Careers

The Gap We're Addressing Kenya has made significant progress in building the policy frameworks needed to respond to its mental health burden — from the Mental Health Act 2022 and the Mental Health Action Plan 2021–2025, to the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2021–2026 and county-level plans such as the Nairobi County Mental Health Action Plan 2025–2030. Yet these frameworks are too often designed and overseen without the voices of the people they are meant to serve: young people living with mental illness and psychosocial disability. At the same time, those with lived experience frequently lack the specific skills and confidence needed to engage meaningfully with policymakers, institutions, and technical stakeholder spaces. The result is that mental health policy and advocacy in Kenya has not come out as strongly as it could — despite its real potential to drive sustainable change in the systems meant to serve those who need it most. The Voices Unmuted Fellowship exists to close that gap. It equips young people with lived experience of psychosocial disability — and those who stand alongside them — not only with tools and knowledge, but with real spaces to practice using their voice and pathways into the rooms where decisions are made. This is about change that goes beyond awareness. About the Fellowship This fellowship sits within the broader Voices Unmuted: Youth-Led Advocacy for Inclusion project, a 12-month initiative running from August 2026 to July 2027, supported by the AU-EU Youth Action Lab. The project is grounded in the African Union's Agenda 2063 — particularly its commitment to people-driven development and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in decision-making — and the African Youth Charter's vision of youth rights to participation, health, and dignity. At its core, Voices Unmuted is about ensuring that young people with lived experience of psychosocial disability are not just heard, but positioned as genuine partners in shaping the mental health systems meant to serve them. We are calling for 23 participants to join the Voices Unmuted Fellowship: a 7-week program combining 6 weeks of virtual learning with a 3-day residential training, culminating in a graduation ceremony. Fellows will train alongside members of the project's Lived Experience Council, joining a growing community of young advocates working on mental health inclusion in Kenya. Over the course of the fellowship, participants will cover: Mental health literacy and a rights-based understanding of mental health care, grounded in the WHO QualityRights framework Understanding psychosocial disability — the social model of disability, language, stigma, and inclusion Kenya's mental health and disability policy landscape and how to engage it, from the Mental Health Act to county and national mental health plans Advocacy skills — from the fundamentals of advocacy to engaging institutions, working groups, workplaces, and education institutions, and sustaining those relationships over time Communication skills — safely sharing lived experience, speaking to power, and written and digital communication for advocacy Self-care and personal boundaries — sustaining yourself while doing this work, including recognizing burnout and building self-compassion Sessions are delivered through a mix of presentations, storytelling sessions, panel discussions, peer-led sessions, self-paced learning, and friendship circles — informal spaces for fellows to connect.

Below 35 years of age Able to commit approximately 3 hours per week to virtual sessions over 6 weeks Able to attend the full 3-day residential training in November 2026 A reliable, strong internet connection for virtual sessions No mental health background required — genuine interest is an added advantage Membership in a youth network is an added advantage Full commitment to both the virtual sessions and the residential training is required — graduation is only awarded to fellows who complete the full program.