1. Demographics in the face of 2015
Some thoughts from Chilande Kuloba-Warria
Youth Alive Kenya! Board Member

2. Youth Alive Kenya-Taking Leadership, inspiring transformation.
We are committed to empower young people in Kenya to take active responsibility for their lives and shape their destiny.
We envision “a free, just and equitable society” in Kenya where young people are able to translate their aspirations and potential into productive and fulfilling life.
Our mission is to provide a platform where young people and their communities can share skills and explore innate abilities towards lasting development on a foundation of equity, justice and peace.
We have programs in Justice and Human Rights; Health; Environment and Livelihoods and Democracy and Governance

3. Being youth in East Africa… definitions
Defining institution or country
Youth age range
Remarks
UN General Assembly
15-24
World Health Organisation (WHO)
10-19
Youngest & narrowest age range (10 years)
Commonwealth
15-29
African Union
15-35
Oldest upper age
Burundi
15-26
Kenya
(Constitution)
18-34
Shortest transition (16 years)
Rwanda
(National Youth Policy)
14-35
Oldest upper age and
longest transition (22 years)
Tanzania
(National Youth Development Policy, 2007)
Uganda
(National Youth Policy, 2001)
12-30
Youngest lower age
A person leaves childhood and becomes a youth earliest in Uganda (12 years) and latest in Kenya (18 years). Youth ends earliest by the WHO definition (19 years) and UN General Assembly (24 years). The oldest youth are to be found in Rwanda and Tanzania, and by the African Union definition. The transition between childhood and adulthood is longest (22 years) in Rwanda, and shortest (10 years) by the WHO and UN General Assembly definitions.
While a formal definition of youth, based on age, may be used to inform a set of official rights and entitlements from the state, such as access to health and education services and protection from harm and deprivation, the social definition is bounded by the set of family and community responsibilities expected from the individual. In Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, marital status is central to whether one is socially defined as a youth or as an adult, and this perspective is prevalent across the region. If formally one crosses into adulthood at the age of 26 (Burundi), 30 (Uganda) or 35 (Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda), socially this happens when one gets married. So one can remain a youth, in the social sense, as long as one is not married even if one is beyond the formal age range of youth.
The ability to marry and establish a household is strongly influenced by the individual’s economic and financial capacity. In Rwanda, the requirement to build a house to state-regulated specifications of location, size and roofing materials raised the ‘social price’ of adulthood. While different economic forces are at play in South Sudan, the resulting increase in the price of dowry (cattle) similarly raises the social price of adulthood in that country. Interestingly, for Burundi youth, the price of adulthood seems to be more affordable as society there has taken a pragmatic view to the considerable economic challenge of starting a family.

4. In East Africa-some numbers…
according to the “state of east Africa report of 2012” by society for international development (SID)…
the population of children under the age of fifteen increased from 53 million in 2005 to 61 million in 2010.
To put it in perspective, this 8 million increase is the population size of Burundi.
youths (15-34) was estimated at 48 million (45% of the total population) in This is expected to grow in the next 20 years to 82 million people. By 2030, 75% of East Africa’s total population will be under the age of 34 in 2030.

5. “Being Youth” in East Africa-Lifestyles and consumption habits of urban and peri-urban youth
Holla East Africa consumer survey since 2002 every two years since…
7 out of 10 persons you see walking in the streets is jobless and living on below 1 dollar a month; 6 out of 10 live in informal settlements;
Only 22.2% of those who finish primary school will transition into secondary school in Kenya
Perceptions:
Education and Migration as a “way out”?
Poor prospects and limits to social mobility etc
A complex state of unemployment-competition, tribalism, unrealistic

6. It’s a complex world…
52% of the youth sampled have an active sim card. 94% of them have a handset as well
Total of 70million USD per month!
Slightly over a third are connected to internet. More than half (68%) are on social networks, 90% are on facebook
Source of happiness is socializing with family (45%) and friends (29%)
Kenyan youth are most connected with 49%; then Tanzania with 30% and then Uganda 26%

7. Summary of Key insights…
Keep cognizant of the social definitions of “youth” as well as the informal definitions and the “price” of adulthood
Divergent perceptions and expectations of youth in east Africa-
approximately 840million USD expense on phones!? Yet they are unemployed and out of school-what is the role of the parent here?
Employers’ expectation and young people skills-the complex “soft” skills of teamwork, communications, presentation, problem solving, work ethic and critical thinking
Prefer guidance to “herded”-very individualistic e.g. flop of “Kazi kwa Vijana” project in Kenya to improve youth “livelihoods”
Official-used by state to inform a set of official rights and entitlements form the state-e.g. access to health and education services and protection from harm and deprivation-defined by age
Social-bound by family and community responsibilities expected from the individual. Definied in Rwanda(location, size and roofing defined), Burundi (dowry is capped at 10 cows) and south sudan (high price) by marital status

8. Observations…
Moving away from generalizations of “youth” unemployment and “youth” sexual and reproductive health, the “youth” voice and begin to understand youth people with a mind that is open to diversity and surprise.
The “uncomfortable” truth is that being “collectivized:” is no longer working for this increasingly individualistic group of society when looking at interventions to address their livelihood needs.
Teaching can probably still happen as a group, but the execution of the livelihood strategy (especially any business or income generating activity) should probably be done by individuals and supported at that level

9. Thank you for listening
Questions?