 Why 254, imagine? We have Junrita Muridi who is the Deputy Chairperson of Strait Talk Association. I also have Robert Ndegwa who is the Brand Manager of Strait Talk Organization. Lady and gentlemen, you are so much welcome to our studios tonight. Thank you very much. So first things first, what is Strait Talk all about? Strait Talk is a group formed by the youth and it's a group to address the issues facing the youth. Most importantly, we look on the issues of depression because we see most of the youth today are committing suicide. We don't know why. Some of them don't have good guidance from back home. People are facing economic issues leading them to drug abuse and other things. So we find a forum where we as the youth can help ourselves because you look at the counselors, most of them they are not young. So you go asking for advice and you just get advice which you cannot apply. So we find a solution whereby as the youth how can we help ourselves to grow ourselves because in Kenya the youth have been greatly neglected. Thank you. So maybe Robert can tell us what was the inspiration behind this particular name Strait Talk? The inspiration was after a certain girl was abused sexually and because she had no one to talk to, we had to reach to her and talk to her. Then we found out that we can maybe use a bigger platform to address these issues because we understand that it is not just one person who is facing such things. There are more people out there who are facing such things and we want to address them in a more bigger platform so that we can be able to reach more people. So what's the motive behind this initiative? The motive here is to change lives. It is to change so that when you condemn and say that drugs are not good, you must show that person how are they not good, how are they not going to affect me or they are going to affect me. For example, there is this joke that goes around our campuses. When you take weed, it is going to make you go high and you are going to read so much, study so well throughout the night. Then tomorrow you are going to remember everything and pass those exams. But in the real sense we don't talk about health, the long term effect. What is going to happen after we use marijuana, what is going to happen after the excessive use of alcohol you get. So it is to address these issues so that you can know them. So that even when as you take those drugs, as you abuse them, you know it's not good and it's not good for your health. So I meant to understand that a person that is abusing drugs takes quite a long time to maybe recover and get back to their senses. How do you plan to deal with such situations to make sure that you've changed these people completely? I think right now we identify the persons and then we make sure that they have changed rehabilitation centres. It's quite an issue because some of the parents are not willing to pay because they are like how can you abuse drugs and then expect me to pay for you. But we are looking on to educating our parents and even looking for funding from elsewhere to help our members to curb the issue of drug addiction. So what ways are you using to raise sexual awareness? We hold events actually, that's what we have been doing for some time now. You see when we hold a big event and invite a big artist, people are going to turn out in big numbers, they are going to come. So when they come we use that opportunity to address them and also we can address them like in this platform right now. So this is another way of addressing the youths. So let's talk of maybe a conference of what you have spoken about. Has it been productive enough to reach the target group you want to reach? Yes it has been productive because after reaching those people, after holding those events, you find that some want to have more reach to us. The contactors and tellers have been facing these and these and these and we try how we can help them. But so far we are not at a point whereby we can rehabilitate those who have been affected by drugs or anything. That's why we do not have enough funds for now because we just started not so long ago. So John Rita maybe you can take us through the process that you take as an association to ensure that you deal with a person's depression. Okay on matters of depression first we ask the person like most of the times most of them send me emails. They don't want to speak out in public maybe on the Instagram page, on the Facebook page they don't want. So when they send the email I'll send the issue in anonymous. I can not say that it's Robert Ndegwa who has said that he has depression. So when I send I will get discussions from all the teams that talk in our various groups. Then we'll find the solution which we can help the person according to the level of depression. If that is mild depression mostly in Kampas you find people are depressed because maybe they were at Brooklyn, they broke up with their boyfriends. So when you send them the feedback and they talk to you, you tell them you have to do this procedure to detox yourself from the depression. Like then after like a week you check out on them and you'll like you see how they are going on and most of them are going on well actually. So is this the same case with dealing with people who are abusing drugs? Does it take the same like period? Okay with drugs is kind of difficult because like drugs the addiction is almost permanent so it has to go up to rehabilitation. But with depression it's so easy because it's about the mindset with depression. Mostly in Kampas the depression is not that serious. It's about petty issues, financial crisis, something small. But with the drugs we have a long way to go. I'd say that but we'd like to ask for support from government because the minister of youth is there to help the youth and most of the youth do not get help to curb these issues especially on drug addiction. Most of them have come from the rehab centers and they have gone back to drugs. We don't know why and we are trying to look for the solution to that. So Robert I meant to understand that this organization also helps young people who have business ideas being a position to acquire funds. Talk to us about that. I'm going to give an example with myself. I'm a kumbri that Jamukiniata University of Agriculture and Technology and I take a bachelor's degree in economics. Now being a kumbri I'm also a businessman. And that's why I'm in a position to reach those people who have business ideas so maybe we can know how we can help them. Now when I talk to them most of the times I use an example of Waren Buffet. I guess right now he's the second richest in the world if I'm not wrong according to the last statistics I read. And the guy became rich after doing so many partnerships. Now the thing is when you find a kumbri with a business idea he's going to tell you that he has no sources of finances but this is how we advise people. If you do not have enough funds we believe that you have a little savings. You can partner with another person then after you partner you can use that partnership and maybe go to even greater heights. Because myself I started with partnerships before maybe I put up some of my businesses in Jujja and out of Jujja you get. But saying that you are going to start alone unless you have the full amount. Now but when we find that the business idea is so huge and maybe it's a multimillion idea of which bird will come out to pick up we can still look before funds from NGOs maybe even the youth fund from the government. So far we have been able to motivate a few individuals like for example straight talk association it has people from all campuses. I'm from Jikwat we have June from another campus we have Ivin from another campus and others from other campuses so that we can be able to reach each and every person. Now like from my area what we've been able to do who have come to us with business ideas I've last with June I've last with Ivin then we've seen how we can do it. Now you find that then by the end of the day if the business becomes successful I'm going to get a share she's going to get a share but eventually the owner of the idea is going to get the greater share. In Jujja we have one of our friend in Gashororo so far he has a hotel we have another one from Jujja but has put Abotik in Ghidorai but it is just after they brought their business ideas on table then we discussed and decided how we can help them. So if you are from Jujja and you know I'm from there I talk to people because I do politics but I'm in opposition politics happen to be among the leaders in the opposition politics Jujja Pluto is there for you Pluto is there when you need to talk to straight talk association we can be able to help you not necessarily to fund your ideas but we can do some partnerships and you are going to see your way to somewhere when you partner in your first, second or third business maybe you'll be able to sponsor yourself in the fourth business you know Yes So maybe Junrita talk to us about how is it for you as an association to accept an idea that comes in especially a business idea and sure that you are going to cater for it to the fullest Okay in business we look for the viability of the business I think so although I'm a lost student I know some business but in business we look for how the business is going to help us because if you come with an idea that is maybe for fetched or which will not generate income that idea might not be so welcome so when we have the ideas which are let's say market to the we come together we join as a group and we say who wants to be a passionate in this business just as my friend has said and then the ones who are ready to put up their savings into the business they join and after some time you see that they are getting progress you see that someone has opened their own business out of their first business which they were together maybe they were together five then the next time they have their own separate businesses maybe where you come from up counts you set up a business you employ someone there because in Kenya the issue is the issue about the youth and economies because most of the youths want to be employed employed in jobs where they will get a job where they will be paid like they will be paid every month but then sometimes it's so difficult so you have to start your own business you can even start a business of maybe farming maybe you have like maybe I have a shamba but then like I have an ancestral shamba at home and then I'm not utilizing it I can talk to someone else let's say I can talk to my friend Robert or someone and then they are like I would like to plant potatoes so we come to an agreement that this will be a percentage this will be my percentage so after that the first time maybe we want to grow as much we go to the next time then we can start now going our own separate phase to make more bigger businesses because when you start as a person pekiako it gets so difficult most of the time the finances it becomes a serious issue so do you guys have like a social media platform where we can find you? yeah we have our Instagram Page Street Rock Association and our Facebook Page Street Rock Association so Facebook, Street Talk Instagram Street Talk remember you can still be part of this conversation by simply sending in your question or comment beginning with the word news or tweeting us if one annula at 2254 channel the hashtag to use is why 2554 update so how are you planning to promote talent growth? yes for example myself I am also an artist and I understand what many artists go through in fact I have a friend of mine who is a spoken word artist who is called Mr. Weg and there is a time he wrote in his status that we as artists have bills to pay so I discourage artists from going and performing free shows completely because most of artists they do it as a work they do it to get means of livelihood so I discourage them from doing free shows even us Strike Talk Association when we do this kind of shows there is that entry fee and whatever has been paid by people we also have that platform for the upcoming artists when you wanna chipuka then we give them a chance to perform whereby we are going to give something small at the end of the show and we give them a platform and we pay them after they perform that's how we help them then we motivate them and talk to them those who have talents and have not been able to make their way through we still help them for example we have an artist in EMB Records he's called Peter Peace he just released his first song like 2 months ago Peter Peace came to us he told us he has a talent but before he joins the campers he want to see something out of the talent coming up so it was a very hard task to even convince his parents that the son has a very great talent so I went in EMB Records I booked him a space to record he recorded, did an audio and the other day he did a video and right now he's going somewhere not Peter Peace when he goes on and does a collab with another artist at least we can say that there was a seed planted in a stretch talk association that's how we go to him I also think on the same issue especially on the ladies most of them they come to they inbox me and they're like I'd like to do modeling I'd like to do acting but I don't get the platforms so right now we have an agency in Nakuru okay our child lady Iveen she's recruiting members they are females to join the agency so they can contact her on Instagram at Royal Temptress and then they can join them and then on the acting we are majoring on forming a group where we can make our own films or maybe we can go to perform in theaters because we have many poets many spoken word artists many script writers but then when you go to national theater when you start acting the first time they'll give you a very small role and most of the youth they just give up at that point so we are looking for a platform where we as the youth can start as our own because even right now on TV the people who are always acting are the ones who are always acting even when you are kids yes so like the upcoming people they you find that you are upcoming you have talent you don't get the platform so you want to start our own films we go across the country having small kids and stuff so what are like your target your biggest target Brooke for now our biggest target for now is to start our own talent club with our own dance crew our own actors our own singers poets and everything and also to reach more compasses because right now I think we are in Kenyatta University or Kenyatta University of Agriculture we want to reach to other universities because we have very many compasses in Kenya and if we come together as the youth in Kenya we can make a change because it's time for change and the time is true so Robert when I hear about street talk association I'm probably interested in knowing how you are going to deal with pertinent issues that are facing young people in a way that they are facing young people in a way that they are facing young people in a way that they are facing young people in a way that they will understand you know young people are stubborn Yes now myself have ever been a motivational speaker of which I still do motivation I remember when I did my KCSE and I became a high school teacher mathematics teacher for a month from four before near KZ dreadlocks before joining university and there is a school I went to talk to that is talk to young people and there is something I realized that when maybe somebody who is grown and maybe even more mature and have a suit and end up in a leisure sometimes it becomes so tricky for them to even comprehend what he is saying but when we go with a team of young people like from university and we visit a certain high school this one is going to say that I'm from KCSE University I do this course the other one will say I do actual science from KU University and will be able to to present like all courses maybe I do a business course is doing a health course is doing another kind of a course now after we talk we ask these high schoolers to see us then those are interested in doing business courses they are going to see that guy who does a business course others are going to see that one who does a certain course like I'll be able to mentor those minds specifically that want to do a business course you get the other one will mentor those people who want to do medicine who want to do surgery pharmacy and that kind of a thing so we are able to reach them at the point of need but when it comes to general motivation we just tell them that you can do it because you have the brains and you have God so do you currently have partners in this organization or the people you are looking up to maybe you want them to partner with you yes right now we have shares so that people can come and buy shares maybe we start but if you are there and you have millions but you have money in bank and they are doing nothing let me tell you something in straight talk association we love people with multimillion ideas and they can turn those millions you have in your account into billions so if you want to partner with us the flow is open for anyone you are going to benefit and you are going to benefit we want to see actors in straight talk association acting in Hollywood films we want to see musicians performing in very great platforms as in we hear someone that started in straight talk association is the next whiskey next diamond platinum so if anyone wants to find with us or find us you can join in you are very welcome so maybe your final words Jun Rita and Robert your final words are concerning this particular topic and maybe to someone who wants to get involved with the organization okay my final word is that straight talk is home to all the youths you are welcome whether you are in college campus KMTC any other college any other higher education platform and also I want to thank our members for the supports so far I never knew that the group would go this far actually I had given up and I texted the chairperson and told her let's dissolve this group and she was like no once you start planting a seed you must watch it until it grows so thank you to team straight talk and we are requesting for more members from other campuses if your campus is not yet our member please find us on Instagram at Street Talk Association and thank you so much for this show Robert Now towards something on what Junha said Street Talk Association we just don't involve ourselves with only campus students the floor is open for everyone even those street kids because we usually even perform those street walks we visit those kids we go even to children's homes so we are not closed to university students we are open to everyone who can join us now we can continue to interact with you and follow me on my IG handle that is thepluto the underscore pluto THWE underscore pluto and twitter activistpluto because what I understand is we want to liberate from the bondage of deprivation from the bondage of poverty from the bondage of poor education and any other kind of bondage so you can feel free to interact and to even find us thank you thank you so much generator and Robert for coming through we really appreciate it so you've heard it it's not about the problems that you have of course no one saw the problems in the world there are people who can help you and these are the street talk association thank you so much for joining us tonight on the program my name is Yvonne and you'll enjoy the rest of your evening