Resilience in the face of exclusion: stories from Kenyan and Swedish youth
This paper captures the voices of young women and men from two cities – Nairobi, Kenya and Stockholm, Sweden – in a facilitated dialogue on their experiences of living in urban neighborhoods that are often defined by those outside them as ‘vulnerable’, ‘unsafe’ and ‘at-risk’. The brief offers a rich exploration of the universality of the YPS agenda across very different contexts, through the voices of young people from these different settings. Sustaining the thematic focus on youth resilience, this paper offers rich comparative reflections on the sources of youth resilience for peace, based on dialogue between young women and men across these different settings.
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Authors
Yosra Ali
My name is Yosra Ali and I’m 20 years old. I am a young girl who is passionate about and politically engaged in women’s issues as well as issues regarding segregation and exclusion. In my free time, I volunteer with many different organisations who work on various societal issues. My goal is to continue to expand my activism and overall knowledge regarding social issues. Besides participating in different projects, I am organising my own initiative, focusing on giving young women a safe space to talk about matters important to them. I am also a high school student currently studying politics and sustainability, and I hope to work with those areas in the future. I wanted to participate in this process because I wanted to broaden my view on what different societies look like, since I’m so used to focusing on the Swedish context.
Rasian Ferej
My name is Rasian Ferej and I'm 21 years old. I am a young man who tries to do good and motivate others to do good as well. I try to reach out to people through my poetry, projects like this one and through dialogues with all kinds of different people. I am currently implementing my own project, holding workshops where I teach young people about how to write poetry. I have a lot of energy and I love spending time inside my creative bubble. I chose to participate in this process because of my earlier collaboration with LPI.
Asha Jaffer
My name is Asha Jaffar and I am a journalist and communications professional. I have contributed to international and local media and in 2014 won the Special Award of the Haller Prize for Development Journalism. Between 2013 and 2015, I worked in communications for the non-profit Action Aid. I run a feminist vlog and has worked as an assistant producer, translator and editor for Clear WaterProductions and for the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa. Born and raised in Kibera, I am currently running my own street film school in Kibera- Shutter Film Foundation.
Samson Kuboko
My name is Samson Kuboko and I am positive change maker from Korogocho in Nairobi who works as a community youth leader. I have engaged on youth, peace and security issues since 2012, being at the forefront in promoting security through eradication and or elimination of small arms and light weapons in informal settlements as well as facilitating dialogues between police and youth groups in his community. I have co-founded The Legend Kenya (www.thelegendkenya.org), a community based organisation to empower the youth and contribute to violence prevention efforts not only in Nairobi’s informal settlements, but the entire country. I am also a recognized community leader and is often consulted to help address various issues affecting the community including supporting households to mitigate the impact of Covid19, to address SGBV, and promote children welfare.
Maryan Mohamed
My name is Maryan Mohamed and I'm 21 years old. I've always had a passion for fighting injustice and I dream about someday becoming a social worker so that I can really reach those who are marginalised and at risk. On my way towards that, I've been active in different organisations and their projects where we've talked about women's rights and also talked a lot about the patriarchal structures and systems that exist in the world. I chose to be a part of this process because I thought it would be interesting to hear what it’s like being a young person in Kenya compared to Sweden. What kind of community issues impact the lives of Kenyan youth? And are there any similarities between the challenges faced by Kenyan youth and those faced by Swedish youth? I wanted to find answers to those questions. It's also always nice to get to speak to young people from other countries.
Dheka Mustakh
My name is Dheka Mustakh and I am 23 years old from Eastleigh community in Nairobi, Kenya. I reflect a varied personality including ambition and the qualities of liberality and thoughtfulness. Currently, I am a part-time student, motivated by my love for learning and succeeding as I strive to become an outstanding peace builder and successful woman in today’s society. I have been working with communities for the last five years as a peacebuilder. I have taken part in community dialogues and I have been volunteering for community work. I am involved in keeping our culture alive through leading by example, be truthful, always communicating and treating people right and as a role model creating awareness for young individuals like me which fosters the establishment and development of their talent that can ultimately benefit our society. I am currently working as a resilience facilitator, and hopefully I might be able one day to bring change in my community in a better way.
Felix Orwaka
My Name is Felix Orwaka and I have worked for over five years as a community youth leader fighting crime and social vices through lobbing and advocating for peace and justice in Mathare and other informal settlements within Nairobi County. I have experience as a youth leader in championing for disarmament, cohesion building, reintegration, youth peace building, leadership and governance, entrepreneurial empowerment and resilience among youths in informal settlements. I also have experience in carrying out dialogue processes among youths and police in disarmament and crime reduction within Mathare and other slums in Nairobi. As a community mobilizer, I have vast practical experience in bringing together youths from diverse backgrounds to have conversations on different issues and concerns that affect the youth’s and community as a whole. Being an expert in social work and community, entrepreneurship and peace building and conflict resolutions, I have started different initiatives within his community which are helping young people to identify their skills and potential as a way of bringing change and adding value to humanity.
