PARTICIPATE! Youth Network
Democracy, Dialogue & Youth Participation
A partnership of DUF (Denmark), YETT (Zimbabwe) and Youth Alive! Kenya
Project Overview
PARTICIPATE! is a Danish–African youth network that connects young people and youth organisations in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Denmark. The programme is facilitated by the Danish Youth Council (DUF), the Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) in Zimbabwe, and Youth Alive! Kenya (Y.A.K). Running from 2022 to 2026, PARTICIPATE! is based on a simple but powerful belief: young people should not just be present in democratic spaces, they should actively help shape them.
Through international seminars, cross-border partnerships, peer learning hubs, and activities that strengthen governance, PARTICIPATE! equips young people with the confidence, skills, and platforms they need to lead change in their communities and organisations. In Kenya, Youth Alive! Kenya coordinates the programme and supports youth-led organisations across several counties to enhance their democratic engagement, improve their advocacy, and strengthen their internal governance.
The project addresses a long-standing gap in how young people participate in civic and organisational life. Too often, they are included as token participants rather than genuine contributors. PARTICIPATE! is changing that, one young leader at a time.
Why This Work Matters
Across Kenya, young people are politically engaged and civically motivated, yet they often lack the structures, skills, and platforms to turn that energy into lasting change. Between 2024 – 2025 alone, Kenyan youth faced organised digital intimidation campaigns, new laws that limited online civic expression, and persistent tokenism in governance spaces where their voices were invited but rarely acted upon.
When young people are kept at the margins of decision-making, democratic systems weaken and the problems they are meant to address grow deeper. Evaluations from PARTICIPATE! in 2025 found that over 93 percent of participants reported a high or very high capacity to contribute positively to society after taking part in the programme. This shows that with the right support, young people are not just ready to lead, they are already making a difference.
Our Approach
Youth Alive! Kenya delivers the PARTICIPATE! programme through three interconnected streams of work:
International seminars — Each year, Y.A.K sends young Kenyan leaders from our Member Organizations to two international conferences: Connect, held in Zimbabwe each spring, and Collaborate, held each autumn. These seminars bring together youth from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Denmark to develop skills in democratic participation, cross-cultural collaboration, climate action, and social impact. In 2025, participants reported significant gains in self-confidence, communication, intercultural competence, and leadership.
National governance activities — Back in Kenya, Y.A.K applies international learning to drive institutional change. In 2025, this included establishing the organisation’s first structured Youth Advisory Board (YAB), a formal elected body of ten youth representatives from seven regions across Kenya, giving grassroots voices a permanent role in decision-making within the organization. Furthermore, we engage
Method Hubs and peer learning — Y.A.K co-facilitates Method Hubs with partners YETT and DUF, providing practical tools on topics such as navigating shrinking civic spaces and creating meaningful youth participation. These learnings are then shared with member organisations and county working groups across Kenya.
Change and Impact So Far
Kenya’s first structured Youth Advisory Board (YAB) established — 10 elected youth representatives from 7 regions of our Member Organizations now hold a formal mandate to advise Y.A.K’s Board and Executive Director on strategy, programming, and advocacy — transforming youth participation from informal consultation to institutionalised governance.
72% of international seminar participants reported a very high ability to speak freely in front of peers; 75% felt confident trusting their own opinions even when others disagreed — measurable gains in democratic confidence and voice.
Over 93% of participants reported a high or very high capacity to contribute positively to society, reflecting a tangible shift toward proactive civic leadership.
6 Kenyan youth organisations launched change initiatives following the 2025 seminars — including a cross-border climate pilot project in West Pokot County, an organisational rebrand that secured a regional board seat, and a Training of Trainers model that is already being replicated beyond its original team.
Y.A.K is now recognised as a reference organisation for youth-led democratic governance, with the organisation increasingly invited into national dialogue spaces, learning exchanges, and multi-stakeholder governance forums.
Voices from the Programme
“I have learned so much, especially on how to network, and this has been very handy in placing myself and our organisation out there — even for my personal growth.”
— Prince Brian Kamau, Chania Ward Farmers, Kiambu County
“We consider PARTICIPATE! a catalyst that has strengthened our institutional capacity, expanded our partnerships, and enhanced our impact in West Pokot County.”
— Jefferson, Executive Director, Declares Kenya
“This change has helped me at a personal capacity with learning how to manage and implement projects — creating a cycle of learning.”
— Stella Kaviti, Activista Kenya
What’s Next
As PARTICIPATE! moves into 2026, Youth Alive! Kenya is focused on embedding the gains made deepening the Youth Advisory Board’s role in organisational governance, supporting member organisations to scale their change initiatives, and ensuring the networks and skills built through the programme outlast the project itself. Y.A.K is also working to document and share the lessons learned from Kenya’s chapter, contributing to a growing continental conversation about what genuine, structured youth participation in democracy really looks like.
