Urban centres like Nairobi and Mombasa are hubs of internal mobility in Kenya, bringing together young people from across the country, in search of opportunities such as education and employment. These dynamic cities highlight the country’s social and cultural diversity, while also raising questions about representation and belonging.
To address these challenges, Play for Peace, uses sport and play to create structured opportunities for young people to debate, reflect, and engage constructively with diversity. The project is led by Youth for Peace Young Leader Wevyn Muganda, and supported by the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme, implemented by UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS). Through her engagement in the programme, Wevyn received specialised training, mentoring and a financial grant from UNESCO. This enabled her to unite young people from diverse social, cultural, and geographic backgrounds to co-design and pilot a civic engagement card game titled Ballot Battle: The Campaign Trail
The game was intentionally developed as a tool to encourage dialogue. Careful attention given to its content and structure – from the characters and scenarios included to the issues debated and the perspectives represented – to reflect Kenya’s diversity. These choices reinforced the ethos of inclusion and supported broader reflection on representation and leadership in the country.
