Kevin Mbwaya presents his body scanning idea to other youth taking part
in an initiative dubbed Think Positive, Alternatives Exist geared
towards motivating youth to think outside the box for alternatives and
solutions to their everyday challenges so as to be self-reliant socially
and economically and to regain a sense of purpose. PHOTO/COURTESY
Creativity and innovation was on display
at the Youth Innovation and Creativity Summit held on Friday January
24, at the Hekima Institute of Peace Studies.
The
summit that brought together hundreds of youths, mentors and political
leaders is a culmination of a year- long initiative dubbed Think Positive, Alternatives Exist
geared towards motivating youth to think outside the box for
alternatives and solutions to their everyday challenges so as to be
self-reliant socially and economically and to regain a sense of purpose.
The
initiative, a brainchild of Jesuit Hakimani Centre, is anchored on the
premise that people are agents of positive change in their society.
Teams
from the centre travelled to various counties to identify youth with
existing talents within their specific contexts with an aim to guiding
them to innovatively improve on their ideas by providing them with
technical and professional skills.
This
would help youths scale up their ideas into sources of livelihoods
particularly in areas of agriculture, environmental conservation,
off-grid energy and health and technology sectors.
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
Youth
were encouraged to submit their innovative ideas with a view to linking
them with investors who would help take their ideas to the next level.
200
ideas were received and 17 of these were shortlisted for presentation
at the creativity and innovation summit with the top three ideas winning
prize money.
The winning idea was
one of briquette making by Michael Ochieng’ that singled out Kibra
settlement which consumes 200 bags of charcoal everyday which is not
sustainable in a country with less that 10% forest cover. The briquettes
would reduce the consumption by 30% and reduce carbon
emissions. WATCH: Felix' Briquette idea.
A
weaving idea by Smolfish was voted the most socially transformative.
Smolfish, a cottage industry hand weaves kikoi items using cotton and
natural fibres making them suitable for all weather. WATCH: Smolfish presentation.
The
most innovative award went to Daniel Kerioba whose idea of using cast
away soap stone to manufacture tiles would see a reduction of as much as
30% in building costs. WATCH: Keroba's presentation.
The
crowd’s favourite idea was Collins Gicheha‘s automatic waking bed,
which would pull away the blankets as soon as the alarm went off giving
off an effective wake up call.
Simon
Ndegwa also showcased an idea that would make energy drinks from cassava
which would be different from other energy drinks in the market that
use chemicals which are harmful in the long-term.
HINDRANCES TO INNOVATION
Gracing
the event was the government chief whip in the senate, Beatrice Elachi,
Kibra MP, ken Okoth , CEO and founder of Storymoja, Muthoni Garland,
CEO Adopt-a –light, Esther Passaris, Joseph Mbugua, MD daybreak limited
and professional mentor among others.
Kibra
MP, Ken Okoth urged youths to work on developing their soft skills that
will enable them sell their ideas to prospective investors. He also
encouraged youths to get informed of the various funds available to them
and when necessary form groups or teams that can harness individual
strengths for the group’s collective good.
Muthoni
Garland founder of Storymoja cited the current education system as one
that stifled creativity and curiosity which is necessary to think
outside the box to solve problems.
Beatrice
Elachi decried an education system that churned out papers that did not
reflect the person. She hoped that 2014 would be the year everyone in
all levels of government innovated. She urged youth to persist and
continue innovating even when they did not get due credit as ideas come
from God. She also urged them to learn from past mistakes as they
innovate.
Esther Passaris cited the political environment as being the greatest hindrance to innovation.
“I
have an innovative idea that will create 500,000 jobs and reduce road
carnage, however, I have not got an invitation to statehouse to pitch
the idea.”
She urged youth to innovate with Kenya in mind.
“When
you have a product to sell, you will not just sell to your community
but the whole country. If you have an idea work at it, improve on it and
nurture it but be Kenyan first.”
Reiterating
the need to learn from the past, she urged entrepreneurs-to-be, to
always get a written contract in their business or personal or ventures.
CHANGING ATTITUDES
A
survey carried out between December 2013 and January aimed at
identifying youth attitude towards innovation, employment and their
perceived challenges as well as solutions to overcome these challenges
found that 50.7% of respondents rated their chances of getting employed
as being too remote. A significant proportion (60.9% ) felt that the
only alternative was to get into self-employment.
The findings vindicate a previous survey by ILO that found many youth had given up looking for jobs in formal sectors.
The
survey was carried out in 24 counties across the nation and the
complete findings of the study will be published in March 2014.
Watch the 17 best ideas submitted.
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