For children and young people navigating difficult circumstances, managing strong emotions can be one of the toughest challenges they face. At the Kisumu Children’s Remand Home, the Okiri program is working to ensure that every young person has the right to develop essential life skills, providing a pathway to resilience and a brighter future.

During our weekly sessions at the remand home, we led a session on Anger Management for the young individuals at the centre. The session was focused on a core objective of  helping them recognize, understand, and express anger in healthy, non-violent ways.

Anger is a natural emotion, but our response to it can change the course of a life. The session was designed to demystify anger, moving the young participants past the misconception that it is “always bad”. 

We introduced them to the Anger Thermometer, a visual tool that helped the young individuals map their emotional journey from calm → irritated → angry → furious. This exercise was crucial for raising awareness about how they perceive themselves when angry, and equally important, how others perceive them in that state.

We also explored personal triggers and the physical warning signs that anger is building, and how the youth can intervene before an outburst. The session stressed the importance of practicing these alternative regulation strategies, reminding them that decisions made in anger can lead to situations that cause great harm, sometimes leading to outcomes like assault.

Protection Through Preparation

We believe that providing young individuals with psycho-social support equips them to safeguard themselves and others from harm. For young individuals in conflict with the law, the ability to manage conflict non-violently is a fundamental step toward rehabilitation and successful re-integration into their communities.The Okiri program is committed to fostering an environment where young people can focus on their future by developing their emotional resilience. When children have the right tools to navigate their feelings, they are better able to learn, grow, and thrive.