Country of Residence
Kenya
Age
20
Project title
Youth Forward Hub
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Youth Forward Hub is a community-based initiative that equips young people with practical business, digital and leadership skills, connects them to mentors and opportunities, and supports them to create small income-generating projects that strengthen their families and communities.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
The idea for Youth Forward Hub came from seeing how many young people in my community have energy, ideas and ambition but lack practical skills, guidance and access to opportunities. Many young people want to start businesses or find meaningful work, yet they often do not know where to begin or who to ask for support. I began thinking about how we could create a simple community-based platform where young people could learn from one another, receive mentorship and turn their ideas into practical projects. My “aha” moment was realizing that young people need more than financial support; they also need knowledge, confidence, networks and someone willing to guide them. Youth Forward Hub is my response to that gap
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many young people in our communities face limited employment opportunities, lack of practical skills, limited access to mentors and difficulty turning ideas into sustainable sources of income. Some have business ideas but do not know how to plan, market or manage a small enterprise. Others have skills but lack networks that can connect them to opportunities. This can lead to frustration, dependency and loss of confidence among young people who could otherwise contribute positively to their families and communities. This problem matters to me because young people are an important part of our community's future, but their potential can remain unused when they lack the right support. Youth Forward Hub will focus on addressing the gap between ambition and opportunity by helping young people develop practical skills, build networks, understand entrepreneurship and participate in solving challenges within their communities.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Youth Forward Hub will create a practical community-based support system for young people. The project will begin with small group sessions where young people can identify their skills, interests and challenges and learn practical topics such as entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital skills, communication, leadership and basic business management. We will invite people with useful experience, including local entrepreneurs, professionals and community leaders, to share knowledge and mentorship. Participants will also be encouraged to develop simple business or community-project ideas and work together to test them on a small scale. The project will help participants understand how to identify a problem, develop a solution, create a basic budget, reach customers or beneficiaries and measure results. We will use WhatsApp and other accessible digital platforms to share learning materials, opportunities and information between meetings. As the project grows, we will build partnerships with local businesses, youth organizations, training institutions and other community stakeholders. The goal is not simply to teach young people, but to help them move from learning to action by creating small projects, finding opportunities and becoming active contributors to their communities.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Youth Forward Hub is currently at an early stage, so our immediate focus will be building and testing the model with a small group of young people. We will measure impact through the number of young people engaged, the number completing training sessions, business or community ideas developed, mentorship connections created and projects started. Over time, we hope participants will gain practical skills, greater confidence and stronger access to employment, entrepreneurship and community opportunities. We also want participants to become peer leaders who can share what they learn with other young people. In the longer term, success will mean young people moving from simply discussing challenges to creating practical solutions, income-generating activities and community initiatives. We will document lessons, participant feedback and measurable outcomes so that the project can improve and potentially expand to other communities.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Youth Forward Hub is different because it combines skills development, entrepreneurship, mentorship and civic participation rather than treating these areas separately. Many young people may receive information about employment or entrepreneurship, but information alone does not always help someone move from an idea to action. Our approach will connect learning directly to practical projects. The project will also use resources that are already available within the community. Local entrepreneurs, professionals and experienced community members can become mentors, while young participants can learn from and support one another. Digital tools such as WhatsApp will make it possible to continue sharing opportunities and learning beyond physical meetings, keeping the model accessible and relatively low-cost. Another important part of the model is peer leadership. Participants will not only receive support; they will eventually be encouraged to become mentors and community contributors themselves. This creates a cycle in which knowledge and leadership can spread from one young person to another. The project therefore aims to turn young people from passive recipients of support into active problem-solvers and community changemakers.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I am currently leading the project and developing its model, community outreach and activities. At this early stage, I am also identifying people who can contribute as mentors, trainers and community partners. As the project develops, I plan to build a small team with roles covering youth outreach, training and mentorship, partnerships, communications and monitoring of impact. Leadership will be shared according to each person's skills and responsibilities.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, I will focus on turning Youth Forward Hub from an idea into a small pilot. First, I will speak with young people in the community to understand their biggest skills, employment and entrepreneurship challenges. I will then identify a small initial group of participants and organize the first practical learning sessions. I will also approach local entrepreneurs, professionals and community leaders who can contribute mentorship and knowledge. After the first sessions, participants will develop and test small business or community-project ideas. I will collect feedback and track participation, skills gained and projects developed so that the model can be improved. Over the following year, I plan to expand the number of participants, develop partnerships with local organizations and businesses, strengthen the digital learning component and create a network of young peer leaders. The long-term goal is to develop a sustainable model that can be replicated in other communities.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
Over the next three months, I will focus on turning Youth Forward Hub from an idea into a small pilot. First, I will speak with young people in the community to understand their biggest skills, employment and entrepreneurship challenges. I will then identify a small initial group of participants and organize the first practical learning sessions. I will also approach local entrepreneurs, professionals and community leaders who can contribute mentorship and knowledge. After the first sessions, participants will develop and test small business or community-project ideas. I will collect feedback and track participation, skills gained and projects developed so that the model can be improved. Over the following year, I plan to expand the number of participants, develop partnerships with local organizations and businesses, strengthen the digital learning component and create a network of young peer leaders. The long-term goal is to develop a sustainable model that can be replicated in other communities.
