NEXTGEN YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
NextGen Youth Fellowship is Jonica Foundation’s youth empowerment programme focused on
helping young people build financial knowledge, digital confidence, income skills and greater
financial independence.
At the centre of the Fellowship is our flagship programme:
Bitcoin for Sustainable Development
Bitcoin for Sustainable Development introduces young people to Bitcoin, digital finance and the
changing global financial system from a practical, responsible and development-focused
perspective.
The aim is not to teach young people how to “get rich quickly.”
The aim is to help them:
- Build skills.
- Explore opportunities.
- Make informed financial decisions.
- Protect themselves.
- Understand Bitcoin.
- Understand money.
The Problem
- Kenya has one of the youngest populations in the world, yet many young people struggle to move from education into stable income. World Bank analysis reports that around 19% of Kenyan youth aged 15–24 were not in
education, employment or training in 2024, while a large share of young workers depend on informal and insecure employment. At the same time, young Kenyans are already interacting with digital finance and virtual assets.
An IMF assessment of Kenya’s crypto market found that the typical Kenyan crypto-asset user
identified in the underlying survey was under 40, and the report specifically emphasised the importance of financial literacy, consumer protection and understanding risk. This creates a major knowledge gap. Many young people hear about Bitcoin through: - TikTok.
- X.
- Telegram.
- WhatsApp groups.
- Friends.
- Online influencers.
But few receive structured education on:
- What Bitcoin actually is.
- How money works.
- How wallets work.
- How to protect private keys.
- Scams and fraud.
- Price volatility.
- Responsible saving.
- Financial planning.
- Regulation.
- Tax and legal considerations.
- How blockchain technology works.
- The difference between Bitcoin and other digital assets.
Without knowledge, young people can easily become targets for scams, unrealistic investment
promises and misinformation.
Why Bitcoin for Sustainable Development?
We want young people to understand Bitcoin within a bigger conversation about:
- Financial literacy.
- Financial resilience.
- Savings.
- Technology.
- Entrepreneurship.
- Cross-border economic participation.
- Digital innovation.
- Personal responsibility.
- Financial inclusion.
- Responsible use of emerging technologies.
Kenya now has the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025, which came into force on 4 November 2025 and created a legal framework for regulation of virtual-asset service providers. Regulations to operationalise the framework have continued to be developed in 2026.
NextGen will therefore approach Bitcoin as an education and youth-development programme, not as an investment scheme, exchange, brokerage or promise of financial returns.
Target Group
NextGen will prioritise young people aged 18–35, particularly:
- University and college students.
- Recent graduates.
- Unemployed youth.
- Young entrepreneurs.
- Youth in informal settlements.
- Rural youth.
- Young women.
- Youth with disabilities.
- Young people interested in technology and digital finance.
- Youth with limited access to formal financial education.
Short Term Goal
To train 250 young people aged 18–35 in Bitcoin, personal finance, digital financial safety and practical pathways towards financial independence.
Long Term Goal
To build a network of 5,000 financially informed, digitally confident and economically active young Africans who can make responsible financial decisions, pursue income opportunities and participate safely in the emerging digital economy.
General Objective
To improve youth financial literacy, digital financial knowledge and economic resilience through practical education on money, Bitcoin, digital security, entrepreneurship and income generation.
Specific Objectives
Within the first 12 months, NextGen Youth Fellowship will:
1. Train 250 young people through five Bitcoin for Sustainable Development Bootcamps.
2. Ensure at least 80% of participants demonstrate increased Bitcoin and financialliteracy
knowledge through pre- and post-training assessments.
3. Support 200 participants to develop personal budgets, saving goals and individual financial plans.
4. Train 250 young people on digital-wallet security, scams, fraud and responsible participation in digital finance.
5. Support 100 participants to identify practical income pathways through employment, entrepreneurship, freelancing or digital work.
6. Connect at least 50 Fellows to mentors, jobs, internships, entrepreneurship, freelancing or further training opportunities.
7. Establish at least 5 partnerships with financial-literacy, technology, youth, Bitcoin or employment organisations.
Core Activities
1. Bitcoin for Sustainable Development Bootcamps
• Conduct 5 two-day Bitcoin for Sustainable Development Bootcamps, each training 50
young people.
• Cover Bitcoin fundamentals, blockchain basics, decentralisation, wallets, private keys,
transaction basics and the difference between Bitcoin and other virtual assets.
• Use pre- and post-training assessments to measure knowledge gained.
2. Personal Finance & Financial Freedom Sessions
Every Fellow will develop a simple personal financial plan.
Training will cover:
• Budgeting.
• Saving.
• Debt management.
• Emergency funds.
• Financial goal-setting.
• Responsible investing principles.
• Income diversification.
• Basic entrepreneurship.
The goal is not merely for youth to understand Bitcoin.
The goal is for young people to understand their money first.
3. Bitcoin Safety Lab
• Conduct practical demonstrations on wallet security and responsible custody concepts.
• Train all 250 Fellows to identify common Bitcoin and crypto scams.
• Teach phishing awareness, fake investment schemes, impersonation scams and basic digital security.
- Ensure participants understand volatility and that financial loss is possible.
4. Bitcoin & Sustainable Development Challenge
Participants will form small teams and develop practical ideas answering the question:
“How can Bitcoin or related technologies contribute to solving a real community
or development challenge?”
Possible areas may include:
• Financial education.
• Remittances.
• Youth entrepreneurship.
• Digital payments.
• Community fundraising.
• Financial inclusion.
• Renewable energy innovation.
• Digital skills education.
The strongest ideas can receive mentorship and opportunities to present during a NextGen
showcase.
5. Income & Opportunity Clinics
• Conduct 5 practical career and income clinics.
• Help participants identify employment, freelancing, entrepreneurship and digital-work
opportunities.
• Support at least 100 youth to develop an individual income-generation plan.
• Connect selected participants with mentors and professional networks.
6. NextGen Fellowship Community
All graduates join the NextGen Alumni Network.
The network will be used to share:
• Jobs.
• Internships.
• Scholarships.
• Fellowships.
• Bitcoin education.
• Financial-literacy resources.
• Business opportunities.
• Mentorship.
• Jonica Foundation volunteering opportunities.
Impact
- 250 youth complete Bitcoin for Sustainable Development training
- 5 Bitcoin Bootcamps conducted
- 200 youth develop personal financial plans
- 250 youth trained on wallet safety, scams and digital financial security
- 100 youth supported to identify practical income pathways
- 50 youth linked to employment, internships, entrepreneurship, freelancing, mentorship or
further training - 25 youth-led ideas developed through the Sustainable Development Challenge
- 5+ strategic partners engaged
- 80%+ participants demonstrate improved financial and Bitcoin knowledge
What Success Looks Like
NextGen will not celebrate simply because:
“We trained 250 youth.”
We will ask:
- How many understand their money better
- How many started saving?
- How many avoided scams because they knew what to look for
- How many increased their income?
- How many found jobs?
- How many started businesses?
- How many learned to use digital technology safely?
- How many shared what they learnt with another young person
That is how we will measure financial empowerment.
Our Foundation for This Work
Jonica Foundation already works with young people through our County SRHR Ambassadors and youth-skills initiatives.
Our County SRHR Ambassador recruitment attracted more than 600 applications from young women, showing the demand for structured youth leadership and learning opportunities.
We are also developing the Imarika Youth Digital Skills pathway, through which young people can build practical digital and career skills. NextGen expands this approach into financial education, Bitcoin, digital finance and financial
independence.
Support Us
The Future of Money Is Changing. Young People Should Understand It.
Partner with Jonica Foundation to give young people practical financial education before misinformation, scams and poor financial decisions reach them first.