Tanzania Youth Icons (TAYI) is a Non Governmental Organization established in 2011 to help youth empowerment and to improve the lives of young people by expanding learning opportunities available to them, pointing to a future full of hope and creating that future together.
TAYI focuses to reach all Tanzania youth as targeted group, but currently its main operations are see in Unguja and Pemba and its plan ahead in the near future to broaden its activities in Mainland Tanzania.
The Youth Patron and Founder Member of Tanzania Youth Icon-TAYI listening the Youth Presentation in one of learning session.
As one of the key player among civil society organization registered in Zanzibar since 2011 with envisage vision of national building by using a committed and dynamic youth generation that significantly engaged in all matters that will promote socio-economic development. TAYI through various adopted strategies has put forward in helping the government in national building through service provision, advocating for socioeconomic changes and wellbeing as well as creating enabling environment for welfare state of the citizen and young ones in particular.
Tanzania Youth Icons (TAYI) is a Non Governmental Organization was established with purpose to help youth empowerment and to improve the lives of young people by expanding learning opportunities available to them, pointing to a future full of hope and creating that future together. TAYI focuses on reaching all Tanzania youth as targeted group, but currently its main operations is restricted in Unguja and Pemba and with the aims of broaden its activities in Mainland Tanzania.
In pursuing her mission, TAYI has been networking and collaborating with others like minded Non Government Organizations including government agencies and departments. TAYI has been an active lobbyist and advocate for policy change on Youth Development and its related issues of concern. It also participates in campaigning prevention and control the spread of HIV/AIDS among youth population through various activities at its center through dialogue and creating platform for discussion for the same.
It has been collaborating with ZAC and UNICEF through radio program Vijana Tunaishi campaign in life skills building and sexual reproductive health and rights through radio episode and discussion on the groups. For the last half decade TAYI sought to help and improve the status of young people through projects such as:
" Youth empowerment against HIV/AIDS and Drugs/substance abuse
" Establishment of Youth Friendly Center
" Computer literacy Skills
" Library and Reading campaign among youth
" Development through sports
" Improving and supporting environment complain by demonstrating leading role in environmental protection and its sustainability such as planting trees in surrounding
" Socio economic Projects and soft loan through Micro financing, such as SACCOSS, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSE) projects
" Distribution of IEC materials
" Awareness activities during Mass events like National Ceremonies.
All these projects are aimed at impacting knowledge and skills as a way of empowering the youth and engaging their energies positively. In the face of hopelessness and despair it mitigate some selfish elements in society wrongly engage the energies of young people to fan conflicts and civil unrest, as major bane of Africa.
Some of the major achievement that we are proud of includes engaged in local and political leaders in implementation of Safe Water project at Kikwajuni constituency. TAYI in collaboration with political leaders within constituency Shehia and community in general, has successful implement water different projects which started since 2015 to the present.
The first grand water project at Kikwajuni which was inaugurated with his excellence Dr Ali Mohamed Shein who is The President of Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar on 2015 was aimed at increasing water supplies at the urban area specifically to the resident of Kikwajuni. Note that this is where the office and head quarter of TAYI is to be found. Essentially, in this phase it has been planned to improve water supply by drilling one borehole, developing a supplying infrastructure from the project site to storage facility. The construction work included replacing of the old water reservoir and placing new one with capacity of 50,000 meters. Upon completion it was handed over to the sole government agency responsible for regulating the water services to the citizen in Zanzibar i.e. Zanzibar Water Authority. This phase was funded by UNDP-TZ and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar through ZAWA and TAYI.
Following the initial phase, which only addresses the portion of problem, the second phase was introduced. This phase furthermore intends to increases the access to clean, safe and adequate water supply at affordable cost to the wider area of the Kikwajuni constituency. The second phase of the project mainly involve construction of the reservoir tank with capacity of 250,000 cubic meters, connecting water transmission line 6.5 Kilometer from water source and later construction of delivery network at Kikwajuni communities. The direct benefits expected from this initiative is reduction of waterborne and excretory diseases to the public thus improving public health and local economy. This phase of the project is in progress and is jointly financed by Secretariat of Food Aids between Japan and United Republic of Tanzania, Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar through ZAWA and Zanzibar Utility Regulatory Authourity and TAYI.
The third phase essentially has been not yet implemented though potential partners and some fund has been already accrued for the project implementation. The financial assistants have been funded by PUMA Energy Tanzania and UNDP-TZ. The project will also lay new pipelines with different diameters ranging from 160mm to 25mm diameters at the total length of 27,000m to reinforce the existing networks. All the newly laid pipelines will also include construction of control valves, manholes chambers and domestic water kiosks and construction of 60 domestic water kiosks (10 DPs per Shehia) at the selected points within the Shehias of Kikwajuni Bondeni, Kikwajuni Juu, Kisiwandui, Kisima Majongoo, Miembeni, Mwembeshauri, Rahaleo, Mwembeladu and Mnazi mmoja.
A part from the water project, TAYI is a Key player in Community Rehabilitation Program which is currently implemented through partnership with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and development partners. Through Department of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Labour Empowerment Elders Women and Children in collaboration with UNICEF under financial assistance from European Union, TAYI has entered into Memorandum of Understanding in implementing Community Rehabilitation Program. The community rehabilitation programme has been established as a pilot programme in the Urban-West Region of Unguja and is the first of its kind in Zanzibar.
The intention of establishing the programme as a pilot is to demonstrate an effective model for responding to children in conflict with the law outside the formal criminal justice system, and to learn lessons to guide the future roll out of the programme to other regions in Zanzibar as part of the Government's overall efforts to reform the child justice system in Zanzibar. It is an important step in taking from practice to paper key provisions of the Children's Act 2011.
The primary goal of the juvenile justice system should not be that of punishment for the crime or deterrence but prevention of juvenile crime and rehabilitation and reintegration of the child. The community rehabilitation programme sits within a broader programme of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar's efforts to bring the national system of juvenile justice into line with international and regional child rights standards and to develop a child protection system that is capable of providing an effective response for all children in need of care and protection.
The main purpose of CRP is to operationalise the Children's Act 2011 by providing community rehabilitation options for children in conflict with the law in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of dealing with children in conflict with the law in the community as an alternative to prosecution and custodial measures, through a low cost community run service that can be scaled up nationwide as part of the wider strategy for child justice and child protection reform. TAYI through its programme staff and with the support of the seconded social welfare officer from the MLEEWC provides individual, group and family counseling to children referred to the programme.
TAYI also provides a range of vocational skills training, remedial educational support, life skills courses and activities to children enrolled in the programme. Activities and services for children admitted to the programme are delivered at TAYI's community centre located at Miembeni in the Urban district. Ever since over 150 children have been rehabilitated and either reintegrated to school or alternate into informal sector within educational system. 
Up to May 2018 the date indicate 58.7% of children enrolled in the programme were referred by the Police,10% of children enrolled in the Programme were referred by District Social Welfare Officer, 21.6% of children enrolled in the Programme were referred by the Children's Court,12.5% of children enrolled in the Programme were referred by Department of Social Welfare Head Quarter. The police stations involved were BUBUBU, Makadara, Mazizini Mwera Kijitoupele and Ng'ambu Police Stations. The case were also reported from west District Region and from the Vuga and Mahonda Children Court. This is indication that TAYI has strong engagement with government institution and development partners.
TAYI has also brought together the government agencies and departments by creating a platform for youth dialogue since 2014. The project was implemented in collaboration with ILPI and funded by the US government to work with youth and police to build trust between youth and street-level police officers assigned to their constituencies. With the specific purpose of providing education to both police and youth on issues of human rights, religious tolerance, and economic development; and to increase the level of cooperation between the communities and police in reporting and reacting crime and security issues in the community.
Creating Space for Youth Dialogue project to some extent has broadened the community relation as well as enabling a good profile of Tanzania Youth Icon-TAYI to the surrounding community. It is common now when TAYI organize any community intervention be attended by large number of people gatherings; this is an indication of the short term impact of the project. This project has also provided the youth learning many skills and got many life skills, including Entrepreneurship and Computer Application. Many of the things learnt during the project period have an additional value to the youth individually and their community at large. It is expected that these skills and experiences learnt during the project would last long and have a big impact on youth development.
Grow Academy is another initiative which was established with the purpose of implementing Innovation Space ecosystem and inculcate the spirit of socio entrepreneurial mindset in Tanzania. Initially on 14th February 2015 Tanzania Youth Icon (TAYI) with collaboration of TANZICT they had event called un-conference which took place at Eacrotanal in Zanzibar , and the event started around 06:00 am early in the morning with root match, from TAYI, Michenzani, Haile Sellasie, Kikwajuni to Ecrotanal to collecting youth from the community, and the aim of the event was to gather the information about challenges and solutions, Dreams and opportunities, Peace in general, Access of information's for the purpose of building the space which can address their challenges in general known as INNOVATION SPACE . And more than 595 youth they participated on the event, 314 among of them were girls and the rest are boys.
There were couple of themes which aimed to help the participants to drop their opinions, options; solutions, ideas and more in order to made the day successfully. Some of these thematic ideal are still relevant and should be reflected in youth activities in general
Dreams and opportunity; The number of people who passed at the theme is - 313
The fundamental question put forwarded was "As a young individual, do you have any dreams for your life and is there any opportunities to fulfill your dreams?
Most of the youth in Zanzibar who participated on the Un-conference day and pass on the theme of Dreams and Opportunity to drop their opinions and options, they have nice and lovely dreams, from their list some of the dreams are, To be a doctor, to be adorable Artist, to be big entrepreneur who can sell the products or services national and international, to be a ICTs professional etc. On the other side, when asked on how about the opportunities to fulfill their dreams, most of them they said that they are ideal and faced with dilemma due to different family problems and poor government support. This situation has not yet change since then it may be a good reflection for future intervention of TAYI.
Access of information; The number of people who passed at the theme was 137 and they were asked to put on their opinion as a youth if they were in access of getting the information's and how?
With the current situation in the world, technology is real advancing very quickly and little bit chip due to the market competitions so most of participants said that, they get information's through using phones, computers, radios, news papers and televisions. At the same time there were few participants they said that they have little access to get information's due to have no access to have technological accessories and poor infrastructure in information's flow specifically on their important needs.
Peace; Social Security, tranquility and peace are paramount for any socio economic development and are highly advocated to the young generation. The number of people who passed on this theme was - 266, they were asked if there was a peace in their surrounding community?
Most of participants through their opinions they see that there were social disharmony and lack of tolerance and resiliency. Basically from the government level to community level there is enforcement of peace and strong government commitment toward social stability and tranquility, however due to political instability caused by reveries among political parties specifically CUF with ruling party CCM, there is indication of vicious cycle of political intolerance by opportunists who take advantage of it, through intensive corruption , large number of the youth to have no jobs, and they end up to create bad groups and gangs likewise Ubayubaya, they robbed, abused young girls, engaged in gays and prostitutions, lesbians and drags addicted. However many Zanzibaries have the culture of defense mechanism and denial of the existence of this problem.
Who is responsible to maintain peace? There was couples of guiding questions which aimed to help the participants to select which sectors or people are responsible to maintain peace. Many participants put the weight on the shoulder of the Government, the entire community members, religion affiliates and institutes and Civil Society Organization. From their own opinion they come up with the answer that, the government and politicians are the key people who can maintain peace with the good followers from the all community members.
Challenges and solutions; The number of people who passed at the theme is -164
On the side of challenges, most of participants on the event they based on, Lack of employment opportunities which come with the outcome of poverty, poor Education system-education system which is not supportive to most of Zanzibarian youth. Poor transportation system in some areas especial for students and poor loan systems to young business man and entrepreneurs especial for those who comes from poor families, some youth had feeling that they had no freedom of speech for their opinions, options and choices for their own life from family level to Government level. This is somehow debatable and need to be drawn with immense attention.
Likewise for the solutions towards the challenges most of them they come up with ideas to advise the government, private sectors, public sectors and non-government organizations in order to improve the life standard to them, like
The government should create a system of education which can be applied mostly in practical ways more than theoretical, in order to create people who are able to work themselves after being graduated. Alternatively CSO has to engage in advocating for change in system of education and dealt with identified gap.
To create a good system on transportation sector in order to help the students to be in the schools on time and to be away from other challenge according to their age or sex. This has been somehow addressed by building more school and expanding educational operators running private school.
To have special areas/ centre's where the youth of Zanzibar they can meet and discuss different things based on development issues through using their differences. Several platforms has to be established to inculcate spirit of changes to the society attitude and development in general
To improve the tourism sector which takes a big part on employment sector in Zanzibar and to empower the youth to be creative so that they can benefit from it, these were opinions which are mostly repeated by participants.
Innovation Space ; regarding the creation of space for innovation for young one. This was the basic theme for the event in specific TAYI initiative of innovation space for youth. The number of the people who passed at the theme were - 229, and there were couple of questions so that can help the participants. The first question was how would you like the space to be looking like? Most of the participants they suggest that the building should be good looking with the two store floors and to have facilities which can help different disables. Where would you like it to be? Most of them preferred to have Innovation space at Kikwajuni, Tunguu, and Chukwani in order of preference. This is still under strategies of TAYI as it is looking for partner to build the innovation building for youth. What would you find in there?
" To have recording studio and community radio
" To have all ICTs facilities like computers, internet access and more
" All important cooking materials and
" First Aid kit services
What you would find outside?
" Gardens
" Parking areas
" Shops for rent which can help the place to be sustainable and
" Kids play games
What tools would be available there?
" Computers
" Tailoring machines
" Grinders and drills
" Music system and guitars
-Who would you like to see in there?
" Teachers/ facilitators
" Different people with different talents, knowledge's and education
What kind of activities can you find there?
" Different sports and games
" Education based on business or entrepreneurship
" Different art activities
This project which was overseen by TANZICT was officially closed in 2017. Not all of what has been highlighted have been implemented though remain to be the focus.
Other TAYI activities:-
1. Coordinated reading and literacy campaign among young generation by introducing library services at its center. Using donations from well wishers TAYI has collected different texts and other learning and teaching material at the AYI center.
2. Organized and conducting training for Young Entrepreneurs in collaboration with Government under Ministry of Labour and Economic empowerment, through Kazi njenje Project Initiative.
3. Planting trees at Kizingo beach in collaboration with Jumuiya ya Imarisha Mazingira Zanzibar(JIMZ)
4. Coordinate Massive complain through Sports Bonanza, in inauguration of Youth days and environmental days.
5. Involve with other organizations activities, which relate to the fighting against HIV/AIDS. Capacity building to member organizations (leadership, administration, counseling, peer education, financial management, writing proposals, M & E, Income generating).
6. Provide advisory and lobbying services for the community on the source, spread and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
7. Introduced a Youth Friendly facility in its office at TAYI Center .
8. Peer education ( cultural events, arts, drama, video shows , debates, poems etc)
9. Fundraising for implementing member organization activities.
10. Conducting monthly life skills and civic education training for new members.
SITUATION OF THE LEAGAL FRAME WORK AND POLICY DOCUMENT IN REFLECTING YOUTH PLAT FORM FROM THE GOVERNMENT SIDE.
Youth now have been categorically organized by the government through the established Zanzibar Youth Council with acronym ZYC which enjoy the status of being a corporate body and have perpetual succession and an official seal; be capable of suing and being sued; be capable of holding and purchasing, acquiring, and disposing any movable or immovable property and can receive gift, grant and aids in its own name. All established council have the following hierarchical structure; Zanzibar National Youth Council; District Youth Councils; Shehia Youth Councils.
The membership of the council shall be open to all individual Zanzibari Youth through their Shehia Youth Councils. Any individual youth who accept the objectives of the Council may apply for membership by filling application form which shall be provided by the Secretary of the Shehia youth Councils. The member of the Council shall have the following rights and duties to elect and be elected; to give views, recommendations and advise to Council; to attend the meetings at a time and place provided to be honest and truthful; to keep secrecy on any information provided as such by the Council; to be a role model in advocacy of youth issues, law, policies and programmes; and to pay membership fees and subscriptions.
The Council have the following objectives, to foster among the Zanzibar youth spirit of a national identity, a sense of unity and self- respect as well as in depth awareness of social, economic and cultural prospects and diversities; to work as platform and representative organ of Youth affairs in Zanzibar; to advocate for the empowerment of youth in order to make them productive member in the society; to represent youth interest within and outside the country. The
Council shall have the following functions: to advise and make consultation with the Ministry in all youth issues and development programs; to advocate for the youth rights in Zanzibar and expansion of sustainable youth development mechanisms including policies, regulations, laws , principles and programs; to facilitate and strengthen partnership among registered youth organizations at national, regional and international level; to design, monitor and evaluate pilot youth programs that can be later scaled up by youth organizations; in line with National plans. to assist and encourage organizations interested in youth development in the initiation of youth training and development programs and research to support evidence based youth programs and promote their use; in collaboration with the Ministry to document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices related to youth programs; to mobilize and distribute resources in support of the implementation of youth programs and strengthen the capacity of youth groups or youth organizations; to initiate, operate and manage non-profit making or profit making projects in support of youth development as it deems fit; Organize and Conduct meetings of the Zanzibar National Youth Council; and to do such other functions as the council deems fit with its objectives