When 27 new Rise Up Leaders gathered in Nairobi this July, they didn’t just learn about advocacy — they lived it, practiced it, and prepared to scale it.
Rise Up’s Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator isn’t theoretical, it’s intensely practical, grounded in the realities local leaders in Kenya face daily. Over six transformative days, our newest cohort of Rise Up Leaders moved through a carefully crafted curriculum that covered everything from foundational leadership skills to advanced advocacy strategy development.
“The Accelerator was insightful, timely and incredibly valuable. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to build my advocacy skills and connect with such inspiring and passionate individuals. Above all, the humility, care and dedication demonstrated by the facilitators made the entire experience outstanding. Their approachability and concern for participants truly stood out and made the training even more impactful.” — Rise Up Leader Jancan Limo
Rise Up Leaders’ journey began with self-discovery exercises that helped participants identify their natural leadership styles and strengths, combined with experiential activities like trust walks to develop the interpersonal skills essential for coalition-building. But this wasn’t just team building, it was preparation for the complex relationship dynamics that effective advocacy requires.
Our participants then dove deep into Kenya’s specific context, researching current laws, policies, and cultural barriers affecting women and girls today. Using tools like problem trees, they identified root causes of gender inequity and translated those insights into concrete Expected Advocacy Results, specific policy changes they could pursue with funding from Rise Up.
The curriculum’s centerpiece was strategic advocacy planning. Leaders mastered political mapping using Kenya’s actual governmental structures, conducted audience analysis to tailor their messaging, and learned to craft campaigns that center community voices. They practiced everything from educating decision-makers to handling challenging media interviews.
“The workshop content was insightful, well-structured, and relevant—especially in highlighting practical tools like the Audience Mapping, SWOT Analysis, and the Expected Advocacy Result (EAR) framework. These tools will be invaluable in shaping focused, strategic advocacy campaigns. The facilitation was engaging, inclusive, and well-paced.” — Rise Up Leader Richard Manyara
Every session emphasized a fundamental belief held by Rise Up: those most affected by problems must drive the solutions. Rise Up Leaders didn’t just learn about community engagement as a tactic, they practiced it as a core methodology, developing skills to amplify rather than co-opt community priorities.
By the end of the Accelerator, each leader had developed an advocacy strategy with clear objectives, political maps, communication plans, and resource mobilization approaches. More importantly, leaders gained a systematic methodology they can adapt to multiple issues over time.
The final Accelerator sessions addressed sustainability, both organizational and personal. Leaders conducted SWOT analyses, developed alliance-building strategies, and learned advocate self-care, recognizing that sustainable social change requires sustainable change-makers.
These 27 leaders returned to their communities and organizations with more than new skills — they carry a proven methodology for creating lasting change. In twelve months, when they reconvene for additional training, they’ll bring real-world experience applying these approaches.
From leadership assessments to policy analysis, from coalition building to media strategy, every element has been designed with one goal in mind: equipping Kenya’s most promising advocates to create large-scale, sustainable impact in their communities and beyond.
