 to be grateful for that, but a thousand things I can think of just this morning alone. Starting with, I am alive and it's always, always a good thing to be six feet over Zeke round. I'm Anna Nagani and my friend, you are watching your favorite channel that is at Y254, in particular Y in the morning, the latest breakfast show in this here town. At Y254 on Facebook, Y254 on Twitter, hashtag is Y in the morning. So we're about to have a conversation. We are about to, and we're gonna focus a little bit on teens, but before we do that, we actually have something little bit close to our topic of the day. So very big coincidence, or we just smart, I don't know, hashtag is whether we want to meet or at Calamity round, everything. And let me allow Zeke to introduce herself. Anna Kapoor, hi. Thank you. Welcome. I'm Kairu Bogut, I'm the community relations coordinator of Right to Thrive. I'm very passionate about youth empowerment, economic empowerment, teenagers, especially the youth. And I'm also very passionate about human rights, yes. What about human rights before we get to the youth? I'm passionate about human rights because human rights is something that I'm passionate of because most people, most situations that come about, people have to be concerned about what is going on in other people's lives. So just the basic things, the right to food, the right to education. In this world, we take advantage of such small things, but most people don't have it. Just a good example of right to education, right to good healthcare, right to life. And absolutely, the right to thrive. So I'm very passionate about human beings growth. I can count at least three stories in this year, but today we have read. One of them was how students from Mount Canyon University are able to say. They are airing their grievances, yes, concerning the help loan slash, so as opposed to 45,000 in shillings, they are now releasing to 37. And there's another one I've just heard about, gender-based violence, especially for women and their mental health. But it's not something we're proud of and it's probably something we don't talk about, but men get abused too. Definitely. Yeah, so I'm female, yes, so I get it, but even guys need love too, guys. From body organ. How many, when you're an organist, me and Jack will pair with two guys. No, no, no, no, no. No, not alone. When we are together, it's easier to do something. Yeah, yes. I like that. We tend to forget the boy child for some reason, because the girl child has really been empowered and the boy child has been forgotten. So I tend to concur with you, we need to talk more and evolve our young men. Just a good example, in my organization, previously we had an economic empowerment, but coincidentally we would call it women economic empowerment. See life now. Yeah, without, we were not involving the men. So eventually we were like, we are empowering women. What about the young men, what about our boys, what about our fathers? And most in an African society, our dads are the breadwinners, right? So we need to also empower the men and the boys and the young men. So we decided to incorporate, so that we call it a adult economic empowerment. So we incorporated the whole family. If we want to break the cycle of poverty, we have to incorporate everyone, not just the mother, because even the father has to be involved. Yes. I like that. See now we are talking, now we are talking good things. Hashtag going to monarchy. Now tell me about youth empowerment and all the things that you're doing to go in that direction. All right. So we deal with over 300 students, but right now it's so unfortunate that COVID. Yeah, because of COVID. And you know we work one on one with the community, right? So it is way better when I see you, when see the progress and everything. So this has been cut short, but at least we are using other methods to work with the youth, right? So we have a life skills program with the 300 students. The life skills involves everything that is not taught in school. You know, just the basics. You taught math, English, you taught Swahili, you taught science, but the basic things that are not taught in school. Sports, arts, music, emotional intelligence. Just a quick question. Were you taught how to communicate and how to manage your own emotions? How do you do that? Problem is, even just confess. Haikwani confess. Yes. Haikwa. But now that you've asked me, imagine I do not respond to being yelled at. I do not respond. I either just keep quiet or I cry. Or you cry. I have, the words will not come out of me if you hear. Like, what's the problem? Yeah, so that's the problem. Our system is very precise and very rigid to very specific things. Probably in primary school, if someone hurt you, you'll be like, if you told the teacher you'll be like, go deal with your business, you know. But if you had a question in mathematics, they would really take care of you. But now the emotional part, they don't take care of the emotional part. So that is what we come in as professionals to come in and handle the emotional intelligence. We've come to realize that there are so many problems emotionally, especially from home, mentally, which are making a student not to perform well. But in real sense, he's most probably a bright student or even middle, but tends not to perform well because there are so many emotional problems, especially at home. Just simple things like a child not getting a meal, maybe coming to school when he's hungry. So how do you expect that child to come and have done homework? You will punish him, but you don't know the source of the problem. Simple things like probably their parents are not in good terms. So every time it's fighting at night. So the child doesn't have time to wash the uniform or just basic things that we take advantage of. But in real sense, they are a very big deal, emotional and mental part of it all, yes. Why did you choose to look at this as something to invest in? Because honestly, for as long as I can remember, I don't know what come I mean, don't say, but for a long time it wasn't about our emotions. It's about get up and go do work. You have a problem, okay, go cry as you wish, face in the tears or just hand, and then you wake up and you do what you got to do. Is it a Western thing because now everyone is talking about mental health? Mental health. It is not a Western thing. Neither is it African. It's just something that is all over the world. But the Westerners have taken more serious rather than Africans, you know. Africans, we are taught to compress our emotions and not show our emotions. You're not allowed to cry if you're having a bad day. You're not allowed to talk to someone. Just a good example of people going for therapy. Very few cases in Kenya people actually go for therapy. But at times we need the therapy and we need the counseling and we need the mentorship and we need the coaching. But we are taking it up so that people can be more confident in themselves and we have less mental health issues and less emotional issues. And the thing about dealing with emotional issues is someone tends to be happy. And in this life, what more do we want rather than happiness? Happiness is something that we are not even, you know, that is an emotion most people don't have just the happiness part of it. If you have a problem, we will coach you through it. We will mentor you through it. Then eventually you'll be happy. If you're supposed to be in class reading, if you're supposed to be going to work or you have a small business, you know how to handle the emotions that come along with their stressful days each and every day. Say I was a student and you are coaching me. Maybe through, you know, emotional intelligence. Definitely. And for example, I have a problem that it might be too big for me in my head, but I want to share it. So how do I do that? Okay. So you'll be my example for today. Yes. I like that. Yes, yes. Thank you. So we will want to know your current situation. Why are you stressed out? Let's just give an example. Do you want to be an example or I can give an example? Do with me what you will. All right. I am convinced. Okay. You're a teenager, you're under 18, but that's just the prototype. And you have friends who your mother keeps on telling you, I don't want to see you with this kind of friend. I can relate. You've been there, right? Yes. So probably the mother comes and tells us right to try. If we have a problem with this child, if she's supposed to be reading, she's somewhere outside, she comes home late, she comes home drunk, you know? She just has the wrong set of friends. That's what the mother will tell us. And we will want to know where the problem is. So this is the thing. We will want to know the current situation. That is the whole story. So this girl comes back late. She has been seen a couple of times with different boys. Last week she came home. She came home late while drunk, right? Okay. So what is the, we will sit down with the child and we were like, we know that now at home, it's war, definitely. Because every time the mom will be complaining, she'll be like, this child, I have a problem with her. I don't want her in my house. You know, it gets to that point. Most probably I want her to go to the grandmother's such things. So sit down with the child. Now this is the current situation. And then we will ask the child, what is your desired situation? At times we have our answers. We have our own answers. We don't have to answer for you. The child will be like, I'm trying. I don't want, as in the kelele, I don't, every time mom is complaining, every time mom is complaining, what I want is peace. That really is middle. Yeah. All I want is peace because when mom is complaining, just a good example that you've given me. You'll go cry, you'll not talk it out, right? But has it helped? Not at all, Lucky. Not at all. So we will want to find the obstacles. What is this child? What is making this child do these things? Why did you come home drunk? And you know it is forbidden. And anyway, alcohol is over 18. Why did you come home drunk? Why are you always seen at the corner with different boys? So some of the reasons will be like, I'm doing that because Judy is also doing that. I'm doing this because Kirubu is also doing this. And those are my clique. And those are the people that I am working with. And or I'm doing that because we missed lunch. And when I go to the corner, the boy will buy me a soda and a cake. That's so innocent. Yeah, that's a very innocent answer. So probably as a parent, you've never thought to that level. As in you're just like, this child is just disobedient. Period, there's nothing. But as a parent, yourself, there's no communication. You've not found out why. Is it peer influence? Is it prioritizing? Does she have too much time on her hands? As in, she has woken up, she's just, she doesn't have any other thing to do. So if probably she's not a TV person, she'll go outside the house and just chill with other people. Yeah, so we need to know the abstract. Where, where, where, where is the problem? Why are you doing this? And you know, by the way, children are very innocent. They tell you the truth, even if someone has grown up, whenever you're showing love, even if you're disciplining, but you're showing love. Then after, we will try to find the sources of help. So I will take you through it again. What is the current situation? What is the desired situation? The child will be like, maybe I want to change. I want peace in the house, I want this. And probably if there is no food, we want more food, so yeah. Then what are the obstacles? These are the obstacles that are making me to do this. Now where, where can we get sources of help? What are the sources of help? Number one, we can have a, but we prefer internal sources of help. Internal being my family, or the people around me? No, no, no, no, no, no, okay. So external, mostly people base it around money, but internal is all about our feelings, the emotional parts of our feelings. So I want peace. How can we come to the peace part of it? So I will start hanging out with these ladies, or this young man at the corner, so that mom can stop shouting at me. I want more love. Mom does not communicate to me. You know, at times as parents, you go into the house, this is one thing I realize. You're also frustrated from outside. You bring all your frustrations at home. I don't think it's something that they want to do. It's just a little bit in and out of home. I concur with you, but there's also a way that Africans have been brought up in such a way you need to leave whatever you've been doing outside and come to your home in a loving way. Yeah, you need to communicate with your child. So at times it's just simple communication. Okay, what if I relapse or something weird like that? So for example, you've given me all that goodness, we've gone through it, and it's not only equipping me from this particular situation, but it's also kind of problem solving for future use. But now I'm also going home drunk and I'm still under 18, so now what? Do you ever intervene the family directly, call the mom? Yes. So now that is the best part about it. The whole idea is the multi-generational empowerment. That is inclusive of the mother, the father, and the son. So it is more nuclear. Or if, for example, just if a child is an orphan, they're guardian, we will involve them. We will also involve the teacher. So this is a very good example. As we've been walking, we've come to realize at times the parent doesn't, the teacher notices something that the parent has not noticed. And the parent notices something that the teacher has not noticed. So coincidentally, just imagine if the parent does not communicate to the teacher. So it's as simple as just, we teach basic things like cleanliness. Maybe as a mother, you live at six, come home very late. So the teacher will notice this child today did not freshen up, you know, such simple things. Diplomatic. He has not freshened up. So prioritizing also, this child came, has been coming to school not doing homework, but maybe as a parent, you come home very late. You don't have to check, you're like, my child is responsible. They need to do their homework, right? But the teacher will notice and we'll call the mom and they'll be like, no, there is a problem here. We need to sort it out because before it goes further. So we've been doing multi-generational empowerment since we started. We find the root of the problem. And at times, a child, a teacher notices that a child has a problem, but eventually we come to realize it is family-based. So we need to go and talk to the mom. We talk to the mom, yeah. Just calmly, in a very loving way. And we come to realize that just simple things like being shouted at a freaking child out, you know. Things, just simple things like a mom coming from work shouting, you know, just we tend to calm them down. And so that we intervene, then there's that family love. I really like what you're doing. The youth that is growing right now will be a very farmed generation on the inside. On the inside of this thing. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Is nothing else. But what if we just decide to change and communicate, I'll just talk about it. Where is the problem? Tell us where's the problem. Then we will sort it from the root of the problem. But if you beat me up for being a lead, today, tomorrow, the next day, for a whole year, don't you think that there's a problem somewhere that is making me lead. Maybe I have to wake up in the morning, prepare my brothers-in-sisters, make tea? Why am I lead? Mm-hmm. I said what is it? Where is the problem? So that's the problem is where it has also listening is please hashtag is whether funny if I wanted to be a part of this school or this organization how would I be able to do that all right so so right now we are mostly based in the great enough in the great itself but we are really looking to expand you can you can catch our website www.righttoothrive.org but the two is number two not Tivo do you have other social media handles yes we have oh sorry we have Instagram Twitter we are on Facebook yes we have yes we do okay again let me just use myself as an example I am I really really value my privacy a lot no a little bit more than some because I'm thinking so is that guaranteed if I let you in to my home as a teenager or and what's under 18 the word remember in a minute but if I allowed you in my space and I told you it was going on would it be and would it remain a private conversation definitely a hundred percent we take privacy very seriously we don't want to publicize we don't want to publicize because we don't want to it's because we're dealing with children mostly for the youth empowerment even though there are other programs we are dealing with children and their privacy is without almost due respect we handle it we handle it between the mom and the parents the parents and the child and that's it no more involvement okay guys you hear that good news good news so our question of the day we're trying to figure out why we are hearing of various various various incidents in a new see why teenagers are being found in clumps it was 17 of them have been arrested Malibu Kido Kido goes to you could on Guinness dual but can as do you wappy and then large numbers guys around 20 city 40 and suspiciously then someone's home who is a lot older than they are and they're doing things that the government says you should not do when you've not reached a certain age right yes so what's happening I know there people who said many things including one this which are we but there is bored I think they're just bored have we ever had this much free time in our life you know it's been we're we're in December it's been it's almost it's been more than 10 months more less 10 months so if you don't indulge your child into something productive they will definitely do something which is not productive so just simple things like life skills does your child love art does she love music does she love a sport what does she like apart from social media and TV and everything because we've come to realize one of the biggest problems is social media but interestingly social media has a lot of positivity to it has a lot of positivity in social media but there's also the negative that comes along with it so there's so much free time and as parents and as others just the community we should indulge youths into something more productive so they will not have all that time to come up with a plan to go to someone's house and drink the overnight and they will not have time to come up with a lie so that they can tell the parent and fix them a hundred percent so that they can go to the to the housing party yeah so we just simple things like in the morning a child can do a minimal house chores then from this period to this period a child can do artwork from this period you can allow social media but with parental guidance you know you can allow TV but with parental guidance simple things like those so parents they tend to I totally understand that people are busy and everything but we should look at such things if if it is your at times you've given your child a phone you're not even too sure whether they have whether they are on Facebook Twitter Instagram which social media they using how are they communicating with others is it via WhatsApp do you know they are friends the time that your child lives for three four hours just she's like I'm just within where does she usually go to do you know the parent of the other girl that they work you want to meet my friends parents why but can you see the the importance now I think I get it yeah yeah now that is the importance because there's another girl who disappeared and she and they were like I I know the girl that they were hanging out with but I don't even know him and I'm not too sure where the other guy lives and your apparent way and the and and the thing was that they asked for the requested that they can have a sleepover but eventually they went out but so if as a parent you need to communicate with other parents and know is it true that they're coming over for a sleepover communication is also key let's go for sleepover okay let's tell our parents we're going to sleep over oh okay so anyway please be careful out here these days in conclusion what would you like to tell the viewers so I would like to tell the viewers that we should be more empathetic more loving have a lot of gratitude a more self-aware you know like just simple things like I am aware my child does this just the awareness is very is very key they are more loving and more communicative and everything I once confessed on TV how I used to be very very judgey when I was younger I was going to heaven by myself alone hello if you come on the man's I couldn't make what co-op or aren't who I need on a list not up to the job I go up and then life happened and I was living this life I did I think everything I've ever judged everyone for yes so what that leaves you with is an open mind yes leaves you with empathy and compassion and the realization that everyone just needs love and kindness just love and kindness and and I like to think even if someone is really angry that there's a there's a kind of constant anger yes but I'm a jam on the time just love them from far because I wouldn't be all that but yeah you'll be okay sending you love but why are they angry all the time you know you never if someone doesn't talk about it you didn't know maybe they're stressed out they're depressed when they are ready to talk like now that's the kind of work that I do I need to find out I need to know why why are you angry what is making you angry why aren't you having a good day you have lion heart may I can't do that for everyone my head would explode but anyway thank you so much ketchup before coming though you have been very eloquent if I may say so thank you and one more time maybe you can give us your personal handles if that's okay with you all right so one last thing we're looking to partner with other people just one example of there women who are starting their businesses they need devices to probably communicate even the youths at home so that if it is previously we will do it one-on-one so we're looking to partner with people like air tail sapphire comb UNICEF all vision those are some of the people that we're looking to partner and our main handles are our website is www.righttothrive.org Facebook right to thrive Twitter right to thrive Instagram right to thrive number the two is number two yes number two not stable yeah my name is Valentine or at Callum Ivan you're still watching the Lydia's breakfast show in this hair town and I suggest you stay on for the conversation it might blow your mind away hashtag is one morning