In recognition of World AIDS Day 2006, UN-HABITAT is holding an online
discussion forum. Please take a look at the following link and it will be
highly appreciated if you spread it widely. This is an opportunity for
young men and women to share their stories and engage in discussion with
other active agents of change from around the world. It is an chance for
us to learn about the positive action that they are taking in response to
the issue of HIV/AIDS!

http://www.unhabitat.org/forum/listTopics.asp?catid=463&nr=12

Things with me are moving along and my time at the UN HABITAT Partners and Youth Section continues to get more and more exciting. This Blog is to tell you all about an Open Forum that I am facilitating at the One Stop Youth Centre on youth participation in Nairobi and ICTs.

This September 11, 2006 join other youth from across Nairobi as they connect to actively discuss and share their on the role of young men and women in Nairobi.

This is an opportunity to discuss openly discuss issues related to the environment, employment and entrepreneurial activities, health and HIV/AIDS, sports, arts and culture and Information Communication Technologies.

A date you won’t want to forget!

On Monday, September 11, 2006 at 2:00pm until 5.00pm take part in an Open Forum at the One Stop Youth Centre.

Connect with other youth as they discuss, share and learn about important local and global issues.

For more information please contact Sarah Richardson at sarah@takingitglobal.org

Yesterday I attended Market Day, an initiative of the One Stop Youth Centre. Market Day was held at the Kenyatti International Conference Centre and was an event that invited young people to exhibit and share their artwork, trades and initiatives. For the past weeks I had seen the preparations for the event taking place and was generally excited about it. The day before the event I went to check out the grounds of the Kenyatti International Conference Centre, where the event would be held. I had not imagined the space being so big and was a little concerned that it would be filled.

As I made my way towards the event grounds I could hear the music from blocks away. The entire space was full of people both attending and exhibiting. The food, music, dancing, art and inspirational youth initiatives filled the space and created an unforgettable experience for me. As I walked around to each of the stands and learned about the many projects I was greeted with amazing enthusiasm and positive energy. I had no idea that the Market Day was going to be such a huge event. I am now eagerly waiting to see what Harambee Youth Week will be like.

Since my arrival in Nairobi I have been working with a project called the One Stop Youth Centre. I realize that I should provide a little more background information on this initiative.

The One Stop Youth Centre was launched on 12th August 2003 by His Worship the Mayor of Nairobi. Its purpose is to assist unemployed youth between the ages of 15 – 24 years on the aspect of “Youth employment, employment creation, equal opportunity and entrepreneurship”. The centre programmes are designed to capacity build young people and youth groups on gainful livelihood in the field of employment – related facilities in the city and its environment. There is an emphasis on developing the skills of youth to reach their full potential and to participate in urban poverty reduction responsibilities.

Its rationale lies in the provision of a youth friendly approach to employment opportunities in self-employment, formal and non-formal sectors. The overall aim of this project is to provide career and employment services to urban youth, especially those most vulnerable, residing in Nairobi, aged 15 to 24. In response to the current situation of the youth, One Stop Youth Centre empowers the youth generation with ownership of the development process and to act as agents of change in the city of Nairobi.

The Centre is located in the city centre of Nairobi in an old Railway Station that has been transformed into the perfect meeting place for youth. Every time that I have visited the centre I have been introduced to new people, organizations and projects that are going on within various of the wards of the city. To tell you the truth I am overwhelmed by the amount of activities. The centre holds training workshops, meetings, and works as an information centre.

Last Thursday I was present for the launch of their computer programme. At the World Urban Forum 3, Computer AID International donated 15 computers to the centre. This will allow youth in the city access to computer skill training and will help in reducing the digital divide that exists between the rich and the poor.

For the past three years I have been working with Canadian youth in various dimensions. It is really interesting to now have the opportunity to work with the young people of Africa. I am not in any place to draw any conclusions in terms of similarities and differences just yet but I can definitely say that many of the young people of Africa and Canada are determined agents of change.

For more information on the One Stop Youth Centre check out their organization page or for those of you who live in Nairobi, visit the Centre.

The Coast
“This cannot be less than natural beauty, the endless sand, the reefs, the lot, are completely unmatched in the world” Ernest Hemingway.

I spent last weekend in Mombassa which is located on the coast of Kenya. I was invited by my friend Rinah who is also working at the UN HABITAT Partners and Youth Section. Rinah is from the coast and was returning home to celebrate her parent’s 28th wedding anniversary. Having heard so many wonderful things about Mombassa how could I say no? Rinah, Faith and I spent a wonderful nine hours on a bus and made our way to Mombassa. Faith is a woman who I met at the World Urban Forum 3 in Vancouver but is from Nairobi. She volunteers at the UN and works on an endless list of other initiatives within the city.

The weekend consisted of wonderful tea, Kenyan food, warm sun shining weather, beautiful beaches and of course karaoke! Rinah’s father has a love for the Karaoke so after dinner on their anniversary night the family and friends all took turns singing their favorite tunes!

Before coming to Kenya so many people told me that I was going to find it hard to be a vegetarian - I have yet to encounter this as an issue. Though meat is very much the main source of food and vegetarianism might be considered an odd choice I have been enjoying my vegetables and sweet fruit. I have also enjoyed my chapatti and ugali. Ugali is maize meal cooked into a thick porridge until it sets hard, then it is served in flat slabs. Chapatis are similar to roti. I also ate gatheri which is a mix of beans and corn, and cooked red kidney beans.

I had never heard of a Jiko before – A Jiko is basically a stove. It is an way to try to minimize the use of firewood, based on a Thai design that was modified to suit the Kenyan way of cooking.

Though the weekend was far too short a stay I did manage to ride a horse and a camel, see the Indian Ocean and Fort Jesus. Of course there were the alligators and the python!

Facts on Mombassa -
Mombassa is the largest city on the Kenyan coast and also the largest coastal port in East Africa. The population is overwhelmingly African, many who are Swahilis, but there are a remarkable range of races and cultures from Africans to British expats, Omanis, Indians and Chinese.

The most interesting part of Mombassa is the character Old Town, with its narrow, winding alleyways and historic Swahili houses. In the middle of the Old Town are the remains of Fort Jesus, which played a pivotal role in the various power struggles over the dominion of East Africa. Fort Jesus was built in 1539 by the Portuguese to enforce their rule over the coastal Swahilis, but they rarely managed to hold onto it for long. It changed hands many times in bloody sieges between 1631 and 1875, before finally passing into the hands of the British.

This is my first blog entry since my arrival in Nairobi, Kenya two weeks ago. Really, I have no idea where to even start.

I am in Nairobi working as an intern at the United Nations. I will be working in the UN HABITAT Partners and Youth Section and will be focusing on Communication strategies. One of the youth organizations that the UN HABITAT helps support is called the One Stop Youth Centre. I have had the pleasure of visiting the One Stop Youth Centre three times now. It is located in the City Centre. The Centre is currently working on programming for International Youth Day. The week is called Harambee Youth Week and will be taking place on August 5th until the 12th. Having recently worked on the World Youth Forum that took place in Vancouver, Canada it is interesting to be a part of this week and to see how Nairobi Youth work together to create opportunities for young people to take action.

So far, I have met many wonderful people who have made me feel at home. I do have a camera and will make sure to post some pictures and to tell you all about the Harambee Youth week as it fast approaches.

I welcome you to my blog. This is my first ever blog entry. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to enter into the blogging world. I have always been a bit of a slow starter, especially when it comes to technological means.

I have always been a little shy in expressing myself, especially in a venue where anyone can have access to it. When I was about eleven years old I received a journal for my birthday. The journal came with a tiny little key. I remember thanking my friend for the present and thinking how great it was that it had a lock.

I started to write my thoughts in this journal. I would make sure to lock it after every entry. I would even go as far as to hide it in a secret place in my room.

I am now 25 and continue to keep journals. I have many books full of my thoughts, inner most secrets. Poems, ideas for stories which I plan on writing one day. These books remain hidden in various places in my room. I never share these stories or poems with anyone.

There was one time that I came pretty close and read one part of a poem to a friend.

The other day I started thinking about Life and the idea of taking a risk and really opening up and sharing myself with others. I started to wonder what it was about this idea that is so scary.

Every day people are born, every day people die. I am here right now, alive and well.

The other day I began to take more chances and to risk. It occurred to me that part of the reason that I am not living up to my full potential is because I am not letting myself. I have began to take the challenges that I am invited to take. I have started to make at least one risky move each day. Writing this blog is my risky move for today.

So, I welcome you to this world.

I challenge you to do something, small or large, that you are afraid of doing today.