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As we begin our journey of the year 2025, let us pause for moment and look back at some of the milestones we achieved in 2024. These are the relishing moments that give our team the urge and motivation as young people to keep working for the betterment of the community, the organization and the world at large.

With the rise in tech-facilitated gender based violence in the year 2024 in Kenya, many young people especially women and girls retrieved from sharing their potential through online community with the fear of falling victims. As an organization working with women and girls along the gold supply chain of Kakamega, we saw an opportunity in the year’s International Youth Day as a platform to address these challenges and turn social media platform into an opportunity instead of a threat. It is never how bigger the problem is, it is always how best we can turn it into something meaningful.

On 23rd of August 2024, in collaboration with Empower Her Initiative, Leaders Everyday Everywhere, Rural to Global and United Kenya Rising we organized a western youth summit dubbed ‘Western Kenya Youth Summit’ in commemoration of the 2024 International Youth Day (IYD under the Theme: “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.” The summit took place at Lurambi Youth Empowerment Center, opposite Kakamega County Assembly.

The main objectives of the summit were:
- To explore the instrumental role of technologies and data in accelerating efforts towards achieving SDGs, including the role of young people in advancing digital transition in their elements or community engagement.
- To showcase success stories on diverse youth-led solutions and innovations that contribute to sustainable development.

The key issues on that day were addressed in a form of a panel discussion with on board as our panelists being, an Entrepreneur who is also a young woman in politics, CECM Social Services, Sports, Youth and Culture, County Government of Kakamega, Executive Director, Empower Her Initiative, Project Coordinator, Limitless Talk Organization, Center Manager Support-Ajira Digital. Western Region with two moderators.
During the summit we mobilized a total of 300 participants including the champions, community members, local administration, the health department and the police officer. We also maximized the use of media by inviting different media houses to cover the event.

These are the event’s key highlights that will forever be remembered:
These are the event’s key highlights that will forever be remembered:
- The event was organized and run by young people who desire to see a changed community.
- The event brought together a total of 300 participants
- The event was graced by CECM Social Services, Sports, Youth and Culture, County Government of Kakamega.
- This was the first ever western youth summit that was purely funded by the young people.
- There was a press release at the end of the summit.
- The event was covered by different media houses.

” You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Zig Ziglar