Retrogressive cultures have supported the adancement of GBV for decades in the past. Though generations keep changing these cultural practices still live on and are passed from one generation to the other. Due to lack of awareness and civic education, these forms of GBV have mutated as the new generations take over. FGM, Early / child marriages and wife battering are the most common forms of GBV in West Pokot County. According to the KDHS 2022, teenage pregnancies in West Pokot is at 38,6%. Most of these girls end up into forced early marrage as result of early pregnancy.

To deal with these retrogressive cultures successfully, we must first understand the underlying issuesthat motivate the communities to stick to them. this will help to develop strategies that address the root causes and not just the symptoms of the situation. Since the elders are the custodians of culture, they understand why these cultures existed in the first place. This innovation aims to bring elders to the diualogue table together with youth so that the elkders can express thier view and thew youth can understand the underlying factors so that they can together reach an agreement to repel the retrogressive cultures and maintain positive cultural practices that will for the youth and future generations.
The innivation will bring together selected elders and youth from an identified locality. the elders and youth will initially be engaged separately in dialogues where they eill discuss both retrogressive and positive cultures and come up with conclusions on what should be reatined and what can be discarded considering National and international conventions, CoK and other human rights considerations. The two groups will then be brought together to discuss the issues of GBV and retrogressive cultural practices. these dialogues will be conducted such that the yougng peoiple are able to learn from thier elders and appreciate the role of culture in the GBV. The young people will be able to advocate for repeling of retrogressive cultural practivces by the elders. once the elders and ypouth reach a concensus, then they will develop resolutions that wiull be binding for thier locallity. These resolutions will be disseminated to the selsected area and can be up-scaled to other areas in the county.
Key features:
1. Understanding where it begun
2. Understanding the global shifts and how the community can adapt
3. Generating home-grown solutions to GBV and ratfying them internally

The uniqueness of the innovation is the fact it goes back to where it all begun, with the elders. Though this is a youth-led and youth focused innovation, it is also including the voice of the custodians of culture who are an important pillar in the sustainability of these retrogressive cultures. Most anti- FGM and GBV interventions focus mostly on women and youth. The elders feel left out thus motivating their resistance to change. If the elders can be included in the conversation from the beginnig and they are given a chance to express thier views and concerns, they together with the youth can also be educated on the dangers of GBV and FGM, then they can collectively generate thier own solutions to these reteogressive cultures and therefore we can achieve a united front in the fight agaist GBV and FGM. the innivation brings both elders and youth together.

If this innovation succeeds in a small target area, it will be a motivating factor for people from other areas to apply in thier visinity to combat retrogressive cultures. Elders have been left out of the discussion with young people trashing thier ways as backward and hostile without understanding why things were done in one way as oposed to anoyher. once the elders realise that they are not despised, and that the world is changing constantly, they will be able to help the youth understand why and they can now shift their focus together with changing global policies. Once the elders have repealed these retrogressive cultures, women, youth, the government and even civil society organisations will be able to rely on the resolutions in the fight against FGM and GBV. The elders can also act as change agents during campaigns that will arise as a result of the resolutions made.
Once the elders in one visinity have repealed, they can be link to the larger council of elders who will be sensitized and brought together with youth leaders to dialogue and generate resolutions that will be binding to the entire county, this can be upscalled to regionally and nationally.

Implementation plan
Identify an area in West pokot where GBV/ FGM are prevalent- using recent statistics, the innovation will identify the areas with most prevalence
Identify youth with influence who can represent and advocate- these will include youth leaders in religous institutions groups and community initiatives.
Identify influencial elders within that community- these will be identified by the community members
Conduct homogenous youth dialogues- a total of 3 dialogues where youth will freely express thier views to themselves and agree on talking points during thier dialogue with elders
Conduct homogenous elders' sensitization forums- a total of 4 meetings where elders wil be sensitized on the changing global trends, the risks to GBV/ FGM and the role they play in propagating retrogressive cultures. They will discuss issues and generate key points during the dialogue with youth
Conduct joint elders and youth dialogues- both youth and elders will present thier issues and discuss the way forward with regard to FGM/GBV ( at most 3 dialogues)
Support a joint meeting where both elders and youth agree on resolutions regarding FGM/GBV- both elders and youth having agreed, will develop resolutions where their representatives will sign against to be binding to the community.
Disseminate the resolutions to the community
Upscale the innovation
Risk: Elders may not buy-in to the innovation. Mitigation: Elders will be first sensitized before they are brought to dialogue with the youth. They will also be presented an opportuinty to educate the youth on the basis of these cultures.
Resources (technical, financial)

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