Founded as an NGO under the name Y-TAP (Youth Talent Advancement Program) in 2004, YADEN is an East African regional organisation based in Nairobi. It works with over 100 art and development youth organisations from Kenya and the wider East African region (Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi). YADEN helps to advance youths’ potential into skills that offer them an opportunity to earn a decent livelihood. It empowers them at the same time to participate actively in the social, cultural, economic and political development of their communities.

YADEN works with an innovative, inclusive and participatory art-based method and targets marginalised and disenfranchised young people using female youths as an entry point to the wider community. YADEN supports young people to come together and learn from one another by exchanging ideas and experiences. YADEN also imparts new skills, knowledge and information which help unlock young people’s potentials. It gives deliberate attention to young women.

This project aims to review and present an innovative strategy to empower and engage youth in conflict with the law and enable government and non-governmental stakeholders to learn from the practical experience.

#ithechange is a learning project inspired by lessons learned from Young in Prison Project (YiP-project of 2014-2015) complimented by YADEN’s work with young people on engagement and empowerment. This project is designed as ‘learn as you practice’, combining training and support through a learning platform in partnership with Young in Prison (YIP), an international network of knowledge. In Kenya, YADEN will pull together other national initiatives and networks (that include government and non-government partnerships) and their own East Africa programme (Uganda and Tanzania) and grassroots. This will provide a diverse and rich learning experience. The project seeks to find out what can YADEN learn from successful international and national programmes that work with marginalised youth who came in conflict with the law to improve their vocational and life skills and enhance advocacy and influencing space.

• Understanding Youth (Male and Female) in Conflict with the Law. Who are they/their universal definition? What are factors that lead them to be in conflict with the Law? How does this target group impact on the developmental challenges affecting the community?
• What are the Intervention Pillars/Change areas that can contribute to a universal, Holistic and sustainable empowerment and engagement of the target group? Could that be Mobilisation and Organisation, Skills and Knowledge Provision, Attitude and behaviour Change etc.
• The impact of creating an expansive and diverse partnership to support empowerment and engagement of youth in conflict with the law.
• What are the alternative community and youth driven mechanisms to rehabilitate, integrate and expand young offender’s participation and role in the community?
• What role can arts play in expanding the advocacy and influencing space for young people especially those in conflict with the law?