Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Youth Education Empowerment Organizers Of Sierra Leone Conferences

By David Green


An organization known as the Youth and Education Advocacy Network is working hard to breed a new generation of activists and leaders around the world. Along with the National Leadership program and the Youth Education Empowerment Organizers of Sierra Leone whom host an annual conference, it is hoped that future generations will become focused on education and activism.

The organizers hope to inspire, motivate and make positive changes in various communities. In addition to the primary organizers, there are other groups and leaders at the conference who focus on global scale projects and participation in different areas of political culture which can have major effects on public and private stakeholders.

The summit changes locations each year with headquarters being placed in a different town. Local delegates, organizations and business leaders all come together to discuss the most troubling political and social issues related to youth in the area. Whether unemployment, underemployment, violence, entrepreneurship or workplace transformation, all or some of these topics are generally included in the discussions.

Each conference or summit host a different theme. Most recently, the topic was on keeping peace throughout the process of creating sustainable projects and following local elections. During the event, delegates debated and made policies which were aimed at better improving various aspects of the local community.

In the process, the youth also affirmed the commitment to peace even beyond the violence generated by the election. By keeping this commitment, the young people played an important role in reducing such violence following other elections. For, in large part, those whom were generating the menace and creating such violence were also young people.

When the private and public sector was given the opportunity to make suggestions, the private sector and government agreed that youth leadership and entrepreneurship provided the best foundation to empower young people in Sierra Leone. After which, by reviewing the increase in unemployment rates and discrimination with regards to pay scales, the majority recommended skills development, youth leadership and entrepreneurship as being the priorities when it came to the needs of the young people of the country.

A post-conference survey suggest that there are young people whom are now establishing organizations led by the young people of the country. In most cases, the interest in doing so, lies not with a willingness or passion to serve communities. Rather, because of ongoing conflicts in past organizations. For the most part, the root of the problem lies in the belief that activism brings with it money, power, fame and being placed in positions such as a Chief Executive officer or Executive Director.

While community members, business owners, delegates and others are hopeful these new organizations will be successful, past experience has left doubt in the minds of many. In addition, post-conference surveys also show that 50% of organizations led by youth lacked the proper structure to succeed. Whereas, over seventy eight percent suggested that members had the knowledge or financial resources required to move these organizations forward.




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