Inflection points in practice: Lessons from youth development experiences in Kenya

Earlier this program year, a team from the University of Minnesota Extension Department of Youth Development traveled to Kenya to build international partnerships and share approaches to Positive Youth Development (PYD). 

The trip was led by me, Dr. Jennifer Skuza, in collaboration with Extension Educators Kaiya Novacek and Katie Becker, with support from Dr. John Vreyens, the now-retired Extension global initiatives director. Jessica Russo, Extension educator, did not travel but supported the curriculum development. 

Together, the team focused on teaching, partnership-building and learning alongside colleagues working with young people in Kisii County and other parts of Kenya.

In collaboration with Kisii University, the team delivered a two-day workshop for faculty and graduate students from the School of Arts and Social Sciences and the School of Education. 

Forty participants engaged in seven hours of interactive professional development focused on positive youth development, community asset mapping and social–emotional wellbeing. The team also visited five community-based youth serving organizations in Kisii County and met with directors of Kenya 4-H to discuss future collaboration. 

Throughout the impactful workshop and community organization visits, three key inflection points reshaped our understanding of youth development across contexts.

1. Rethinking “youth” across contexts

In the U.S., “youth” often refers to children and adolescents. In Kenya, however, youth is defined as young people ages 18–35. This distinction immediately framed our approach, requiring us to address higher education, workforce pathways, entrepreneurship and leadership development within a youth-focused framework.

Despite these differences, Positive Youth Development (PYD) principles translated seamlessly. Strengths-based engagement, belonging, skill-building and leadership development resonated across contexts, highlighting the global relevance and adaptability of PYD when grounded in local realities.

2. Collaborative learning in action

A second inflection point occurred when a Kisii University professor invited graduate students to join faculty in small group discussions during the workshop — and then serve as spokespersons for their groups during the teach-backs and gallery walks.

In a setting that often follows traditional academic hierarchies, this practice was an exciting example of collaborative innovation. 

Faculty and students became co-creators of learning, embodying the very PYD principles we were teaching: youth as contributors, partners and leaders.

In the workshop, we used asset mapping, culturally relevant case studies, participant-led teach-backs, where participants summarize and present their learning to the larger group, and gallery walks, in which groups prepare findings on written displays and rotate around the room to share with peers. 

These interactive methods allowed attendees to apply concepts to real-world scenarios, effectively linking theory to practice. Participants explored scenarios including student-faculty partnerships, student-led research projects, teacher preparation and the implementation of Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). 

These methods fostered experiential, participatory learning and reflected best practices in adult education and positive youth development research.

3. Seeing PYD in action without naming it

Perhaps the most inspiring realization came through engagement with the five community-based organizations in Kisii County. 

Many organizations were already implementing practices aligned with PYD and creating pathways.

These organizations addressed critical community issues, including domestic violence safeguards, climate justice and workforce development, yet were not explicitly framed using PYD terminology. 

The sophistication and intentionality of these youth-informed, community-driven efforts illustrated that effective youth development often exists in practice before it is formalized in theory. 

Witnessing these strategies in action was both humbling and inspiring.

The value of mutual learning

What made this experience truly powerful was its foundation in mutual learning and youth partnership. 

Extension’s approach to PYD centers on working alongside young people as co-creators and leaders, recognizing their ideas, experiences and agency as essential to meaningful change. 

We saw this spirit in action at Kisii University, where faculty and graduate students collaborated to strengthen higher education, and within the five community-based organizations we visited, where youth actively shaped programs and decision-making. 

Meetings with the directors of Kenya 4-H highlighted the inspiring role this national organization plays in supporting children’s education and equipping them with skills that extend beyond the classroom.

Throughout the trip, participants on all sides were genuinely invested in learning from one another. This exchange underscored how transformative mutual learning can be when rooted in cultural context, revealing the strengths, creativity and resilience embedded in local communities and the unique ways they support young people’s success.

It was also wonderful to build on previous efforts by Extension Department of Youth Development colleagues who conducted workshops with Kenyan educators from schools for the deaf and helped establish debate clubs.