NIMD’s Democracy Schools provide unique opportunities in fostering political engagement and promoting democratic leadership among young people. The purpose of these innovative education programmes is to equip young leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute effectively to political life, foster commitment to democratic values, and contribute long-term to positive change.
Kenya’s Democracy School aims to amplify youth from marginalised communities and those abled differently to actively participate in political and public life and equip them to create a conducive environment for young people’s political participation. Young leaders from political parties and civic spaces are gaining crucial insights into democratic processes, political participation, and communicating their agenda effectively. The School includes young people from multiple political parties and civil society organisations, including Badili Africa, ELF and the National Youth Senate. These CSOs engage diverse youth, including students transitioning to university, community leaders, and creatives/influencers. The participants co-create the topics, and the facilitators are national experts on the relevant topics.
The Kenya Democracy School is tailored to Kenyan laws and policies, considering policies targeting youth and the scope in which they affect youth political parties, CSOs, and universities and their participation in political and public affairs. The Kenya Democracy School brings together diverse young people in 12 days, split over two intense semesters with digital engagements in between. The retreat-style approach enables young people of all ages to foster a culture of dialogue amongst each other. Kenya Democracy School is implemented by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy as part of the WYDE programme, with support from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Demo Finland.
NIMD aims to offer the participants of the Kenya Democracy School the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate their areas of work and achieve meaningful political participation. The Kenya Democracy School is an intense training programme with a strong focus on trust-building through dialogue. The modules include but are not limited to Leadership and Ethics, Kenyan Political History, Media, Communication, and Advocacy, Gender and Inclusion, Dialogue, Personal Wellness, and Policy formulation and Legislation, and Regulatory Frameworks. In addition to these modules, the learning trajectory includes mentorship from influential figures, Political Cafes/Siasa Connects for peer learning among Democracy School participants open to the public, and cross-border regional networking.
Multi-party and cross-sector trust-building is at the core of the Kenya Democracy School. For this reason, extracurricular activities, such as movie nights and board game evenings, alongside the modules are essential in fostering a community among the participants.
