Business leaders meet young education campaigners in Kenya
Dozens of Global Youth Ambassadors for Theirworld were joined by business leaders and educators at a summit that spotlighted the need for more education investment, particularly for the youngest children.
Business leaders witnessed the power and passion of young campaigners when 100 young champions of inclusive education came together for a special event in Kenya.
Theirworld’s Global Youth Ambassadors were joined at the charity’s Young Leaders in Education Summit by entrepreneurs, regional business leaders, campaigners, educators and supporters – all dedicated to helping end the global education crisis, particularly in the crucial early years.
The day-long event in Nairobi was held on the same day as a business roundtable hosted by the Global Business Coalition for Education, an initiative of Theirworld. Business leaders had the opportunity to meet the youth advocates, who are part of Theirworld’s growing network in more than 140 countries.
Some youth ambassadors also joined the business roundtable to share their firsthand experience with the skills gap, unemployment and education-related challenges in the region. They also shared the programs and advocacy they are leading to address the education skills mismatch.
The summit featured panel discussions on topics such as grassroots advocacy and youth-driven solutions for change. It gave young campaigners the opportunity to make connections, learn new skills and be forces for change in their communities and beyond.
Njeri Muthoni, a Global Youth Ambassador from Kenya, said: “When young advocates unite, incredible things can happen.”
Global Youth Ambassador Faridah Ally speaks at the business roundtable event (Global Business Coalition for Education/Dennis Mwangi)
On investment in education, she said: “We need at least 10% to go to early childhood development. We want our teachers in kindergarten to be trained well, with quality resources so that they can influence the youngest in our communities.”
In his keynote speech, Justin van Fleet – President of Theirworld and CEO of the Global Business Coalition for Education – highlighted the challenges young people face across Africa. He said inequality begins in the early years and urgent investment is needed to break cycles of poverty.
He said real and lasting change can be achieved if businesses become active partners in the efforts to ensure quality education for all – along with other stakeholders such as the public sector, youth and civil society.
Van Fleet added: “Young people are the key to unlocking big change and young people are the heart of any change we are going to see in Kenya, in East Africa, in Africa or around the world.”
Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 60% under 25. But there’s a big investment gap for the early years – in African Union countries, children aged 14 and over receive 10 times more funding than two-year-olds.
On the same day as the youth summit, the Global Business Coalition for Education hosted an event titled Harnessing the Power of East Africa’s Youth: Skills and Employment for the Next Generation. It was attended by leaders from business, education agencies and government, along with Global Youth Ambassadors from Theirworld.