As a leading humanitarian organization in Kenya that works through a network of 47 county branches, we draw our strength from a strong network of over 240,000 members and volunteers with diverse skills and professions. Volunteers and members are drawn from their own communities and therefore possess the local knowledge and understanding of community priorities. 70% of these members and volunteers are youth between the age of 7 and 30 years.

Through the youth department, we have been at the forefront of youth engagement and empowerment, supporting youth to lead positive change in their communities, in line with Goal 3 of the Kenya Red Cross Strategic Plan 2021-2025. We do this in 3 main ways:

• By developing the capacity of youth to improve their knowledge, skills and experiences, for personal, social and economic development;
• By providing a space for youth to co-create, organize, innovate and implement local actions in their communities; and
• By providing an advocacy platform for young people in various thematic areas with relevant skills, knowledge, strategic partnerships and resources.

In a bid to promote youth-led volunteerism and sustainable action, the department has created You-Red spaces, that are open to all young people interested in championing positive change in their communities. You-Red is a youth-led, youth-driven space for young people to organize, co-create, innovate and implement humanitarian initiatives in the 5 thematic areas of KRCS Youth: Health, Peace and Conflict Prevention, Climate Action, Livelihood and Economic Empowerment, and Leadership and Governanc

Through our student empowerment program, we reach children, adolescents and young adults in primary and secondary schools through Red Cross Clubs and in higher learning and tertiary institutions through Red Cross Chapters through different program

In our ever-evolving world of youth engagement and empowerment, we use innovation as a tool for creative problem-solving in all our programs to ensure simple, workable and sustainable solutions created with, by, and for the community themselves. We ensure that we create agile systems that can be adapted to changing needs and contexts.

For more on Youth Programmes please visit https://redcrossyouth.or.ke/