To engage with the target group and the ‘human’ based issues CROSSROAD and Y-TAP adapted an equally ‘human’ based approach, THEATRE. Theatre encompassing all forms of art such as Music, dance, drama, visual arts among others has been a successful tool of addressing and communicating development but to us its strength as a life based medium that derives its form, basis and structure from people’s believes, traditions and relations, emanating from ritual and day to day interaction of people. Theatre is thus described as an extension or magnification of life making it one of the most viable mediums of engaging and tackling life based challenges as mentioned above. After tackling the ‘human factors’ our research showed that the girls would be well equipped, confident, Open/independent minded and empowered to make informed and independent decisions regarding their own development.

Armed with the above information we selected Ruiru, a collapsed industrial town just outside Nairobi where teenage pregnancy has spiraled out of control bringing with it many other developmental challenges that touch on other aspects of community well being such as Health (HIV/AIDS), Education (School dropouts), Poverty (unskilled, unemployable), Drug Abuse among others. It is funded by OXFAMNovib

The project has been build as a collaborative initiative bringing local community based organizations (CBO’s), faith based organisations (FBO’s), Youth organisations among others.

Despite being on course to achieve the targeted results the project has already achieved many results which include Helping establish an all young women art and development initiative in Ruiru under the name YWI-RUIRU, The Participants establishing A micro finance ‘ merry Go Round’ initiative, Inspiring Y-TAP to establish a young women program that will focus on issues relating to teenage mothers and violence against the young woman titled THE S.H.E Program, the participants being integrated in the national WE CAN end all violence against Women CAMPAIGN among others.

Y-TAP hopes to extended the project in all the 6 sub-locations in Ruiru (Githurai, Gitambaya, Ruiru town, Murera, Gitothua and Tasia Coffee estate) targeting over 900 young women directly and thousands more indirectly. Y-TAP will also seek to duplicate the project in ten more locations throughout Kenya working with the 30 graduates of this project as facilitators.

WE CAN CAMPAIGN
Y-TAP is the focal and coordinating organisation in Nairobi and its environs for the WE CAN CAMPAIGN tasked with mobilising alliance members assisting them recruit changemakers, issue and coordinate campaign materials besides ensuring the Campaign reaches it goals. WE CAN Campaign is hosted by OXFAM GB and funded by OXFAMNovib.
We Can is a unique, innovative and ambitious large-scale campaign that seeks to reduce the social acceptance of violence against women and consequently prevent violence against women in the long term. Key aspects of the campaign include:
Alliance building based campaigning: We Can works through building a broad base alliance of diverse range of organisations, communities and individuals in local campaigning to challenge and influence change of attitudes and behaviour that make violence against women socially acceptable.
Focus on attitude and behaviour change: We Can works to achieve a fundamental shift in social attitudes and beliefs that legitimise violence against women.
Community based campaigning focusing on individual attitude and behaviour change: We Can focuses on influencing personal change of attitudes and behaviour in ordinary women and men and what they can do within their own spheres of influence to reduce violence against women in their communities. The campaign works through changemakers i.e. Individuals who renounce violence against women and commit to change their attitudes and behaviour and also reach out and influence ten other people they know to do the same, thereby generating a cumulative social movement to end violence against women.
Engaging boys and men: We Can actively recruits men and boys as changemakers.
Innovative and engaging communication materials: We Can raises awareness women through materials and messaging on familiar situations that encourage people to question their beliefs and behaviour.
Positive based campaigning: We Can moves the discourse on violence against women from blame-based approach and confrontational activism to a benefits based approach that promotes involvement by all. The campaign influences change of attitudes by positive example and encouragement and by persuading people to take responsibility for changing their attitudes as opposed to putting perpetrators on the defensive by condemning and ‘ naming and shaming’.

By 2012, We Can in Kenya will mobilise 1.3 million changemakers and by extension reach 13 million people across the country with the message that violence against women is unacceptable and to symbolically take a collective stand to oppose violence against women.
Y-TAP is the focal and coordinating organisation in Nairobi and its environs tasked with mobilising alliance members assisting them recruit changemakers, issue and coordinate campaign materials besides ensuring the Campaign reaches it goals.