Uncategorized𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 – STTA Young Change Makers End Year Symposium 2025

On Saturday, the 22nd, we hosted the #sttachangemakers End-of-Year Symposium at the Boma International Hospitality College. We were honoured to welcome our Chief Guest, Mr. Oli Dreike, Footprint & Sustainability Director at The Safari Collection, who spoke on this year’s theme: “𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.”

The symposium brought together 204 #youthintourism representing 16 universities and TVET institutions, a truly inspiring gathering of emerging leaders in tourism and hospitality.

This event marked the close of the Young Change Makers (YCM) program academic year, whose 2025 reach is 1584 students, and celebrated the collective achievements of our students, faculty mentors, partner institutions, and industry collaborators. We also recognized the outstanding efforts of Rising Stars Cohort 7, whose leadership, creativity, and passion for sustainability continue to shape the future of our sector. The event further highlighted the crucial role of industry-academia partnerships in advancing teaching, practice, and innovation in tourism and hospitality.

In line with the program’s Recognition and Reward Pillar, we awarded:
1. STTA Rising Stars Award 2025 (Cohort 7): Stacey Ngina, The Cooperative University Of Kenya, and Collins Wanjala, Machakos University
2. Most Committed Student 2025: Stacey Ngina, The Cooperative University Of Kenya
3. Most Committed Faculty Member 2025 (University): Ms. Christine Olanga, from the DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (DeKUT)
4. Most Committed Faculty Member 2025 (TVET): Chef Ciselyne Amake from Boma International Hospitality College
5. Most Committed Institution 2025: Machakos University

We also recognized the student clubs and associations, Hospitality and Tourism Association of Machakos University (HATAMU), University of Nairobi Arts and Tourism Association (UNARTS), and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Technical University of Mombasa (THATUM), for steering student-led online conversations on X.

A special thank-you to our partners, Let’s Go Travel Uniglobe, African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Kenya – Giraffe Centre, and Nomad Africa, for their unwavering support throughout the year. We also extend our gratitude to Rosebell M. for joining us and sharing valuable insights with our students.

We also extend our appreciation to all 19 participating institutions in 2025, whose support made this year a success.

As we look ahead to 2026, we are excited to see the YCM program step into its ninth year of empowering future changemakers.

Read the Full 2025 Report Here