Kenya Youth Engagement Network

Kenya Youth Engagement Network (KEYEN) is introducing the concepts of youth service and youth social entrepreneurship in the Kenya. It will train and engage youth and youth serving institutions in designing and implementation of youth projects and pioneering the concept of treating disadvantaged youth living in low-income communities “as a solution, not as a problem” in the country. KEYEN creates

opportunities for youth to become self-reliant and contributing members of the society. It provides an effective mechanism to youth especially poor and socially-excluded youth to reintegrate into the society as active citizens and not as citizens in waiting. Our idea is based on the concept that we should stop treating young people as empty vessels into which we pour our wisdom and instead we should treat young people as the most promising resource available to us in developing a new societal structure and meeting the high service needs of our communities. KEYEN is playing a leadership role in promoting the agenda of youth service and youth social entrepreneurship among public and private organizations as well as educational institutions. We support youth and youth-serving organizations both technically and financially in launching community-based youth-led social enterprises. We create awareness about the concept of youth social entrepreneurship and youth service among the citizen sector, business and academic audiences. We strengthen small-sized and medium-sized youth-led social enterprises for the spread of social innovation locally.