10 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid to Fail.

1. You get to know and learn many ways of tackling the same challenge in even better ways.
2.  Before you fail there's also probability of succeeding. Failure doesn't work in isolation. 
3. Failure is reversible it isn't a permanent status. 
4. Before you either fail or succeed there are many attempts. Celebrate those many attempts you made.
5. Failure in one thing doesn't mean failure in everything. 
6. In anything that you do there is some level of risk involved, minimize the risk by taking a calculated risk so when you fail you will still appreciate all the efforts made from your side.
7.  Through failure exist next level innovation. 
8. You aren't the first one to fail but can still be the best failure in your category. 
9. No one is immune to failing they just got a better way to handle it. So learn from other people's failures. 
10. Failure isn't a contagious affairs, you can make a failed team into a winners. 

 More insight on www.wilsenx.blogspot.com and happy new month a head!

Ten Ways on How We Can Save and Serve the Youths In Kenya

 YOUTH ARISE #YouthSpace #ActivateYourSelf 

 Never be too quick to blame the youth that they are doing 'nothing' to save themselves from economic turmoil. Until you step into the youth's 'world' especially in this era of COVID-19, you wouldn't know and understand what they might be going through to make both ends meet especially those who live in underprivileged communities.

I know many youth who would love to do something or anything but they find it tough or rather challenging not knowing where to start or what to do in a society where even the menial jobs are diminishing while the number of job seekers keeps on rising while everyone is ready to do anything to survive.

 As a way to save and serve the youth let us not throw random ideas to the youth rather let us spare that precious time to walk the journey together with the youth in identifying the problem, seek solutions and build sustainable processes in the ever changing environment moving into the unpredictable future.

Youth in Kenya constitute 70% of the population and continue to face many challenges from lack of job opportunities which includes menial jobs, mental health, peer pressure, rejection, poverty, underpayment, frustration, lack of skills just to mention but a few.

 Question, what would be the most effective approach in saving and serving the bulging youth population which can be a risk factor or opportunity for the national political, social and economic growth?

 #MyTake As inspired by my work in implementing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

•  SDG 1: No poverty
•  SDG 4: Quality education and lifelong learning
•  SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth. 

I’m thinking the following can help us address the youth agenda;

1.  Meaningful youth engagement as a way of designing sustainable programs for and by the youth. 
2. Mentor-ship and training, this will allow the youth to learn more outside the classroom and discover new ways to deal with their situation. 
3. Creative entrepreneurship training - tapping into our creative genius, skill set and mind set in developing solutions for the existing problems. 
4. Financial literacy program - help them understand the basics ( save and invest). Train the youth How to handle money as a vital life skill.
5. Train the youth on how to grow their networks (social and professional networks) beyond their hood thereby ensuring quality and meaningful relationships. 
6. Targeted programming, dealing with different youth groups as per their needs and levels with the entire ecosystem. 
7. Sustainability of youth programs and projects from one regime to the next one. 
8. Support job creation ventures by the youths, create an enabling environment for youth to operate in any of their chosen fields for example in arts, farming, business etc.
9. Support the blue collar sector where it is considered to be for failures and yet it is not. More awareness and championing of TVETs institutions. 
10. 360 degrees approach to soft skills / life skills training which includes presentation, problem solving, emotional intelligence, creativity, innovation, self drive, personal branding just but few. 

As a youth advocate I would love to see young people live a more decent life through their careers, talents, skills and things they choose to do. It is very possible to realize the vision through observing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) even at our individual levels.

Feel free to get in touch with me for a master session with your youth groups on areas of creative entrepreneurship, personal branding, internet research, soft skills training, blogging, photography and many more. It starts with self learning to address the knowledge gap in the society which eventually transitions into a community of lifelong learners.

Good read;

•  Kenya Youth Survey 2016 Kenya is a very youthful country. The median age is estimated at 19 years, and about 80 percent of Kenya’s population is below 35 years. https://www.aku.edu/eai/Documents/kenya-youth-survey-report-executive-summary-2016.pd
• Rising to the youth employment challenge https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_556949.pdf 
•  Youth Employment https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch02.pdf 
•  Kenya Youth Employment https://www.britishcouncil.co.ke/sites/default/files/ng_kenya_youth_employment_ in_kenya.pdf 

"Tell me what are the prevailing sentiments that occupy the minds of your young men, and I will tell you what is to be the character of the next generation”. Edmund Burke (1729–97)

Creative Entrepreneurship Session at NairoBits

 It was a great four days (20 -23rd July 2020) at NairoBits office where I engaged a group of young people from different community based organisations. Inline with all the safety measures we were able to engage small groups in a shift of two days.

 The objectives of the session were;-

1. Learn the basics of Intellectual property (IP). 
2. Learn the difference between the business model canvas and business plan. 
3. Learn how to do market research and SWOT analysis of the business idea.
4. How to identify business opportunities.
5. How to do a budget and fund raise for their business idea 
6. Understand the customer journey before starting the business. 
7. Learn the Marketing strategies using the 6 P's - Positioning, Place, Price, People, Purpose and Promotion 
8. Develop an idea using the business model canvas 

I hope that all the knowledge shared will be put in use in actualizing the brilliant ideas we discussed using business model canvas.

I look forward to reaching out to many young people in different spaces as a way of implementing the SDG4 (Quality education and lifelong learning), SDG 1 ( No poverty) and SDG 8 ( Decent work and economic growth).

Get in touch with me for a master session with your youth group, my rates are affordable while ensuring utmost quality delivery of content within the subject matter.

 Key training methodologies used during the session; 

• Small group assignments ⦁ Lectures insights ⦁ Participants insights ⦁ Case studies and examples. ⦁ PP = Pitch and Presentations ⦁ Role play ⦁ Brainstorming and discussions. Note: Materials used; Audio visual, handouts, projector, internet, laptop, sticky notes, white board, markers, participants notebooks and pen.

 My email wilson.masaka@gmail.com

Capacity Building Training At Oasis Mathare

On Friday 24th July 2020, I had the pleasure of facilitating a session about writing reports and content creation at Oasis Mathare.

Oasis Mathare is very keen to acquire the necessary skills that would help them perform their work better, especially in serving all their stakeholders with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness.

The objectives of the session were:-

1.  Learn how to write different types of reports. 
2. Identify different types or reports and their purpose. 
3. Identify areas to improve in the Oasis report writing system. 
4.  Learn how to write engaging reports for different stakeholders and channels for dissemination.
5. Understand the purpose, content, target audience, formats and channels to use in reaching different stakeholders. 

Taking  the team through creative report writing and content creation.

There are many types of reports as noted; Financial reports, meeting minutes, annual project reports, event reports, training reports etc.

 In session at the Oasis Mathare Digital Hub were; Douglas, Mike, Dennis, Edwin, Theyyibah and Grace.

We learned new insights and ideas that would improve their relationships with different stakeholders while also developing platforms for capturing reports in the best format possible. They look forward to assigning new roles to each member, introducing a blog and a newsletter as the first quick wins.

I  thank Oasis Mathare for the opportunity to share the knowledge that will lead them to the desired change.

Get in touch with me for Master session with your youth group on different issues under your organization and team development. My email wilson.masaka@gmail.com

Inspiration - My top 1O Personal Quotes +throughMylens

. #Inspiration #Motivation #Courage #BusinessAcumen #Friendship #SelfAwareness

The journey... Life series...

My top 1O Personal Quotes, which are part of my thought process as captured. I hope you will be inspired by one or two.

1. Even in our difficult moments the mind keeps on thinking and it generates ideas. You have the power to capture the positive within the mix.
2. The best competition starts with looking at yourself yesterday versus yourself today rather than focusing too much energy competing with others.
3. Whatever we have achieved in the past shouldn't be an end but must be a means towards achieving more great impact.
4. No matter how passionate and ambitious you are, you don't become a body builder in one day by lifting the heaviest weight in the gym.
5. Starting a business is a marathon race not a sprint, among the things you need to survive the curve of failing are; market research, business knowledge and passion for the business.
6. A great personal brand goes beyond the looks and is achieved by working on what you can see through the mirror and more importantly working on what can't be captured by the mirror which impacts your life and that of others.
7.  The best business secret is one that is in operations rather what's in your lockers.
8. It is not the number of friends you have that is the most important thing, but it's the value shared, the relationship and the quality of your friendship no matter the numbers.
9. One of the many challenges amongst the youth in the slums isn't only in leaving the ghettos, but rather more on how the 'ughetto' can leave out them.
10. The mind is like an elastic band it stretches to the levels that you want and it doesn't have a limit. So what you feed your mind you eventually become. 

All credited to:- Wilson Masaka, youth advocate / trainer / photographer +throughMylens

The Teacher, Mentor, Facilitator and Coach in Me.

I specialize in youth mentor-ship and training in soft skills, personal branding, storytelling, photography, social media, creative entrepreneurship and technology training using my brand +throughMylens Consult / Create / Connect. www.wilsenx.blogspot.com

 As a freelance consultant I envisage to at least reach 1000 young people per year whereby helping them adapt into new ways of learning towards their chosen career and desired lifestyle.

I’m driven by my unrelenting passion to achieve 3 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) namely; ·

1.  Goal 1: No poverty 
2. Goal 4: Quality Education and lifelong learning 
3. Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth 

 Which is your favorite SDGs goal out of the 17? Check them out at:-  https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html

Picture from archive: Training at Hope Raisers Initiative with a group of upcoming artist (musicians, DJ’s and Sound producers July 2020.

Note: I'm available for short / long term contract!

10 Tips on How to Make Learning Fun During and After Covid-19

Now that we are at home most of the time due to the pandemic situation some of the routines can be very boring including studying, isn't that so? Well, before you answer yes or no, the question is what do you do to make learning fun while at home during this new normal mode of covid-19?

Below are my top 10 suggestions for young people straight from my diary that you should try.

1. Before you start learning anything you must have a plan. Start with defining the goal for learning and make sure it is S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).  Example of learning goals; a) I want to learn something new to improve my life. This is very vague and open to many questions. b) I want to learn how to code a simple website by myself using free available tools and tutorials by the end of December 2020. This is a much better version that meets the S.M.A.R.T model.
   
2.   Have different categories for learning for example a mix of general knowledge, your subject area of interest etc.
   
3. Adapt into new ways of learning and attach a project, task or assignment that you must complete.
   
4. Learn from different experts in the same area of interest.
   
5. Do different format if you can for example audio, videos, article, books etc.
   
6. Organize a meet up with an expert online to discuss your areas of interest towards learning and seek their advice.
   
7. Share that knowledge with a friend, by the way you gain more through sharing.
   
8. Out of the 10 points identify top 3 that is a must do regardless of your situation that forms the core of your learning pattern.
   
9.  Schedule breaks and open hours to explore the outside environment adhering to all safety guidelines. For example take a long walk alone, if you have a bicycle go for a ride in open space etc.
   
10. Account for your hours through daily check and if you stay with someone share you plan for the week and ask them to check with you if everything is going as per the plan. 

There you go, I hope by sharing this knowledge it will spark new ways of learning and exploration in your plan. Inspiration +throughMylens No alt text provided for this image No alt text provided for this image Best Quote Life series #Teaching #LifelongLearner Nothing uplifts me more than teaching and sharing the life journey while I learn from others.

Teaching to me is my career, a calling, passion and lifestyle.

•  – “The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.” - Edward Buller-Lyton

•  – “The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate ‘apparently ordinary’ people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people.” – Patricia Cross 

•  – “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” – Robert M. Hutchins 

 More about my work www.wilsenx.blogspot.com / https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilson-masaka-4b39439/

I'm available for short or long time engagement!