At a Glance: International Youth Day Webinar with Kenya Airways
On 12th August 2025 (International Youth Day), Participation People partnered with Kenya Airways, the Pride of Africa, to deliver a high-impact virtual webinar focused on youth voice in aviation, innovation and workplace wellbeing.
Hosted online for over 100 colleagues across the organisation, the session explored how youth voice in aviation can:
- strengthen innovation
- enhance employee wellbeing
- and future-proof large, complex organisations.
Co-facilitated by our CEO Antonia Dixey and Young Consultants aged 18–24, the webinar combined live polling, intergenerational storytelling and practical tools to inspire immediate action.
About Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways is the national flag carrier of Kenya, operating passenger and cargo services to over 45 destinations worldwide. They connect people, cultures and markets across Africa and beyond.
With a strong brand identity centred on safety, service excellence and African pride, the airline continues to modernise its operations and customer experience while strengthening its internal culture.
International Youth Day 2025 provided an opportunity to celebrate youth within the organisation and explore how intergenerational collaboration can support long-term performance and innovation.
The Challenge: Innovation in a High-Performance Industry
Aviation is a sector where safety, speed and service excellence are non-negotiable. Yet the workforce and passenger base are rapidly evolving.
Kenya Airways wanted to:
- Celebrate youth talent internally
- Highlight the link between innovation, wellbeing and performance
- Encourage senior leaders to see the business value of youth perspectives
- Provide practical tools that teams could apply immediately
The ambition was not symbolic celebration.
It was meaningful integration of youth voice in aviation decision-making.
The Strategy: Intergenerational Learning in Action
Participation People designed a 1-hour interactive webinar aligned to the global theme “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”.
The session included:
- Live Mentimeter polling on generational insight and workplace culture
- Real-world stories from Young Consultants
- Practical tools such as reverse mentoring, innovation journaling and pulse feedback
- Open Q&A focused on real organisational scenarios
Rather than speaking about young people, the session modelled intergenerational collaboration live, demonstrating youth voice in aviation as a strategic asset, not a trend.
Outcomes and Immediate Impact
By the end of the session, participants were able to:
- Recognise the business case for involving young people in decision-making and design
- Identify practical steps to embed intergenerational collaboration
- Reflect on their own communication and leadership styles
- Commit to creating spaces where youth perspectives are actively sought and acted upon
- Refine targeting and engagement strategies for young customers
Kenya Airways also received follow-up materials, including Q&A insights and practical tools, enabling the conversation to continue beyond the event.
Key Insights for the Aviation Sector
The webinar surfaced several themes relevant to airlines and travel agencies globally:
1. A Growing Audience You Can’t Afford to Ignore
Gen Z take the highest number of holidays than any other age group, and spends the most on international trips, making them one of the most important demographics for travel agencies to target. Leveraging youth voice allows you to tap into this audience in authentic and meaningful ways, driving long-lasting relationships.
2. Intergenerational Collaboration Strengthens Decision-Making
Reverse mentoring and cross-generational project teams can improve innovation, communication and trust – both internally and externally. When decisions are shaped by diverse perspectives, organisations design services, policies and experiences that resonate more deeply with the people they serve.
3. Youth Voice: Influenced by Digital, Drives Innovation.
Digital agility and societal expectations are reshaping customer experience and culture, with social media at the forefront of this change. For 80% of global travellers, it actively influences the destinations and experiences they book. To ensure your organisation effectively utilises digital platforms, and stays ahead of trends, adopt youth voice and co-produce innovative new strategies with the future generations.
4. Societal Impact Shapes Consumer Choice
Recent consumer research shows that over 70% of Gen Z travellers are influenced by a company’s environmental and social impact when making bookings. By listening to and nurturing the needs of young people, the aviation industry can send a clear message:
We listen, evolve and care about the people we serve.
For aviation leaders, youth voice in aviation is not an optional cultural initiative — it is a strategic lever for resilience and relevance.
Why This Matters for Airlines and Travel Agencies
Airlines operate in environments defined by complexity, regulation and rapid change. Embedding youth voice in aviation strengthens:
- Innovation pipelines
- Customer experience design
- Digital transformation
- Talent retention
- Organisational resilience
- Audience engagement
This webinar demonstrated that even a one-hour intervention can catalyse new thinking. And, designing and delivering intentionally with the future generations can foster genuine change.
Client Testimonial
“Your passion, creativity, and commitment to youth empowerment were evident throughout the session…The webinar sparked meaningful conversations around intergenerational collaboration, workplace wellness, and youth-led innovation…Your approach, playful in practice yet serious about solutions, was exactly what we needed to mark International Youth Day 2025. The gamified format, paired with real world stories and practical takeaways, offered a rich blend of interaction and insight that left our teams feeling empowered, curious, and uplifted. ”
— Tom Shivo, Chief People Officer, Kenya Airways
Final Reflection: Future-Proofing Through Youth Voice
International Youth Day 2025 was more than a celebration — it was a strategic conversation about the future of work in aviation.
Kenya Airways demonstrated leadership by recognising that youth voice in aviation is central to building safer, braver and more innovative organisations.
At Participation People, we partner with airlines, travel agencies and global brands to design youth-powered engagement that strengthens culture, innovation and long-term performance.
If you want to explore what this could mean for your organisation, get in touch.
