Global Youth Ambassadors focus on spreading early years message
A two-day training event in Kenya showed young campaigners how to inform decision-makers about the importance of investing in childcare and preschool education.
Young children need quality care and preschool education if they’re going to thrive. But how do you spread that crucial message to the people in power?
That was the theme of a special two-day training event held in Kenya for Theirworld’s Global Youth Ambassadors, our network of young education campaigners.
GYAs from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda met in Nairobi for the intensive education advocacy training programme. It centred around the Act For Early Years campaign and the need for quality care and preschool education for the under-fives.
The event included sessions on the importance of early years investment, crafting messages, advocacy through storytelling and communicating with decision-makers.
Global Youth Ambassadors take part in a session during the training in Kenya (Theirworld/Dennis Mwangi)
Those who attended the training programme were then joined on the third day by other Global Youth Ambassadors, entrepreneurs, educators and business leaders for Theirworld’s Young Leaders in Education Summit.
Inioluwa Ogunkeye, a GYA from Nigeria, said: “I’m still buzzing with excitement and inspiration after three incredible days in Nairobi. I’ve undergone an intensive training programme focused on advancing every child’s right to education.
“This life-changing experience has equipped me with valuable insights and skills to amplify my voice for the most vulnerable.”
As part of the training, the youth ambassadors focused on sending individual letters to the newly-elected leader of the African Union Commission – pushing for increased investment in the continent’s youngest children.
I firmly believe that if we, as a continent, commit to investing in early childhood education for every child, regardless of where they come from, we will lay a strong foundation for Africa’s future.
Kenyan GYA Nuru Ali Rufo, in her letter to the new African Union Commission Chairperson
They crafted personal messages to H.E Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the new Chairperson of the Commission, and Professor Mohammed Belhocine, the ongoing African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Their letters call for the African Union’s 55 member countries to allocate 10% of their national education budgets to early childhood education. The timing is crucial, as South Africa has the 2025 presidency of the G20, which the African Union joined two years ago.
As part of the training programme, Theirworld staff explained the reasons for the call to action. Only 2% of GDP is invested in early years programmes in Africa, compared to 6% to 7% in higher-income nations.
Young advocates understand how critical those first five years are in determining the rest of a child’s life. They want to see bold leadership from the African Union in making a unified call for the 10% investment to inspire wider global action.
Global youth Ambassadors discuss effective communications during the training event in Kenya (Theirworld/Dennis Mwangi)
South Africa’s role as G20 president and the African Union Commission elections were an opportunity that was highlighted during the training.
Combining that with building their skills around effective advocacy and messaging, the GYAs crafted their letters to make the messages as powerful as possible.
In her letter to Youssouf, GYA Halimat Omowumi Olaniyan wrote: “In Nigeria, where I am from, the majority of early learning centres are privately owned and unaffordable for the masses, leaving many children out of school or in poor educational facilities.
“I was privileged to access quality early education, which gave me a strong academic foundation and opened global opportunities for me.”