In this Lunch and Learn series, explore what contributes to authentic and safe participation and engagement of youth, especially young women and young leaders. Join us on March 19 and 21 to learn from two recent graduate and doctoral research aimed at benefiting organizations and programs aimed at engaging youth. These 60-minutes sessions will include sharing recent academic research, experiential learning and exploring practical tools to engaging youth effectively.

Tuesday, March 19: Safer Spaces and Young Women’s Civic Participation

Judyannet Muchiri shares insights from her doctoral research that examines the relationship between safe/r spaces and young women’s civic participation to demonstrate the ways in which structural factors influence their participation. Using feminist and decolonial theories and methods and drawing on young women, gender equality advocates and NGOs and CBOs that work with young women in Kenya, this presentation will address:

1. How do young women understand, define, conceptualize and approach safer spaces?

2. How do young women and organizations that work with young women create safe spaces?

This presentation will also offer a framework for safer spaces.

Judyannet (She/her) works at the intersection of gender justice, civic participation, digital rights, feminist foreign policy, and knowledge creation processes. She has worked on these areas as a policy analyst, researcher, writer, and activist. Her most recent work has been in Canada’s international cooperation sector and the non-profit sector in Eastern Africa. Currently, Judyannet is leading policy work at the Inter-Council Network (ICN), co-leading the Africa Community Engagement Hub (ACE) and completing a doctorate on gender, safer spaces, and civic participation.

Thursday, March 21: Exploring Authenticity of Leaders Engaged in Youth Programming

Jackie Dowling will present a qualitative case study exploring what contributes to authentic engagement between youth leaders and adult leaders when collaborating in for-youth-by-youth program development. Guided by adult education and feminist theories and considerations of diversity and inclusion, this presentation will explore factors that inhibit and enable an authentic engagement. Drawing from her vast experience of working with youth from around the world, and her graduate research, Jackie will engage participants in discussions on her findings and practical tools to engage youth.

Jackie has been working the areas of community development and youth engagement for the last 15 years across Turtle Island (Canada) and internationally. Jackie's role as Program Manager at The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation involves program development and implementation of youth programming at the local level, with ACIC member organizations and non-members community groups, and at the national level, with other Council members, national non-profits and government offices. Jackie uses she/her pronouns.