opportunities through the AU-EU Youth Lab, and creating pathways for long-term collaboration.

Trainer Silvia Diazzi reflected on what stayed with her: “One of the most meaningful outcomes was the connection we built with participants. Visiting Kakuma Refugee Camp after the training allowed us to see their work firsthand. Even one year later, we remain in contact, sharing opportunities and supporting their journey.”

Participant Ali from the Democratic Republic of Congo captured a key takeaway: “What I’ve learned during this training is that every communication you make needs to have an objective.”

Through this training, Youthmakers Hub remains committed to supporting young leaders as they turn their voices into influence, their ideas into initiatives, and their communities into spaces of meaningful change.