This study examined the effect of volunteer youth participation in decision-making and community service on

performance of humanitarian organizations in Kenya, using the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) as a case

study. The study adopted a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from

a sample of 810 respondents comprising youth volunteers, staff, and governance members drawn from

.001). The findings also highlighted regional gender disparities, with male dominance in the North Eastern and

Upper Eastern regions and higher female participation in Coast and West Kenya. Overall, the study concludes

that meaningful youth engagement enhances organizational efficiency, innovation, and community outreach. It

recommends institutionalizing inclusive decision-making structures, strengthening youth-led community

service initiatives, and addressing gender and regional imbalances to optimize the contribution of young

volunteers to organizational performance.

performance, Kenya Red Cross Society

Youth volunteer engagement has increasingly been recognized as a cornerstone of organizational

responsiveness, and long-term resilience (Malinen & Harju, 2017; Nursey-Bray et al., 2022). Studies in the

United States, Australia, and Finland demonstrate that active youth volunteerism builds social capital,

strengthens leadership, and enhances institutional performance through community-driven initiatives (Barber,

Mueller & Ogata, 2013; Englert & Helmig, 2018). Across Africa, the demographic weight of youth presents

both a challenge and an opportunity for inclusive growth. Over seventy-five percent of Africans are below

thirty-five years of age (African Union, 2021). Continental frameworks such as the African Youth Charter

(2006) and Agenda 2063 identify volunteerism and civic participation as vehicles for transformation.

Empirical studies from Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya show that youth engagement in governance and

community service contributes directly to program quality and community wellbeing when institutions provide

structured platforms for participation (Udoma, Umoh & Etuk, 2024; Ovcharova, 2020; Falessi, 2020). These

and highlights coordination, recognition, and protection of volunteers (Government of Kenya, 2015). It

explicitly recognises youth volunteers as key partners in promoting social responsibility and institutional

performance. Within this context, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) stands out as the country’s largest

humanitarian organisation and a model of structured youth engagement. Established under Cap 256 of the

Laws of Kenya (1965), KRCS operates as an auxiliary to national and county governments, guided by the

Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Youth constitute over eighty percent of

its volunteer base (KRCS Strategic Plan 2021-2025). Their roles span community service activities-such as

health campaigns, environmental conservation, and social outreach-and representation in decision-making

through branch, regional, and national youth assemblies. However, despite strong policy frameworks, internal

assessments reveal persistent gaps in the extent to which youth participation in governance translates into

volunteer youth participation in decision-making and volunteer youth participation in community service-to

examine how they influence the performance of humanitarian organizations in Kenya, with the Kenya Red

Cross Society as the case study. The analysis is timely as KRCS prepares to review its Youth Policy (2025)

and develop the next Strategic Plan (2026-2030), offering an opportunity to embed evidence-based approaches

that strengthen youth inclusion, community outreach, and institutional sustainability.

Organisational performance refers to the extent to which an organisation effectively achieves its objectives

through efficient resource utilisation, service delivery, and stakeholder satisfaction (Englert & Helmig, 2018).

In the humanitarian context, performance goes beyond financial metrics to encompass program effectiveness,

operational efficiency, sustainability, and community impact (Lough & Matthew, 2014). Englert and Helmig

2017; Dekel, Geldenhuys, & Harris, 2022). Volunteer motivation, leadership inclusion, and recognition have

been found to enhance efficiency and adaptability (Worker et al., 2020; Nursey-Bray et al., 2022). Within the

Red Cross Movement, youth volunteers form the backbone of operational delivery, driving innovation,

outreach, and long-term sustainability (IFRC, 2018). In this study, organisational performance refers to how

volunteer youth engagement influences operational efficiency, program effectiveness, sustainability, and

community outreach within the Kenya Red Cross Society.

Youth participation in decision-making entails the inclusion of young people in leadership, policy formulation,

and organisational governance processes (Georgeou & Haas, 2019). Effective participation empowers youth to

influence policies and strategies that affect their communities, fostering ownership and accountability (Lough

& Matthew, 2014). Studies have shown that inclusive decision-making enhances organisational innovation and

that youth voices are not always equally weighted in final governance decisions (KRCS, 2022). As Millora

Ovcharova, 2020). Community service enhances social cohesion and civic responsibility while improving the

organisation’s connection to local populations. Studies indicate that youth-led community initiatives foster

resilience and strengthen institutional-community partnerships (Worker et al., 2020; Udoma et al., 2024). For

KRCS, community service embodies its humanitarian mandate. In KRCS Community service includes youth-

led and youth-driven initiatives such as visit to children's homes, Community Clean-ups, Tree planting,

Students mentorship, blood donation drives and other relevant initiatives. For this study, this does not include

participation in disaster response activities or the core activities of KRCS that are not youth led. This study

examines how youth engagement in community service enhances organisational performance by improving

The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) is a humanitarian organisation established in 1965 under Cap 256 of

Movement among youth, and advancing humanitarian values of solidarity, dignity, and mutual understanding.

These objectives provide the legal and moral foundation for the Society’s mission of alleviating human

suffering and enhancing national resilience.

KRCS operates through forty-seven county branches coordinated by eight regional offices and a national

secretariat in Nairobi. Its Strategic Plan for 2021-2025 identifies three strategic pillars-disaster management,

health and social services, and organizational development-with youth engagement mainstreamed across all

areas. Guided by the KRCS Youth Policy of 2015, youth participation is institutionalized through Branch,

Regional, and National Youth Assemblies that ensure representation in governance and program delivery.

Youth constitute over eighty percent of the organization’s volunteer base, serving as first responders,

advocates, and community mobilisers who translate humanitarian principles into practical action at the

community level.

climate action, with innovation serving as a crosscutting theme. These frameworks position youth as agents of

change who design and implement locally appropriate solutions to emerging crises while advancing the

organization’s humanitarian mission. As KRCS prepares to review its Youth Policy (2025) and develop its

Strategic Plan (2026-2030), examining how volunteer youth participation in decision-making and community

service contributes to organizational performance is essential for sustaining effectiveness, innovation, and

institutional resilience in line with its national and international mandate.

Youth in Kenya represent both a strategic asset and an untapped potential for national development. Despite

constituting the largest demographic group, young people continue to face structural barriers to meaningful

participation in governance and institutional processes. According to the National Council for Population and

Development (2017), youth unemployment remains high-estimated at 67 percent-while underemployment,

At the policy level, the study supports the implementation of the National Volunteerism Policy (2015) and the

Kenya Youth Development Policy (2019) by providing empirical evidence on how structured youth

and social transformation. The research will provide policymakers, development partners, and youth leaders

agenda on youth inclusion by highlighting how meaningful youth participation can enhance organisational

adaptability, sustainability, and community trust. Lessons from KRCS will be valuable to other National

Societies and humanitarian organizations seeking to institutionalize youth leadership and service as pathways

to effectiveness and resilience.

From an academic perspective, this study addresses a critical knowledge gap by empirically linking volunteer

youth engagement to organizational performance in a humanitarian context-an area that remains underexplored

in Africa. It enriches the growing body of literature on youth volunteerism, leadership, and organizational

development, providing a framework that scholars can adapt for future studies. Ultimately, the study is

significant because it reframes youth not as passive beneficiaries but as strategic partners and co-creators of

institutional excellence, offering practical and theoretical contributions that advance both scholarship and

humanitarian practice.