The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) is the international coordinating body of national youth councils and organisations. The full members of WAY are national youth councils. WAY has 120 member organisations from all continents. In this bulletin: Dominica, Malta, USA, Uganda, Cambodia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Philippines, Swaziland, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Yemen, Tanzania, Antigua & Barbuda, Pakistan, Bahamas, Sierra Leone.

DOMINICA : National Youth Council in shock over president's resignation

MALTA : Youth Council says it is healthy to experiment with lowering of voting age

USA : Check out GYAN's blog: Reports from the UN Headquarters!

UGANDA : Museveni wants job lists for schools

CAMBODIA : Cambodia's youth see politics as a pointless, dangerous game 

UNITED KINGDOM : British youth want equal minimum wage ; Young Somalis need help

IRELAND : Youth march to oppose fees

PHILIPPINES : MisOr youth body focuses on health, ecological issues

SWAZILAND : TechnoServe, ACAT, SNYC sign MoU to empower youth

KENYA : Kenya AIDS communication strategy for youth launched

NIGERIA : FG to provide enabling environment for youth development

GHANA : Need for more attention to Youth Leadership Training Institutes ; CACG congratulates youth of Ghana and Introduces Ghana Youth Awards

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO : Youth Council prepares for Eco Family Day

YEMEN : Youth Network Against Corruption launched

TANZANIA : Government urged to have policy on youth translated into Kiswahili

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA : Implementation of National Youth Policy delayed

PAKISTAN : Youth policy soon

WAY : International Youth Day celebration

BAHAMAS : Youth “Say Something”

SIERRA LEONE : Center for women empowerment opened

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DOMINICA

National Youth Council in shock over president's resignation

Roseau, August 22 - THE National Youth Council (NYC) is presently in shock after the resignation of its President Kelvar Darroux.

Darroux, 29, headed the organization for just over one year and abruptly ended his tenure for what he called “personal reasons”. The Council expressed some concern that clear reasons were not given for his resignation.

The council was forced to hold an emergency executive meeting where it was decided that Mr. Delroy Williams be elected president until the council’s end of term in July 2009. Darroux is widely tipped to contest the St. Joseph constituency on a Dominica Labour Party ticket if needs be.

His name has also appeared on a political poll conducted by Peter Wickham some two months ago.

Darroux worked as a news reporter at Sat Telecoms but resigned from that position several months ago. A news conference which was supposed to be held on Thursday, called by the former NYC President was cancelled.

[Dominica Correspondent]

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MALTA

Youth Council says it is healthy to experiment with lowering of voting age

Valletta, August 22- THE National Youth Council (KNZ) believes that at this stage, it is healthy to experiment with lowering the voting age when voting at a local level. Serious analysis of turnout and other variables should be conducted to investigate the effect of this modification, the council said in a statement.

It was referring to a Europe-wide debate about the issue of lowering the voting age which is under way.

The European Youth Forum, of which the National Youth Council is a full member, has been in favour of lowering the voting age since 2006.

In Malta the debate was instigated by AD earlier this year, followed by MZPN public relations officer and former KNZ policy officer Frank Psaila in late March this year. This debate has been boosted by a recent declaration by MLP leader Joseph Muscat.

KNZ called on the political parties to be careful and sensitive when designing campaigns since young people should not be perceived as being an easy element of the election formula.

The National Youth Council is also working on an investigation of participation of young people between the age of 16 and 18 in society.

The education system should also have it as a priority, to produce youths with an ability to analyse and consider various options in elections.

It is important to stress at this point that the issue is not just lowering the voting age but enhancing the participation of young people in society.

In fact, KNZ itself included youths between the ages of 16 and 18 to contribute to policy making and motions that will eventually be presented in the National Youth Parliament with great maturity.

KNZ was also the first organisation to recognise 14+ youths in the project of local youth councils.

KNZ also recommends that in light of the revision of the national youth policy, political parties tackle the holistic issue of participation rather than emphasizing on voting in isolation.

[Malta Independent]

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USA

Check out GYAN's blog: Reports from the UN Headquarters

New York, August 1 - THE Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is a youth-led organization that unites the efforts of young people working to improve our world. The Network connects many thousands of organizations in over 190 countries and provides tools, resources, and recognition for positive youth action. GYAN also strives to increase youth participation in the United Nations and promote awareness among youth of current issues at the UN.

The United Nations Headquarters in New York is a place of continuous activity and debate. Although a lot of the attention of the international community focuses on the annual commissions and other high-profile meetings, there are briefings, debates and events every day that contribute to the development debate and help determine the way forward for the UN.

In order to keep young people updated on current issues and to encourage more youth participation, GYAN has created a UN Reports blog, where GYAN staff and interns regularly blog about meetings and events at the UN. Please leave your comments and questions on the blog, and we will try to address them and bring up your points at future meetings! Click here to read our blog: http://www.tigblog.org/group/unreports.

[Global Youth Action Network]

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UGANDA

Museveni wants job lists for schools

Mbarara, August 12 - PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has directed the Ministry of Education to write to all schools communicating the jobs on demand on the labour market.

Presiding over the national celebrations of the International Youth Day at Bwizibwera, Kashaari in Mbarara district, Museveni said such career guidance would help students go for relevant courses instead of spending time at school only to come out and fail to find a job.

The other thing the Government needs to do in terms of youth development is to create jobs, he added.

He announced that the construction of industrial parks had started. One, he said, would be built in Mbarara, another in Kampala and another in Mbale.

In a memorandum to the President, the National Youth Council asked Museveni to stand for a fourth term.

“There are people who are saying that the youth no longer support you. That is not true because we support you and we will mobilise for you,” Joseph Okwakol, the council’s chairman, read out part of the memorandum.

The youth also asked Museveni to increase the Government’s contribution to the youth council to sh1b, up from sh24m. The President accepted the request.

Okwakol further requested Museveni to build the Youth Centre he had promised, help them benefit from Prosperity for All and push for a bill to reduce retirement age from 60 to 50 so as to create space for youth employment.

[New Vision]

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CAMBODIA

Cambodia's youth see politics as a pointless, dangerous game    

Phnom Penh, August 28 - YOUNG voters express frustration over the Kingdom's predictably confrontational politics and say fear of reprisal and self-interest keep them silent in public and absent from the polls.

AS demographic data for July's election are still being tabulated, many younger voters are expressing pessimism, apathy and fear towards politics.

While some said they pay scant attention to how their nation is run, others said they follow the national discourse but are too afraid to join in.

"Of course I'm afraid for my security when I talk about politics because I'm risking my life - I can be killed, just like some political heroes who died over politics," said Ham Kimhoun, a 25-year-old who works with a local NGO.

He said his peers are uninterested in politics, focusing their attention elsewhere. "I see a lot of youths who think that politics is pointless, and they're only concerned with studies, work and their lifestyle, more so than politics," Ham Kimhoun said.

The last available figures for youth voting, from the 2007 commune election, show a low turnout, although voter participation is normally likely to be lower in non-national contests. Tep Nytha, secretary general of the National Election Committee, said that in the commune polls, just 3.2 percent of eligible voters aged 18-35 cast ballots, which translates to some 265,000 young people hitting the polling booths.

However, for the July 27 national election, Moa Pouthyroth, program coordinator of Youth Council of Cambodia (YCC), said her group, which worked in eight provinces and the capital, noticed large numbers of younger voters at the polls.

She estimated about 70 percent of eligible young voters cast their ballots. Until official numbers are available, it is impossible to verify this estimate.

Tailor Korn Channavy, 24, said she's never cared about politics and that what's most important for her is money. "Politics is useless and worthless for me to think and care about. My top priorities are money and work, because that's what will help me improve my lifestyle," she said.

"Politicians only ever think of what benefits them, so I do too," she added. "My time is valuable; I don't waste it talking or thinking about politics."

Thon Saykhim, 20, a national youth coordinator for Khmer Youth and Social Development, said she finds politics frustrating and repetitive. "I'm fed up with national politics," she said. "Politicians don't think about the country's development; they're only concerned with power." She added that post-election disputes are the norm for Cambodia, from mandate to mandate.

Without expressing support for any party, she said "the opposition party often protests the ruling party but neglects their own shortcomings, and equally, the government is overly proud about their power. The parties don't understand each other".

Heng Thou of the Advocacy and Policy Institute said national politics "resembles theatre: sometimes comedy and sometimes drama".

She said she talks about politics with friends and co-workers, but she doesn't speak her mind in public because it's not safe. "A lot of people have been killed for talking about politics. Our country is not that free," she said.

Seng Rithy, director of education and advocacy at the Khmer Youth Association, lamented the culture of fear as an obstacle for youth participation in politics.

"It isn't right to threaten people for discussing politics," he said. "It's not a good environment for youths now, and for the future, because they're not free to discuss and exchange ideas and opinions." 

[The Phnom Penh Post]

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UNITED KINGDOM

British youth want equal minimum wage

London, August 21 - A YOUTH organisation has given evidence to the Government's Youth Commission saying that young people want the equal minimum wage to be made a top priority in 2008/09.

The British Youth Council (BYC) outlined the six most popular campaigns as voted for at their annual meeting last week in a submission to Jonathan Tonge, chair of the Youth Citizen Commission.

After equal minimum wage, the delegates' second most popular demand was for the voting age to be lowered to 16.

Emily Beardsmore BYC Chair said: "This convention, our largest ever, demonstrated that young people care passionately about - and propose solutions to - the issues that ultimately affect us all: education, fair pay, and climate change. Perhaps most importantly of all we want to have a say on who the politicians are who influence all of these through giving us the right to vote!

"We call on the Government to introduce legislation to reduce the voting age to 16 and allow thousands more young people who want to exercise a right to vote to do so."

More than 150 young people attended the national three day convention and annual meeting which finished with the campaign debate.

In total, 68 delegates voted, representing youth groups from across the UK, including Girl Guiding UK, the Scouts Association, the National Union of Students and a range of smaller local youth councils.

The third most popular campaign was more incentives and recognition for volunteering followed in fourth by more radical and urgent climate change targets.

James Cathcart, chief executive of BYC said: "The Convention delegates were enthusiastic, passionate and inspiring and the decision by the Council to prioritise votes at 16 is a major boost to the campaign and to the coalition of other key organisations and political parties who already support it.

"The British Youth Council is an organisation led and run by young people elected to a Board of Trustees. We support young people to have a voice and be heard."

Delegates debated a range of issues - from knife crime to the portrayal of young people in the media - with MPs, journalists and writers, as well as with each other.

The highlight of the annual meeting saw young people aged 14 to 25, queuing up for the 'open mike' session where they spoke passionately for their favourite cause before delegates voted.

Lucy Clare, 18, from Gloucestershire, spoke in support of votes at 16. She said: "I believe the votes at 16 campaign is what BYC is fundamentally about, as we're a youth organisation committed to giving more young people a voice.

"I recently spent three hours on the streets of London talking to the public about this issue and I collected 90 postcards to send to Gordon Brown calling for a reduction in the voting age. So I'm personally aware of growing support for Votes at 16 amongst the general public."

Other popular demands were accessible and free transport for young people and fairer funding for those attending higher education.

[WebitPR]

Young Somalis need help

Wales, August 30 - THE Findings of a study funded by Cardiff Children and Young People’s partnership was released on August 8, which claimed that help was needed for young Somalis living in Wales to be more successful, both in terms of education and employment.
 
The report was also backed by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Service (CWVYS), whose President, MP Wayne David, assisted with the study.

CWYVS’s Chief Executive, Veronica Wilson, said “CWVYS is delighted to work in partnership with SIS to enable the views of Somali young people to be heard to support their aspirations being realised and their positive contribution to the future of Wales.”

Originally, the Somali Integration Society (SIS), a voluntary organisation, was launched in 2002, which responded to many needs of the Somalia community in Wales. The organisation’s main aim was to help Somalis become self-reliant by helping them attain different skills.

Many different funding bodies, including the Welsh Assembly, support the SIS organisation. Their main focus was on health, education, employment, training and community integration. The SIS itself was awarded a grant of £45,000 from the heritage lottery fund. This fund enabled the project SAHAN to be carried out. The project came about much later after research had been conducted regarding the needs of the refugees in Cardiff.

The SAHAN project was important in helping to understand the needs of the Somali community. The project started in January 2006 and lasted for a year. There were three main elements to this project, namely health, community safety and employment and training. For each section a seminar was held to ensure the maximum attendance of the community.

Another project conducted by the SIS, known as DFID (Cyfanfyd), which was said to increase public understanding, give a chance for the Somali’s UK-born children to be proud of their culture as well as to work with other schools and organisations to increase education and knowledge.

Speaking to The Muslim News, the National Coordinator of the SIS, Ibrahim Harbi, said, “We are doing the best we can to ensure that the Somali community get what they need in terms of employment, education and health.”

Harbi further mentioned that the report addressed unemployment levels, unwarranted police attention and a lack of positive role models. He stated that these were some of the most important findings in the report.

Harbi emphasised that parents need to be encouraged to support their children and youth in further education, and said that sometimes the youth lacked the support of their parents due to unemployment, which then in turn affects the needs of the youth and children.

The issue of the uncontrolled drug known as “khat” has also been raised, which has been linked to mental illness and heart problems. Harbi claimed that they are trying to tackle this problem but it was unlikely that something would be done about it immediately.

[Somaliweyn Media Center]

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IRELAND

Youth march to oppose fees

Dublin, August 31 - YOUNG people from all over Ireland are expected to march through Dublin today in protest against any reintroduction of third-level college fees and what they believe is a marginalisation of the youth voice in Ireland.

A new representative body, the National Youth Organisation (NYO), is behind the protest, which its chairman, Aidan McGrath, claims is "the first ever youth protest in Irish history", given the involvement of young people under the age of 18.

Among the issues to be highlighted are the proposed reintroduction of third-level fees, and the reduction of the Irish National Youth Parliament's (Dáil na nÓg) conference days to one in an entire year.

The NYO organisers expect up to 250 to take part and say it will include participants from all over Ireland. Asked about the need for the NYO when the National Youth Council (NYC) already exists, Mr McGrath said the NYC "does not reach out to all young people and does not represent the direct views of the youth".

NYC communications officer Clodagh O'Brien said her organisation had been involved in a lot of youth protests in the past.

However, she welcomed the march and said the NYC was happy to support any initiative that highlighted young people.

In defence of the hosting of Dáil na nÓg once a year, she said it dealt with a wide range of issues and saw the culmination of a lot of work put in during the year.

A number of organisations and politicians are supporting NYO, Mr McGrath said, including Youth Work Ireland, Labour Youth, Young Greens, Socialist Youth, Senator David Norris and Cllr Clare Daly.

The march will start at the Garden of Remembrance and pass through O'Connell Street, along D'Olier Street, and conclude at the Department of Health and Children on Hawkins Street.

In a related event, members of Labour Youth are holding a demonstration today outside the Department of Education to protest against the proposed reintroduction of college fees.

Vice-chairman and campaigns officer Gary Honer said in a statement: "Since the introduction of free fees, participation at third level has increased, but sadly funding has not."

He described the Government's attitude to third-level students as "woefully inadequate".

[The Irish Times]

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PHILIPPINES

MisOr youth body focuses on health, ecological issues

Cagayan de Oro City, August 20 - NEWLY formed Provincial Youth Development Council (PYDC) of Misamis Oriental has started to flex its muscles, as it were, coordinating inter-agency and province-wide activities where youngsters could converge and tackle varied issues that directly them.

Chaired by Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar S. Moreno, the PYDC, in coordination with Sangguniang Kabataan leaders and the National Youth Commission, has been organizing youth forums, engaging the young in volunteer work during medical missions dubbed as Tabang Medico, as well as in the restoration of mangrove areas in the province.

PYDC executive officer Teddy A. Sabuga-a said the initial salvo of these youth activities was the holding a youth forum last August 6, this year, at the municipal gymnasium of Balingoan which was hosted by the Mantangale National High School.

Another youth forum, which was in coordinated with the SK Federation and 4H Club in Gingoog City, was also held at the Mormons House in Gingoog City last August 13. And similar activities will also be held once or twice a week in other municipalities and cities in Misamis Oriental.

"During the forum, lectures and discussions are on leadership, education, adolescence health, substance abuse and illegal drugs," Sabugaa revealed, adding that the day-long program usually starts with the presentation of a national youth situationer, PYDC programs, and proposed reforms in the Sangguniang Kabataan.

The PYDC executive officer said they normally invite resource persons from the National Youth Commission, Department of Education, Population Commission, and the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency.

Aside from these, representatives from other agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, are also being tapped once the discussion or the activity necessarily need their presence.

Sabuga-a pointed out that in between the youth forum, they have also scheduled coastal cleanup and the planting of propagules in mangrove areas, and the holding of Tabang Medico which is already scheduled every last Saturday of the month.

"We are very happy that Governor Moreno took interest on the organization of the youth development council and in extending support to the youth development activities," said the PYDC executive officer, who is also the acting Provincial Social Welfare and Development officer of Misamis Oriental.

[Philippine Information Agency]

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SWAZILAND

TechnoServe, ACAT, SNYC sign MoU to empower youth

Mbabane, August 21 - TECHNOSERVE, ACAT and the Swaziland National Youth Council (SNYC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Present during the event were SNYC CEO Maxwell Jele, ACAT Director Enock Dlamini, TechnoServe Country Director Leslie Johnston, Ministry of Regional Development and Youth Affairs Assistant Director Phinda Nkosi and others.

"We have realised that in order for programmes such as the School Age Youth Entrepreneurship (SAYE) to succeed, it was critical that we ensure that such programmes add to, rather than duplicate other efforts currently underway carried out by these organisations to help Swazi youth," said TechnoServe's Johnston.

She stated that it was for this reason that they had partnered with SNYC and ACAT to ensure that their programmes complement each other.

Johnston mentioned that this year the SAYE programme would run in over 40 schools, both rural and urban, covering students in Forms 3 to 5.

She explained that the two organisations, ACAT and SNYC, bring tremendous expertise, resources and experience in youth empowerment and they were very honoured to have a relationship with them.

"In 2006, TechnoServe, through funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) identified, developed and groomed Swazi entrepreneurs in Swaziland," she said.

The country director further mentioned that TechnoServe's key mission was to develop young people who would become tomorrow's leaders. She stated that with subsequent support from the Wk Kellogg Foundation they designed and launched the innovative youth entrepreneurship programme, SAYE, together with their partner Lulote.

Acting Director of Youth Affairs Phinda Nkosi said government views this as a joint effort to achieve greater effectiveness and enhanced development impact in line with the National Youth Policy.

He stated that the cooperation between the three organisations was central to government's cooperative efforts to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs) and National Development Strategy (NDS).

"Through the national youth policy review exercise that has been going on, the ministry has discovered that working in collaboration is very crucial in bringing greater synergies and responding better to key national priorities," said Nkosi.

He also noted that the introduction of the Youth Enterprise Fund required partnerships like these. Nkosi said these linkages would enable the youth sector to have increased access to more resources and also have a platform created for meaningful youth representation and participation.

"All these three organisations have made a good effort in bringing youth development at the top of the development agenda," said the director.

[The Swazi Observer]

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KENYA

Kenya AIDS communication strategy for youth launched

Nairobi, August 14 - THE National Aids Control Council on Thursday launched the Kenya National HIV and AIDS communication strategy for Youth.

The strategy which emphasizes on the use of effective communication approaches to address the aspects of prevention, care and support as well as mitigation of social- economic impact of HIV and AIDS will help in fighting the spread of the disease among the young population.

The strategy developed for all implementing partners in the private and public sectors in the fight against HIV and AIDS will go a long way in influencing behavior change and character formation among the youth.

This aims to address the raising numbers of the spread of the disease among the youth, especially on female youth said to be between the age of 15 and 24 years.

Special programmes minister Naomi Shaban called upon partners to strive to mobilize resources to support the implementation of the evidence based communication interventions that will ensure young people grow up free from the infection.

Currently, the numbers of new infections have stabilized at a high rate of 60,000 and 80,000 infections per year and 3 out of 5 people infected are female.

Minister for public health and sanitation Beth Mugo urged young generation to be more vigilant in HIV prevention and encourage positive behavior change, for a successful fight against this disease.

[Kenya Broadcasting Corporation]

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NIGERIA

FG to provide enabling environment for youth development

Abuja, August 12- PRESIDENT  Umaru Musa Yar’adua has assured Nigerian youths of anenabling environment for their optimal development in accordance with global best practices.

He made the assurance at the 2008 International Youth Day Celebration Tuesday in Abuja, explaining that youth constitute a critical integral part of national transformation efforts.

The President who was represented by the minister of youth development, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi observed that this year’s International Youth Day Celebration with the theme: “Youth and Climate Change” was a challenge posed by the adverse impacts of climate change and climate variability to national development.

According to the president: “to champion regional initiative at checking the adverse affects of climate change, we in Nigeria have initiated definitive efforts across the country.

Yar’adua emphasized that his administration is committed to sustaining economic growth and development as contained in the seven-point agenda, while urging the Nigerian youth to be an agent of change in preserving the environment.

“We also implored the youth to see themselves at all times as Nigerian Ambassadors of goodwill of our nation, “he said.

Earlier in his address, the minister of youth development, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi had said that his ministry had developed specific programmes and activities revolving around the seven-point agenda of the president and the vision 2020.

The minister who was represented by his permanent secretary, Dr. Michael Ejiofor said the programmes include youth exchange programme, the ongoing review of national youth policy, Niger Delta initiatives, the youth development index and the youth report as well as the national plan action on youth empowerment.

Senator Olasunkanmi said the framework and the standing orders of the youth parliament have already been distributed to states to guide their selection.

In his goodwill message, President of National Youth Council of Nigeria, Comrade Ben Durotoye, said that the International Youth Day Celebration which was adopted by the United Nations since 1999, gave the world an opportunity to recognize the potential of youth and their achievements in the society.

Comrade Durotoye commended the president for involving the youth in policy formulation and implementation of the seven-point agenda.

[Triumph]

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GHANA

Need for more attention to Youth Leadership Training Institutes

Accra, August 11 - MR. Mensah Oduro-Twum, Principal of Avenorpeme Youth Leadership and Skills Training Institute has stressed the need for more attention to them like other training institutes in the country.

He said critical areas that required attention were expansion in infrastructure, modern training materials, recruitment and training of permanent staff for core subjects and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training.

Mr Oduro-Twum made the call when addressing the opening session of the 34th Conference of Principals of YLTIs at Avenorpeme in Akatsi District on Monday.

The four-day conference would discuss the role of YLTI's in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reforms, recruitment of staff for core subjects, upgrading of staff, infrastructure, materials and staff allowances.

Mr Oduro-Twum noted that YLTIs could only be beneficial to students and the nation when they were modernised in line with the current TVET reforms and was optimistic the National Youth Council (NYC) the umbrella organization would draw government's attention to this imperative.

Mr Anthony Abledu, Akatsi District Chief Executive, commended the Principals for ably carrying out their difficult assignments of preparing the youth in the most delicate stage of their lives with limited resources and under difficult conditions.

He assured the Principals that Government was pursuing a youth policy, which sought to create a new generation of well-trained youths that would be confident, competent and self-asserting as reflected in the TVET reforms.

Mr Abledu said the assembly had planned to sponsor some of the youth in the area to the Avenorpeme institute.

Mr Archibald Donkor, Acting National Youth Coordinator of NYC said the new youth policy had a social protection under which employment avenues were to be expanded to engage them after graduation.

He noted that the Principals operated under tight budgets and was optimistic their discussions would result in far-reaching recommendations that would help improve the situation.

Each of the 10 regions in the country has a YLTI and an additional one for Ashanti Region.

The Afienya Youth Leadership Training Institute in Greater-Accra Region is the oldest followed by Avenorpeme Institute established in 1975.

[Modern Ghana]

CACG congratulates youth of Ghana and Introduces Ghana Youth Awards

Accra, August 12 - THE Vice Patron of the Country Awards Council - Ghana (CACG), His Awardship Major Courage E. K. Quashigah (Rtd.) has expressed his overwhelming appreciation about the current enthusiasm of the Ghanaian Youth in National development emphasizing the need for the youth to exercise restraint in pursuit of national issues and has called on them to love their country Ghana with pride and dignity.

His Awardship Major Courage E. K. Quashigah (Rtd.) made these remarks to congratulate the youth of Ghana for their achievements on this year's International Youth Day which falls today. His Awardship Major Courage E. K. Quashigah (Rtd.) who is also the Minister of Health said this year's theme is on the YOUTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE and the TIME FOR ACTION is now, citing that the youth must safeguard the environment by planting trees and practice healthy life style which forms the bases of good hygienic conditions.

In celebrating Ghana's youthful achievers, the Country Director of the CACG, His Awardship Kobla Asamani has applauded the efforts of the Ghanaian Youth stating that the time has come to recognize the need to honour our youthful achievers. In view of this, the maiden edition of the Ghana Youth Awards will be held this year. The CACG designed the Ghana Youth Awards in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Ghana.

According to the Country Director Kobla Asamani of CACG, fifteen (15) award categories have been slated for the maiden edition of the Ghana Youth Awards. Some of these award categories include achievers in Health, Creativity, ICT, Research, Leadership and Law. The rest are Entrepreneurship, Environment, Culture, Volunteerism, National Service, Advocacy, Mentoring, Inventions and Sports.   

[Modern Ghana]

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TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Youth Council prepares for Eco Family Day

Port of Spain, August 3 - THE Trinidad Youth Council (TYC) will be hosting an “Eco Family Day” at Gilbert Park, Couva. The celebration, which will take the form of a traditional family day of sports and picnic, is entitled “Building Sustainable Families”. Activities will begin at 10am and go into an all-day programme ending at 6 pm.

According to the president of the TYC, Akins Vidale, the purpose of the event is to create a space to facilitate sustainable inter-generational interactions. “This event intends to create a safe and enriching space for parents and children to play together while engaging in interactive activities. This will enable those involved to learn about the role of the family members in building better family unit in TT,” Vidale said.

He emphasised that apart from available recreation and entertainment, there will also be an educational aspect to the day. This as TYC seeks to create the awareness among everyone that the importance of the role of the family remains the unchanged cornerstone of the society.

A march-past will begin at 11 am. This will run simultaneously with the football tournament. Runners can look forward to the 100m race and the 4 by 100m relay. For each category, there will be two heats from which the top five from each heat will be chosen for the finals. Winners are awarded in the first, second and third place.

There will be the traditional ‘lime and spoon’ race for male, female and children. Termed the ‘Fun Race’, parents will be asked to run while holding the hands of their kids. Also for this month the Features Youth Voices Magazine contains details on the film Trini Life and Coming Just Now. Trini Life is a 90-minute animated movie conceptualised and written by Trinidadian youths Michael Richards and Ancil Harris. 

[Newsday]

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YEMEN

Youth Network Against Corruption launched

Sana'a, August 28 - THE Democratic School in collaboration with the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) launched on Thursday the Youth Network Against Corruption.

The association will be responsible for raising awareness among youths about civil rights and community participation in development and the fight against corruption.

The move comes to promote transparency and good governance and aimed at combating corruption as it began to take a very complicated form, head of the civil society department at the school Ez al-Din al-Asbabi said.

Al-Asbahi said there must be an effective network to fight corruption comprising of members from the Anti-Money Laundering Committee, Tender Committee, public funds courts, Central Organization for Control and Auditing, the National Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission as well as mass media, private sector and world experts.

For his part, head of the school Jamal al-Shami stressed the importance of the civil society partnership in the fight against corruption, pointing out that the new system aims to promote youth participation in doing this.

He said youths should work together with the National Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission to achieve this goal.

Yemen has been ranked number 131 out of 179 countries around the world and 14 out of 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa regarding counteracting corruption. According to an international report, Yemen has shown signs of improvement in the quality of regulating laws.

[SABA]

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TANZANIA

Government urged to have policy on youth translated into Kiswahili
 
Dar es Salaam, August 14 - THE Government has been challenged to translate the National Youth Policy into Kiswahili in order to make it understood by more youths in the country.

Tanzania Youth Vision Association secretary Michael Dalali said on Tuesday that many youths did not understand the policy because it was in English, which was not understood by the majority of youths in the country.

Dalali made the remarks in Dar es Salaam during celebrations to mark the World Youth Day.

He said there was a need for the government to translate the youth policy into the national language which could help youths understand their responsibilities and rights.

``Many youths fail to achieve their targets because they lack proper guidelines from the policy document due to poor understanding of English,`` he said.

He said youths should press the government to provide education on the policy which, in turn, would spur them in starting self-employment projects.

Labour, Employment and Youth Development ministry permanent secretary Dr. Ladislaus Komba urged youths to do away with the craving for salaried employment and instead opt for self-employment.

``The government does not have many employment opportunities. For instance, this year it employed only two per cent of youths who applied for vacancies.

``Youths should now change their mindset on being employed in the public sector and instead focus on self-employment,`` the PS said.

He cited agriculture as one of the sectors which could provide a solution to the unemployment of many youths in the country.

Temeke Youth Culture Association member Mshoro Mshoro advised youths to speak out their problems because they were the ones who had the responsibility to bring about changes in the country.

He also called on the youths to put in practice this year`s theme for the World Youth Day which stressed sustainable development.

[IPPmedia]

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ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

Implementation of National Youth Policy delayed

St John's, August 22 - THE Implementation of the National Youth Policy (NYP) has been delayed somewhat due to the need to finalise certain requirements that have to be in place before it takes effect.

According to the Director of Youth, Cleon Athill, an “action plan” must be completed before the suggestions and initiatives of the NYP can be put into effect.

This plan will give life to the policy, but it has not yet been completed because the experts working on it have had to devote their time to other projects, Athill explained.

Athill, however, went on to state that during the upcoming Youth Week, to be held from 25 Sept., to 4 Oct., all parties will be brought together to discuss the plan during a special meeting. The meeting will be held on 29 Sept.

Due to this, Athill said the plan’s completion may be delayed, but believes it will be finished before the end of September.

A date for the start of the NYP’s implementation could not be given, but all of its aspects will not be introduced at once.

The policy is planned to be introduced in stages over a five year period and should be finished before 2013.

The NYP initiative was formulated by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs with the support from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

It attempts to tackle youth issues from a different angle, namely approaching the situation with the “Positive Youth Development Model” which is based on the notion that “young people are the solution, not the problem.”

[Antigua Sun]

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PAKISTAN

Youth policy soon

Lahore, August 29 - PRIME Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that government is taking concrete measures for the development of youth’s  potential and for this purpose a Youth Policy will be introduced soon. He was briefly talking to a delegation of students, from various schools of the city, who are to visit Washington DC USA for international debating event.

“Youth are our precious asset and their capabilities and talent must be fully utilised for the progress and development of the nation”, he said, adding that our young men and women can equally compete with their counterparts in the world. The Prime Minister acknowledged that Pakistan’s talented youth have always promoted the good name of the country in the world.

The Prime Minister hoped that the students designated to contest the international debate would be successful in their mission.

On the occasion, Prime Minister was briefed that the international debates are annually participated by highly intelligent students from 30 to 40 countries of the world. Pakistan has always participated in this event annually. All the participants have been trained and equipped by Pakistan Debating Society.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani left for Karachi, after an overnight stay in the provincial metropolis.

He was seen off at the Lahore airport by Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and Senior Minister Raja Riaz.
 
[Associated Press of Pakistan]

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WORLD ASSEMBLY OF YOUTH

International Youth Day celebration

Melaka, August 16 - THE World Assembly of Youth celebrated the International Youth Day today at the headquarter. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Youth and Climate Change: Time for Action”. Through the few definitions, Climate Change is known as a long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences. However, in our case we can see that the effects of climate change have already begun to devastate not only the communities but the whole world.

These days, climate change and its impact on our life, our environment and ecosystem is the forefront of public concern and governmental attention. Today’s youth population has a greater role to play when it comes to climate change issues and it is for this reason that youth around the world are encouraged to take a front seat in the global debate on climate change.

Through the celebration of the International Youth Day, we give the young people the opportunity to celebrate their achievements and to the world, the opportunity to recognize the potential of youth, their involvement in the development of the society and to motivate other youth to take action. 

In this day at WAY headquarter, more than 200 youth and young leaders from various countries were gathered together to celebrate the IYD through various presentations and performances. Messages and presentations from different organizations and video clips, related to the theme were presented to the youth and advice given to them to take action.

The participants signed a pledge to contribute to the sustainable use of the earth’s resources to reduce the impact of climate change from their actions. In this pledge, they promised to keep the world beautiful by keeping its soil, water and air clean and free from litter; to reduce the waste, energy and water use; and to care for the environment- its wildlife, plants and animals and encourage others to do the same.

Rt. Hon. Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, President of WAY, in his message to the young people on this day, mentioned that “… the burden falls on each one of us as members of a global community to do our part in the fight against climate change”. Then he went on saying that “The World Assembly of Youth joins together with other organisations in encouraging the youth to participate and play an active role in coming up with and implementing sustainable solutions that will reduce and delay the effects of climate change especially concerning greenhouse gas emissions that a major source of global warming.”

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, in the message to young people send on this day said that  “Unless we make radical changes in the way we live, by the time the youth of 2008 reach my age, the world may well have become a rather inhospitable place.”

It is therefore our (WAY) humblest and heartfelt appeal to all youth worldwideto rise up, join hands and with one voice let their opinions be heard on the issue of climate change.
[WAY Press]

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BAHAMAS

Youth “Say Something”

Nassau, August 9 - HUNDREDS of young persons packed the Wyndham Resort ballroom Thursday evening to voice concerns and give suggestions at a youth-driven town meeting planned by "We Are The Future" youth organization.

The forum, dubbed "Say Something," was hosted talk show host Nikki Bethell, and gave young people from around The Bahamas to a chance to be heard by those that make the difference in the country.

The forum included a panel, which consisted of Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest, Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis, Minister of State for Social Services Loretta Butler-Turner and leader of the Bahamas Democratic Movement Cassius Stuart among others.

Mr. Turnquest told the young persons gathered that he was "overwhelmingly pleased" with the turnout and encouraged them to continuously voice their views.

"I was president of the Torchbearers youth association (the youth arm of the FNM) about 27 years ago and I remember back then talking about the need to get young people involved," he said. "I say that only to say that you are indeed future leaders of our country."

"I believe that you need to be responsible in your dialogue and in your recommendations but you ought to be heard, and that as you fight to be heard you will find that many of us as national leaders who have [traveled] the road that you are now travelling will be very supportive of your efforts in ensuring that you are heard."

Mr. Turnquest told the young persons that he would have been "foolish" to not have accepted the invitation.

Glenys Hanna-Martin, chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, shared similar sentiments.

"This is an opportunity for the young people to interrogate us, per se, on issues that you feel are most important to you," she said. "I am happy to be a part of this forum which has both sides of government here." She said that she felt the forum was a step in the right direction.

"From the mass numbers demonstrated here I can certainly say that all is not lost,"Mrs. Hanna-Martin said. "This is an excellent idea and I would certainly be willing to participate in those yet to come."

Forum, participants voiced concerns on a wide range of topics, such as availability of land, sexual education, crime, the economy, recycling and education.

Commenting on the issue of school violence, Minister Turnquest said much will be done for the upcoming school year.

"Let me firstly say that we are putting various strategies in place to deal with school violence as the new school year is about to begin, in terms of ensuring that our children and educators are safe," he said. "This does not mean putting policemen in schools or turning our schools into prisons and the like."

"We believe that educators ought to have charge over their school campuses and that they need to be supported by law enforcement when the need arises. With respect to aspects of school violence and school safety, we want to ensure that we have a number of programs that deal with conflict resolution and social interaction between young people."

Minister Turnquest said all major agencies will be working towards ensuring safety during the school year such as the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Deon Gibson, co-founder of "We Are The Future," said he was overwhelmed by the overall success of the town meeting. "I must say that I’m surprised personally at the outcome of what has happened," he said. "As you may have heard, we have been charged by Mrs.[Loretta] Butler-Turner to do a followup and submit solutions to some of the concerns we raised."

"We will take up that task and involve her in any upcoming events that we will be planning."
[The Bahamas Journal]

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SIERRA LEONE

Center for women empowerment opened

Freetown, August 29 - FIRST lady of Sierra Leone, Sia Nyama Koroma yesterday official opened the Center for Women empowerment at Peter Lane in Freetown.

The center was funded by Health Education and Relief (HEAR) Foundation based in the United States and implemented by Youth Action International (YAI). The center strictly caters for women and girls living in Kroobay. 

In her speech, Mrs. Koroma said that, she was proud to be at the ceremony not only as the First Lady but as an Ambassador for the deprived and unprivileged women and children in the country.

The First lady called on the beneficiaries to develope the culture of maintenance and sustenance. She admonished the beneficiaries to take care of the center and use it to maximize their potential and to also improve on their skills.

Mrs. Koroma noted that she hoped the venture will be decentralized to the provinces.

Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Haja Musu Kandeh said that “the event is a historical one and a milestone in the lives of women in Kroobay community”.

She said that, the center will create an impact on the lives of 100 women and will help fulfill a better future of women, adding that the center will also make an impact on the socio economic condition of women.

Haja Kandeh disclosed that her ministry has been promoting women empowerment because we believe that women are the backbone of Sierra Leone.

The center, she said is timely as women have been marginalized and suffered in the past and still continue to suffer, further stating that YAI has wisely picked Kroobay to benefit from it because women there have little opportunity and they are incapacitated by poverty epidemics.

She encouraged HEAR and YAI to open more of these in other slums areas and in the rural areas. The Minister called on Sierra Leoneans to play their own role and take advantage of the opportunity. Executive Director of YAI, Kimmie Weeks  said that, he was very happy and proud to be  in Sierra Leone.

He said that it was an honor for him to open the center which will affect the lives of African people especially women.

The Executive Director pointed out that he has intentions to expand to the provinces, noting that, they are starting with Kroobay community but the YAI program will grow to support the development process in Sierra Leone.

He disclosed that when they went to the Kroobay community, “we saw the constraints of women and the challenges they faced; that’s why we chose that community for women to break the line of poverty.”

Mr. Weeks pointed out that the center will teach women on tailoring, weaving, hairdressing, necklace making, computer studies and will also train them in photography.

Kimmie Weeks stated that the efforts of the beneficiaries is required and they will use them in a proper way to enable them build up their capacity.

Mr. Gregory Antonucci of HEAR Foundation said that his foundation is a non-profit one empowering men, women, and children to follow and fulfill their life’s mission.

Chairman of the Kroobay Community, Morie Alie, disclosed that the population of his community is 10,200 and 85% of them are women who are suffering.

With the intervention of Kimmie Weeks the future of the women will be better and will make them self reliant.

He thanked YAI and HEAR for choosing his community and assured them that their resources will not be futile.

The ceremony was chaired by the Director of youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Anthony Koroma who emphasized that the beneficiaries should be proud of Kimmie Weeks.

[Awoko]

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