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world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
YOUTH AND GREEN DEVELOPMENT AGENDA NICKSON OTIENO,
B. Arch (UoN), MSc. in Sustainable Urban Development (UoN), President, World Student Community for Sustainable Development (WSCSD-KENYA),
Director, Trine Architects Ltd. and NIKO Tours and Travel Ass. Lecturer, Technical University of Kenya
P.O. Box 4892-00100, Nairobi
Email: nickson.otieno@wscsd.org, otienonickson@gmail.comWeb: www.wsccsd.org, www.nikotoursandtravel.com
Tel: +254(0)722612841, +254(0)773135547
Green Tourism Summit & Mazingira Awards 2015, 11th – 12th June 2015, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nairobi
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Presentation Outline
1. What is Green Development Agenda? 2. What is the current status of youth engagement in
Green Development Agenda?3. What are the gaps that need to be addressed in
empowering and mobilizing youth to drive the Green Agenda?
4. How can we address these gaps? 5. The case of WSCSD-Kenya?
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
What is Green Development Agenda?
Green Economy, Blue Economy, Circular Economy, Sustainable Development or a Transition Culture, a Paradigm Shift? Principles1. From “anywhere” to “here”2. From “theirs” to “ours”3. From "divest" to "reinvest”4. From "someone should" to "let's”5. From "Old Boys Network" to "Everyone an Investor“6. From niche to mainstream7. From "not again!" to "never again“8. From 'Clone Towns/Villages' to 'Places of Possibility'
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Is GD relevant for the Youth?
How can Green Development improve outcomes for young people? Jobs and employability - enabling participation in the green economy, and
using environmental activity as a stepping stone to employment Resilience, health and behaviour - green exercise, active travel and
structured programmes in the environment to turn around disaffected young people Personal responsibility - empowering young people through environmental
action and volunteering
Youth as BENEFICIARIES
Youth as ACTORS
Youth as PARTNERS
YOUTH AS CHANGE MAKERS
For Peace and Sustainable Development
-Large population- Vulnerable to unsustainable development
-Large population- Vulnerable to unsustainable development
- Green champions- Green volunteers -Green Activists-Greenterpreneurs ..
- Green champions- Green volunteers -Green Activists-Greenterpreneurs ..
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Holistic youth engagement in order to unlock their potential?
Axis 1
POLICY FORMULATIONWith the participation of
youth
Axis 2
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENTFor the transition to
adulthood
Axis 3
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, DEMOCRATIC
PARTICIPATION and SOCIAL INNOVATON
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Current Status
A number of youth organizations focusing on environmental sustainability being formed. Both a strength and weakness
Government and policy-making organizations acknowledging youth participation and youth empowerment: Department dealing with youth affairs, national youth council, youth
enterprise fund, 30% procurement policy, national youth policy being developed
How about mainstreaming sustainability in departments? Many organizations like WWF, NEMA, UNEP; NGOs having youth programs Student councils, unions; what about sustainability? Attempts to encourage youth service – NYS, volunteer works Attempts to provide incentives for youth engagement (Mazingira Challenge,
Miss Environment, Nature Challenge, Green Innovation Awards)
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Gaps
Limited awareness on Green Agenda (concepts like ESD, Social/Green Entrepreneurship … not well understood)
Limited platforms for youth to share their innovative ideas for advice and support to develop them further
Few Green ‘stars’ – both at national and grassroots level Inadequate resources and capacity – financial, technical Interventions focused on environmental sustainability yet many youth
think more about economic sustainability – securing their own sustainable livelihoods
Disenfranchised youth (shifting priorities, youth organizations often competing rather than building synergy)
Youth not integrated into institutional governance
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Addressing the Gaps
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Suggestions for Addressing the Gaps
Target all young people (all students, NEET and young professionals) Forming youth SD alliances that engage in developing practical green initiatives
addressing both the real needs of the youth and sustainability goals (umbrella youth SD networks)
Raising youth SD experts and role models; building their capacities; organization models that reach out to the grassroots
Providing incentives for youth (Internships, scholarships, attachments, awards) Creating long-term and holistic opportunities for environmental volunteerism in specific
local communities: Competitions, challenges (coordination), National youth-led and elderly-steered Consumption campaigns Establishing a Youth Green Fund/Green Fellowships – incubation, mentorship? Integrate youth leadership into institutional governance: Youth representatives in
organizational sustainability committees Greening the National Youth Service Promote service-learning, transdisciplinary education and research, living laboratories,
learning centers and online education
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Case Study: WSCSD-Kenya
Projects/Initiatives Youth Encounter on Peace
Student Summit for Sustainability Adopt an Ecosystem Initiative
Adopt a forest initiative Adopt a river initiative
Nyakongo Water and Sanitation Project Sustainable Village Initiative
Sustainability Training Program Green Entrepreneurship Workshop
ESD Networks Kenya Green University Network (KGUN)
RCE Kenya Youth LeagueProposed Initiatives
National ESD Barazas
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Masterplan of Nyakongo Center for SD
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
S3-2012
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Sustainability trainings
Adopt a river initiative
/ www.wscsd.org
Adopt-a-Forest Initiative
Scenario 1: Indispensable Resource •Forest ecosystems in Kenya range from montane rainforests, savannah woodlands, dry forests to coastal forests and mangroves.•They rank high as the country’s natural asset and play critical ecological, social, cultural, and economic functions.
Scenario 2: Dwindling Resource •Deforestation is estimated at 50,000 hectares annually, with a consequent yearly loss to the economy of over USD 19 million• Current forest cover is 6.99%, which falls below the constitutional requirement of 10%
Scenario 2: Dwindling Resource •Deforestation is estimated at 50,000 hectares annually, with a consequent yearly loss to the economy of over USD 19 million• Current forest cover is 6.99%, which falls below the constitutional requirement of 10%
Scenario 3: Untapped Resource •University enrolment in 2013 was 324,600 (Kenya Bureau of Statistics, 2014).•On the other hand, the combined university land resource amounts to thousands of hectares
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Scenario 3Scenario 2
Scenario 1
Adopt-a-Forest Initiative
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Key Components
1. Production: Establishment and management of tree nurseries in all universities
2. Outreach: Planting in targeted ecosystems and community awareness
3. Research: Forest cover surveys, carbon footprint measurement and survival rate studies
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Delivery Mechanism
I. Campus Afforestation: Each university buys seedlings from the student -run tree nursery for greening the campus. Proceeds used for the day-to-day operations of the student association.
II. Freshman Orientation: Each freshman plants a tree at a designated spot within campus during the orientation week and commit to nurture it till graduation.
III. Student-led Forest Ecosystem Management and Conservation: Each student association adopts a forest ecosystem of preference, undertakes its long-term conservation and restoration with the support of external stakeholders while creating awareness and involving the communities living adjacent.
IV. Carbon Offsetting: Each university commits to offset carbon emissions accrued from air travel by its top management through planting a number of trees equivalent to their yearly emissions at the university’s ‘Green Zone’
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Achievements in the pilot phase (2013-14)17 universities reached out to and at various stages ofimplementing the initiative17 universities reached out to and at various stages ofimplementing the initiative
Inspired formation of new environmental student associations in 4 universitiesInspired formation of new environmental student associations in 4 universities
Notable university land contributions to their student associations for establishment of Green Zones: Moi University (20 acres), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, JKUAT(2 acres), Mount Kenya University (8.5 acres)
Notable university land contributions to their student associations for establishment of Green Zones: Moi University (20 acres), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, JKUAT(2 acres), Mount Kenya University (8.5 acres)
Led to formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between WSCSD-Kenya and universities for long-term collaboration in Greening of their campuses. MOU signed with JKUAT in 2013,draft MOU with Moi University and University of Eldoret
Led to formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between WSCSD-Kenya and universities for long-term collaboration in Greening of their campuses. MOU signed with JKUAT in 2013,draft MOU with Moi University and University of Eldoret
Inspired formation of the Kenya Green University Network for championing the greening of Kenyan universities (to be launched inJune 2015)
Inspired formation of the Kenya Green University Network for championing the greening of Kenyan universities (to be launched inJune 2015)
world student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.orgworld student community for sustainable development / www.wscsd.org
Prof. Ogechi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Student Affairs, Moi University (assisted by WSCSD’s President, Mr. Nickson Otieno) plants a tree as he hands over the 20 acre piece of land to Moi University
Environmental Club (MUEC) to establish a botanical garden/Green Zone.
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