‘’Growing up, I had little to no interest in matters governance, civics, democratic processes, and sustainable development. Like most of my peers, I was existing in a state of apathy, albeit aware of the political calendar and the key political personalities, I did not perceive democracy as anything beyond the practice of voting.’’ Said Jerry Ronnie, a youth village participant at the People Dialogue Festival 2024.
Having been moved by curiosity, Jerry attended PDF 2024, where he got to interact with various villages and exhibitions. ‘’I found the Youth Village a vibrant platform where young people could engage in thought-provoking discussions, and activities centered on key issues affecting our generation, with topics ranging from enhancing youth participation in governance, socio-economic empowerment, We got the opportunity to dialogue with Key decision makers on critical societal issues, and meaningfully register our demand for inclusive, accountable and value-driven governance, all in promotion of collaborative efforts for Kenya’s sustainable development’’. “The conversations at the Youth Village bred the desire to explore how young people can effectively participate in the governance landscape.”
After learning that PDF was an annually institutionalized Democracy festival, Jerry eagerly waited for the next edition of the PDF, time trickled, and here came PDF 2025.
Having developed interest in PDF and its ability to foster a platform for participation towards positive change, Jerry offered himself to serve as a volunteer, aiding in the efforts to guide participants, provide relevant information and ensure smooth transitions between various festival activities. While so doing, he was able to sit in a session titled, “Youth, accountability and collaborative Governance; strengthening multiparty democracy in Kenya”. Through this, “I got to learn more on, and interact with the various systems, platforms and processes available for us young people to apply ourselves and participate to have our voices heard and influence change,” having realized that Democracy is not just about Voting, it’s about participation. “With this knowledge gained from the PDF, I was inspired to find ways in which I could create awareness among my peers on constructive engagement in civic, democratic and governance processes’’.
To effect the aforementioned, Jerry needed a place that would enable him develop his civic competencies, including Policy development, advocacy, youth development, inclusion and governance reforms, he was able to join the Centre for Multiparty democracy as an intern. While serving as an intern in the programs department, aiding in the implementation of youth centered activities, he was able to influence his peers within and without his line of duty, to take an active role in civic, democratic and governance processes.
‘’With this timely enlightenment and inspiration from the People Dialogue Festival, I intend to develop my career around governance, and subsequently use the expertise to champion the democratic agenda and channel effort towards increasing the rate of civic activity and awareness among the citizenry, especially the current and future youth demographic”.