Youth Portal for the Latin America and the Caribbean - WAY - YOUTH BULLETIN

WORLD ASSEMBLY OF YOUTH

YOUTH BULLETIN

January 2010

Bringing youth news around the world

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

IN this bulletin:

KENYA : Kibaki signs new law to empower youth

GHANA : Don’t Politicise Youth-In-Agric Programme

PAKISTAN : Majority of youth reject extremism in society

BERMUDA : Obesity is first priority for new youth council leader

IRELAND : Gormley to discuss lower voting age

SINGAPORE : Volunteer recruitment flawed

ANGUILLA : ANYC ecouraging Anguilla political candidates to participate in debate series

DENMARK : Youth keep motivation after leaders fail to achieve a safe deal in Copenhagen

NIGERIA : Nigerian youths and the socio-economic question

CAMEROON : Youth Day Celebrations - Preparations enter high gear

SWAZILAND : Senator Bhutana praises King

MALAYSIA : Malaysian Youth Council's top post uncontested

UNITED KINGDOM : Don't freeze the national minimum wage for young people

BENIN : BYC wants capable hands in education, sports ministries

CANADA : Canada World Youth urges Canadians to contribute to the aid effort in Haiti

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM : Aligned education a must for contributing to nation

INDIA : City Conference of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held

VIETNAM : Closer ties with students abroad can tap expertise

CAYMAN ISLANDS : Youth commission aims for much better future

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

KENYA

Kibaki signs new law to empower youth

Nairobi, Jan. 4 - AFTER years of contentious debate, Kenyan youth now have a forum from which to lobby for policies that directly affect their interests with the signing of a law at the New Year establishing the Youth Council.

The council will be run by people aged between 18 to 30 years and elected from the grassroots to the national level.

It is intended to promote the inclusion of the youth agenda in the formulation of policy by public institutions, promote their inclusion in decision-making bodies, boards, agencies and other public institutions.

The idea of a youth council was first mooted back in 1994.

Since then, the emotive and sometimes violent process to establish such a council has taken a number of twists and turns.

In August 2006, a group of 400 youth threatened to walk out of a workshop organised by the ministry of Youth Affairs after discovering that the Bill they were to adopt had already been presented.

Soon after, a youth council steering committee elected to market the Bill across the country was rendered irrelevant after the ministry failed to fund the process.

The committee was later declared “illegal” since the Bill had not been signed into law.

The United Nations defines “youth”, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, but it does not limit member states from having their own age limits.

Youth leaders have welcomed the signing of the council into law and are optimistic that Kenyan youth will have a vehicle for promoting the interests of young people.

“The youth council offers youth a structure where they can vote for themselves and make decisions that will lead to the development of this country,” National Youth Convention Convener Emmanuel Dennis told Sunday Nation.

Similar youth councils have experienced varying degrees of success in youth empowerment and development in several countries with the best examples being Singapore, Mauritius, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Rwanda, Egypt, Tunisia and South Africa.

“The National Youth Council proposes a leadership structure that youth vote from the sub-location up to national levels for their leaders. It’s a government of its own and can be stronger than Parliament,” said Poppin Misoi, Kenya Youth Empowerment Programme Project Coordinator.

Youth Minister Hellen Sambili also welcomed the signing of the Bill into law.

[Sunday Nation]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

GHANA

Don’t Politicise Youth-In-Agric Programme

Accra, Jan. 17 - THE National Chairman of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) of Ghana, Dr Emmanuel Osafo, has called on the government to ensure that the Youth-in-Agricultur e programme does not serve as an avenue of employment for only party cronies.

He said the government should avoid the mishaps that were associated with the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) by ensuring that all unemployed youth genuinely benefited from the Youth-in-Agricultur e programme.

Dr Osafo, who made the appeal at the opening of the Country Focus Group meeting of the Ghana YMCA in Accra, said the Youth-in-Agricultur e programme should address challenges in the agricultural sector and youth unemployment.

The two-day programme was attended by representatives from Canada, the USA and Germany. “The introduction of the youth-in-agricultur e programme at the time of the country’s discovery of oil is an indication that its agricultural sector will not be sacrificed for oil production,” he said.

Dr. Osafo, however, urged the government to learn useful lessons from neigbouring Nigeria, whose agricultural sector shrunk in the wake of oil discovery there. While applauding the government for bringing back the Youth and Sports Ministry, Dr Osafo called on it to make its good intentions translated into clear and tangible actions.

He said it was unfortunate that the establishment of the NYEP was parallel with the structures of the National Youth Council, noting. “The country could have saved a lot of money if the NYEP had been situated in the district offices of the National Youth Council.”

He urged the government to strengthen the National Youth Council and make it a real resource centre for the youth. The General Secretary of the YMCA, Mr Prosper Hoeyi, for his part, said the YMCA had placed the development of the youth at the centre of its operations.

He noted that the new vision of the association was to make the youth participate actively in policy making by the development of their minds, bodies and spirit.

Mr Hoeyi said as part of that vision, the association had established youth clubs in a number of junior high schools to help the youth understand the subject-to-citizen process, saying, “It’s about time the youth understood their civic rights, as well as their responsibilities.”

He said the youth needed to be taught to use their voices, not their muscles, to influence policies, adding, “We hope the youth empowerment model we have developed will help achieve that.” Events of the two-day programme will include the presentation of the year’s road map, as well as the budget. As part of the review, Mr Hoeyi said the association would seek ways to make the association financially viable.

[Peace fm Online]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

PAKISTAN

Majority of youth reject extremism in society

Islamabad, Jan. 24 - THE overwhelming majority believe that Pakistani youth can play a constructive role in combating growing extremism in the society. This was revealed in two survey reports ‘Civic Health of Pakistani Youth’ and “Youth Review of Counter Extremism Policy in Pakistan” conducted by Centre for Civic Education.

Majority of the youth (64.5 per cent) are unaware about the existence of any formal youth policy. Only 35.5 per cent know that the government has recently approved a policy for youth. Out of the 35.5 per cent who knew about the Youth Policy only 11.4 per cent had a enhance to have read the draft Youth Policy. While 88.6 per cent who know that there is a Youth Policy remain unaware of what is in store for them.

While national politics appears to be the significant part if youth’s media diet as 57.1 per cent of them prefer to read about national politics. However, 48.8 per cent are interested in entertainment news as well as 33.3 per cent like to read about international affairs. Dissection of data along the gender line reveals that majority of male (65.1 per cent) are fond of entertainment news.

There are some who equally like to read news about national politics, international affairs as well as entertainment.. Liking for national political news increases from 40.1 per cent in less than 20 years age group to 69.5 per cent in the above 24 years.

[The Daily Mail]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

BERMUDA

Obesity is first priority for new youth council leader

Hamilton, Jan. 15 - THE newly named chairman of the National Youth Council (NYC) has promised to tackle the growing issue of child obesity.

Physician and preacher Dr. Stanley James, who was formally named the new chairman of the NYC on Tuesday, said that by targeting child obesity he hoped to improve the lives and lifespan of Bermudians.

"Most of the chronic diseases that Bermudians face are directly related to obesity," Dr. James said. "It's important to tackle this issue early."

Obesity has been linked to a large number of medical conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers and heart disease and is the leading cause of death on the Island.

A recent study revealed that 63 percent of all Bermudians are obese or overweight, including around a quarter of Bermuda's youth.

Dr.. James said that while he was also interested in tackling the social issues facing Bermuda's youth, particularly the Island's young black males, obesity would be his first target.

"These social problems stem from a long history of disadvantages, " he said. "It's not going to be ignored, but I will immediately be looking at obesity because that is the Premier's mandate for me.

"We don't want to restrict our focus to just obesity, but that is the area the Premier has asked me to look at."

Following the appointment, Premier Ewart Brown said: "Dame Jennifer Smith established the NYC for the purpose of addressing the issues of the youth of Bermuda.

"Around 25 percent of young people between the ages of five and ten are considered obese, and teenage obesity is also a growing problem.

"It is because of this that I have asked him to develop an anti-obesity programme for the young people."

Dr. Brown said that he believed Dr. James' energy and enthusiasm would help make a difference in the community.

[Royal Gazette]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

IRELAND

Gormley to discuss lower voting age

Dublin, Jan. 14 - MINISTER FOR the Environment John Gormley is due to meet the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) next month to discuss its proposal to allow 16-year-olds to vote.

NYCI member Maria Kelly told the Oireachtas committee on the constitution that the electoral registration system needed to be changed to make it easier for young people to vote.

“The reason so many young people aged 18 don’t get added to the register is that they are moving away from home to go to college, training or work and fall between the administrative cracks,” Ms Kelly said.

“A practical benefit of the vote at 16 would be that it would make the electoral registration system much easier. Most young people aged 16 are still in school and can be easily added to the register.”

She said a report compiled by the NYCI last year found over 73 per cent of young people believed online voting would be an important measure in encouraging voter participation.

She outlined the organisation’ s “Vote at 16 – a New Age in Voting” campaign to the committee. “We are meeting with Minister Gormley in February and are looking forward to discussing the issue in detail,” she said.

Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president Peter Mannion said some students below the current voting age of 18 felt they were not represented in the “halls of power”.

There was a sense of being kept “at arms’ length” from important issues such as the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), he added.

Prof Jonathan Tonge of the University of Liverpool’s department of politics said the Labour government in Britain was divided on whether or not to allow 16-year-olds to vote. It would be interesting to see if a related proposal was contained in the party’s manifesto ahead of the next general election in the UK, he said.

The Austrian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Walter Hagg, said his country was one of the first European states to enact legislation permitting 16 year olds to vote.

Dr Hagg said most analysis after the elections of September 2008 came to the conclusion that voter turnout among 16-18-year-olds was roughly as high as the average, which he said was 77 per cent.

[IRISHTIMES]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

SINGAPORE

Volunteer recruitment flawed

Singapore, Jan. 11 - MANY voluntary welfare organisations that deal with youths here do not screen their volunteers thoroughly, with some not bothering to make criminals declare past offences, and most of the rest relying on self-declaration.

This poses potential risks to the youths that the voluntary welfare organisations deal with, say social-work veterans.

This loophole has been spotlighted by the case of top psychology graduate Chong Weien, 28, who worked with youths under two youth groups despite an earlier conviction for molestation, and was jailed recently for a second conviction of molestation. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three strokes of the cane last September for outraging the modesty of a 21-year-old woman in September 2006, by ejaculating onto her thigh while in a bus.

In 2002, he had been meted the same penalties for molesting two girls aged 13 and 14 who were learning to play the drums from him.

After he was released from jail, he served as a volunteer with a counselling centre, the Yellow Ribbon Project, the NUS Students' Union (Nussu) and the National Youth Council (NYC).

Both NYC, a division of People's Association, and Nussu declined to elaborate on whether applicants to be their volunteers have to undergo any sort of screening, or whether they knew of Chong's criminal history before accepting him as a volunteer.

Application forms for three of NYC's volunteer programmes - the Shine youth organising committee, National Youth Forum and a Korea-Asean youth exchange programme - did not stipulate that one had to declare whether they had been charged or convicted in a court of law.

Its spokesman said: "Our volunteers typically work in groups under the supervision of experienced youth leaders, who have either been referred to us by other credible youth organisations, or who have been actively engaged in NYC programmes, and distinguished themselves through their commitment and good work."

A Nussu spokesman said that the union believed in providing equal opportunity for all, and that it "practises a general non-discrimination policy towards its union members with regard to gender, race and background among others".

Of five other organisations that my paper approached, only the Singapore Children's Society submits all applicants' names to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports for screening.

The rest relied mostly on self-declaration.

The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), the national body that promotes volunteerism and philanthropy, said that it and non-profit organisations are unable to check registered volunteers for possible criminal records, as it understands that these documents are meant only for court use.

Most non-profit groups instead rely on self-declaration by volunteers through registration forms, it said.

Mr. Alfred Tan, director of the Singapore Children's Society, pointed out that not every applicant would make such declarations.

Therefore, it would be useful for employers or volunteer groups working with minors to have access to applicants' criminal history, particularly if they have committed sexual offences, he said.

"Children in the care of charities are particularly vulnerable as they come from low-income or dysfunctional families, and they will continue to be vulnerable for a period of time. Therefore, it's better to err on the side of caution when recruiting volunteers," he added.

Associate Professor Kalyani Mehta, who is an associate professorial fellow at the Department of Social Work in the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said that Singapore has no regulation that stipulates who should and could be recruited as volunteers, and how to do so.

She said: "Many voluntary welfare organisations do not have a systematic way of recruiting, managing and maintaining volunteers."

While larger organisations have better systems in place, the smaller outfits are hard-pressed for volunteers and have the tendency to accept "whoever comes by", she added.

Prof Mehta, who is a former Nominated Member of Parliament and has been a social worker for the past 40 years, points out that there can be dangers that stem from the lack of a standardised system in recruiting and screening volunteers.

They may have the opportunity to gain access to personal information and even homes, she said.

Prof Mehta added: "It is only fair that the public should know if they are opening their doors to such a person.

"It is better if the National Council of Social Service or NVPC were to lay down some regulations on this, because they are seen as independent bodies and they already have an interest in looking at volunteers."

This is not to say that volunteer groups should discriminate against former offenders, but they should find them a role that does not jeopardise a beneficiary' s welfare, she added.

[asiaone news]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

ANGUILLA

ANYC ecouraging Anguilla political candidates to participate in debate series

The Valley, Jan. 12 - THE Anguilla National Youth Council Ltd. (ANYC) is an autonomous, non-partisan organisation which seeks to be the voice of Anguilla’s youth, promoting youth empowerment through advocacy, capacity building and strategic partnerships. One of the goals of the Council as articulated in its strategic plan 2009-2012 is to create an enabling environment for youth participation within national international decision making processes. Some of the strategies identified to achieve this goal include but are not limited to providing public fora for open and constructive dialogue and to mobilize young people to participate in the electoral process.

With this in mind, the council has endorsed, “Follow the Future”, a political debate series produced by the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School Literary and Debating Society, a member of the ANYC. The ALHCS Literary and Debating Society held the first in a series of seven political debates on the night of Monday 11 January, 2010 for candidates from District 7.

The ANYC on behalf of the Literary and Debating Society would like to thank those young people who attended the debates as it demonstrates their interest in the political process and more specifically in the issues. We also take this opportunity to thank and commend the sole candidate who participated. However, the Council would like to express its great disappointment with the participation from the candidates in District 7. While the Debating Society did receive correspondence from some candidates indicating that they would not be able to attend, the youth were still optimistic that the candidates would take some time out to be present at this historic occasion. We honestly hope that that the low participation of candidates in District 7 is not reflective of the value placed on the concerns and the vote of young people.

[Anguilla LNT]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

DENMARK

Youth keep motivation after leaders fail to achieve a safe deal in Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Jan. 14 - THE last weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotion for the International Youth Climate Movement. The fortnight started with high spirits as international youth were celebrating their achievement of official constituency status.. Finally the case for young and future generations was recognised with in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This excitement peaked on Thursday 10th December 2009 when the Youth NGO constituency, (YOUNGO as they are referred to by the abbreviation- loving UNFCCC), held the "Young and Future Generations day".

On this day there was a packed schedule of side events explaining the youth perspective and demands, including a session organised by the European Youth Forum (YFJ) that explored the legal framework of intergenerational equity.

The novelty and initial enthusiasm inevitably wore off, as the plenary meetings dragged out and negotiators haggled over every line in a draft text document. In this draft document, all the text that was not agreed on was bracketed. This was most of the text. In the few high level meetings (or “plenaries”) that youth were able to speak at, one of the key messages was “Don’t bracket our future!” Despite the slowing down of the negotiations, the YFJ still managed to hold a varied number of events, including a press conference with an exclusive address for all of youth by the “girl who silenced the world”, Severn Suzuki. In 1992 at the Rio conference, Severn was one of the first young people to address the entire global community on their responsibility to save the environment for future generations. Here in 2009, she stated that the main source of hope for her was the young people who were “encouraging… shaming and provoking our so-called leaders to take actual action on this huge intergenerational crime”

A major coup for the YFJ, as part of the European Youth Climate Movement, was the organising of a meeting of EU Ministers with EU youth on Tuesday the 15th of December. At this event, John Gormley, the Irish Minister for the Environment, drew the comparison between the negotiations and an exam that hasn’t been studied for. Extending this metaphor, he predicted there would be a lot of cramming in the last days of the negotiations. Naomi Klein put it bluntly when she said in Klimaforum, that the conference was taken over by technocrats.

Security activity certainly increased the second week as NGO’s found their numbers cut down to roughly 25% of their delegations on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition to blocking all Friends of the Earth and Avaaz delegates on Wednesday, the security cut NGO participants to under 900 on Thursday and 300 on Friday under the pretence of security concerns. This dramatically decreased NGO participation to 1.5% of the original volume in the past week. Worse still, each day the Youth constituency was allowed 12 participants. Effectively the International Youth Climate Movement found their numbers split between the “few inside” and the “many outside”. Many youth who could only come for the second week, never even saw the inside of the conference centre, such as two young delegates of the Moldovan National Youth Council (CNTM)-who travelled at great personal expense to represent their country’s youth, only to find themselves waiting outside for days without ever seeing the inside of the Bella Centre.

During this period, the YFJ was thrilled by European States that include youth as part of their official delegation, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Latvia and most recently Slovenia. These official youth delegates were able to help distribute information to the all the ministers and politicians who were unable to come to the Youth and Future Generations day the week before, on the importance of the youth voice and intergenerational equity.

Other YFJ members continued to blog, tweet and connect with European and national media about the youth context to the negotiations inside the conference and outside in the alternative “people’s conference” Klimaforum. At the closing address to this conference on Friday, Naomi Klein addressed NGOs to tell them “the lesson that we tried and we failed, we didn’t do it, is extremely demobilising… we didn’t all try, many of us weren’t allowed to try”. She then called that “all the voices that were silenced, marginalised, repressed over these two weeks must take centre stage as we go to Mexico”.

In the closing two days most youth gathered in an alternative venue in the “meat district” of Copenhagen, in an old abattoir that was converted into a gallery and then rented out to be an NGO space. A group of youth including representatives of the YFJ watched proceeding being broadcast live from the conference and continued to blog and “digg” relevant news articles and flag blogs to their RSS feed and other online tools.

It was in these two days where the negotiations were seen to falter and eventually finish on a whimper instead of a bang. The “whimper” being the 2 and a half page “accord” agreed by a few powerful countries, who then touted it as a success. President Obama of the USA closed his address explaining that this accord was an important first step, and asked countries to input their voluntary efforts to mitigate emissions. However only a 2 degree target was used (contrary to the 1,5 degree advocated by most NGOs) and there was a lack of an agreed baseline year from which to measure the decrease, and even the earlier agreed target of 80% reductions for developed countries by 2050 was dropped. Even with the area of financing adaptation, it wasn’t made clear whether the 100billion in funding the US aimed for in the accord would be aid or bank loans. Lastly to add insult to injury, the president proceeded to tell reporters he’d “see [them] on the plane”. Meanwhile the EU appeared decidedly absent at the wrap up of the conference, and seemed sidelined by the main countries agreeing to the accord. Later, EU officials stated they agreed to the “disappointing” accord to avoid a “rupture” with developing countries.

Not all that happened was negative and for the International Youth Climate Movement, two important decisions happened at the end of the negotiations. On the Friday night, indignant at the farce that the official negotiations had become, international youth made a decision to take to the Conference Centre then (at midnight in freezing conditions) to protest their dismay. However, while protests can be quite visual, they are short lived in the public attention. Thus, the more important second decision that followed, was to echo the final youth speaker Juan Carlos Soriano from Peru, in the closing plenary who stated on behalf of the IYCM that “we will keep on working and keep on pushing you harder and harder until a deal is sealed”. That weekend, reaffirmed at a multitude of regional and delegation-wide wrap-up meetings, the International Youth Climate Movement decided that if their leaders don’t lead, they will.

The International Youth Climate Movement had weathered Copenhagen and come through the other side with a few scars but whole, wiser and more experienced. Copenhagen served to focus the IYCM to consolidate its gains, such as the strong and fair governance model, and examine the next steps with unprecedented clarity.

In the weeks that have followed Copenhagen, there has been an unprecedented action on the blogs, twitter account and mailing lists as members push for further action. Groups are already pushing their members to research what each can do in their home countries to lead change until the next intercessional in Bonn. At a recent meeting for the European Youth Climate Movement, of which the YFJ is a member, there were calls for a Europe-wide network of Youth Climate Coalitions such as are already in place in the UK, Netherlands and France. Ben Vanpeperstraete (YFJ) stated "our goal now is clear, we have to show youth leadership in addressing climate change, nationally and internationally. It is clear that this generation of leaders can't deliver a political solution to climate change to the world. Young leaders around the world are therefore already getting ready to rise up to the challenge themselves."

[EYF News]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

NIGERIA

Nigerian youths and the socio-economic question

Abuja, Jan. 29 - NIGERIAN youths are facing serious challenges ever imagined to face a young generation in any century. From unemployment to disillusionment, it is a galore of disconnections from the mainstream of the society. The situation is so critical that many are wondering why the society is not taking good care of the leaders of tomorrow. This drives one`s curiosity to examine the state of the youth sector under the Yar’adua administration and to see whether those charged with the responsibility of developing Nigerian youth are sleeping or alive to their responsibilities.

Professor Alfred Adegoke of the University of Ilorin who is an international youth expert in his review of the youth sector noted that the issues facing the young generation are so multi various that it will take some time to get answers on all fronts. Said he: ‘The challenges are many-unemployment, drug issues, militancy, debased value system and so many others. There is no denying the fact that our youths are having hard times.

“Let me say African youths are not having the best of time and if I am to take the review universally, the state of the youth even in the developed world is challenging. From Asia to Latin America, the youth are facing multiple socio economic questions. What makes a difference is what policy measures and action plans are being put in place to address those problems and how committed is the political leadership in each of the countries,” Adegoke said.

Also speaking, the Acting President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr George Sotade admitted that the youth are in need of so many things that the society is finding hard to provide. According to him, ‘The youth need jobs, health facilities, participation in governance among others. We are close to 70million of the nation`s population and yet our needs are not fully met. But we have also realised that these problems are worldwide; it is not peculiar to Nigerian youth alone``

With admission of challenges by experts and youth leaders, what exactly is the government doing to address these many society-threatening needs of the youth? Here Sotade was quick to admit that the present administration has done more than any other one to address the needs of our youth. Said he: I represent the umbrella body of youth organisations in Nigeria and I must put on record our appreciation of the many strives of Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi to provide comprehensive policy framework to address our many challenges.

``The main problem all along is that there was no workable policy before you even talk of implementation. No sound policy on youth employment, no current national youth policy, no policy on youth exchange, no policy on youth leadership training. In fact, there was no proper understanding of the concept of youth development until now under this Osun Senator``,Sotade noted.

Reviewing the youth sector further, Kingslew Bangwell of the Youngstars Foundation International described the last two years of Nigerian youth sector as ``a golden age in terms of actual dissecting and preferring of policies and solutions for tackling the problem facing our youth. As an international actor in Nigerian youth scene, I can attest to the seriousness of the ministry and the minister in creating the policy environment to ensure a balanced transition of our youth to adulthood.

``I worked closely with the ministry and what I discovered was that there is an emphasis on the adoption and adaptation of international best practices to solving the youth question in Nigeria.. I read the report of a United Nations technical mission on youth development in Nigeria and I was proud to read that the Nigerian youth development agenda was adjudged the best on the African continent``, Bangwell who is an Asoka fellow for 2009 noted.

A youth expert and a consultant with the African Union on Youth matters, Mr Dabesaki Ikhejiani in specific terms stated that the minister has succeeded in introducing a new youth policy that comprehensively address the needs of Nigerian youth.. According to him,’ the policy covers youth in education, health, employment, science, sports communication and others. It provides for youth in drugs, youth in prostitution, youth on the streets and others. Within the AU, the Nigerian youth policy adopted in 2009 is considered a good model for other African nations``

Adegoke who produced the ECOWAS policy was also the consultant that produced the Nigerian youth policy. Speaking on the policy which is the basis of youth development activities for all levels of government in Nigeria,Adegoke said Nigerian youth are fully and comprehensively provided for in the document. Said he: ‘We covered 18 areas of youth development instead of 14 as recommended by the United Nations .The ministry has circulated the policy widely and I think the minister and his team did wonderfully well in that respect``

While the minister and his team are being commended, many in the field believe the problem now is how to translate the policies into reality for Nigerian youth .From Kano to Lagos, the clamour is for the ministry to move beyond policy framework into actual implementation. The youth in the streets argued that translating the policy into reality is what they expect the minister and his team to face now.

Here the minister of youth development ,Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi stated that ``the implementation of the many youth policies initiated by the ministry is a responsibility of all levels of government especially as youth issues are cross cutting , involving many ministries, agencies and departments as well as both states and local governments. We have introduced such laudable policies as the Nigerian Youth Employment Action Plan to tackle the deepening youth joblessness in the country, a brand new National Youth Policy to address all areas of youth needs, annual National Youth Talent Hunt Exhibition, a National Youth Parliament to train our youth in political leadership, a national youth exchange to strengthen national integration, zonal youth development centres for vocational and technical training of our youth, among many other initiatives.

``To ensure full implementation, each MDA and level of government are assigned their roles while the ministry of youth development monitors compliance with the policy framework. To make this process a success, we also introduced the concept of youth mainstreaming under which all MDAs are expected to place the youth issues as a top priority in the implementation of their programmes and policies. Each ministry is expected to have a youth desk with the task of ensuring that the youth issue was never relegated to the background in public governance. We are set to use 2010 as a period of field work to ensure that policies are not just implemented but the good intentions of the administration for a balanced transition of our youth into adulthood are realised”, the minister stated.

Speaking on how the ministry intends to make the policies a reality in the New Year apart from the above, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of youth development, Mr Danladi Kifasi stated that the ministry is moving into the field this year. According to him,” the minister has said it in his ministerial press briefing last month and let me repeat that we are moving into the field. Our youth centres are to commence all year round training; our zonal offices are to commence advocacy on best practices in youth development; we are going to collaborate, more with the private sector and the youth focused Non Governmental Organisations and we will push through the reform of the National Youth Service Corps initiated by the ministry.

“Let me quote the words of the minister during the ministerial pres briefing:`` We are now moving into the field and the areas of legal framework which is designed to give legal backing to some of the policy innovations .We are not just approving policies and pursuing implementation among line, ministries, we are determined to give legal teeth to legalise and institutionalise youth development activities in the country``,Barrister Kifasi quoted the minister as saying.

The Speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, Mr Luke Onufolk however identified a major constraint facing the youth sector. According to the Akwa Ibom youth leader, ‘The minister has good plans no doubt and he has put in so much for the development of Nigerian youth but funding is a problem. The youth sector is underfunded. There is a need for decision makers to realise that the youth sector deserves greater funding than what we have now. Without adequate funding, how can the ministry realise the successful implementation of these laudable programmes and policies? ``I know we have recorded some gains-six new zonal youth centres, a vibrant youth parliament, a new youth employment policy among others but there is the need for proper funding``,he said.

The reality is that the nation is making steady advances in the youth sector.What remains is for all the stakeholders to support the youth in the diffcult task of transition to adulthood.If the tempo set now is continued,if all stakeholders accept the importance of youth in governance,if all levels of government play their parts,the youth of this nation will continue to be the best and the pride of African continent.

[Nigerian Compass Newspaper]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

CAMEROON

Youth Day Celebrations - Preparations enter high gear

Yaoundé, Jan. 28 - THE national youth week activities will be launched in Maroua in the Far North Region on February 3 and 4.

In less than one month, Cameroonians will be celebrating the 44th edition of the National Youth Day. Ahead of this important event, preparations have reached fever pitch in the country. The third preparatory meeting took place at the conference hall of the Ministry of Youth Affairs in Yaounde last Tuesday. The meeting brought together representatives of partner ministries, youth associations, the National Youth Council as well as the forces of law and order. The meeting was presided over by the Minister of Youth Affairs, Adoum Garoua. Last Tuesday's meeting was mainly to evaluate the work done and what is left to be done.

The heads of the different committees took turns to present the level of preparations in their committees. During the meeting it was disclosed that activities to mark the national youth week will be launched in Maroua in the Far North Region on February 3 and 4, 2010 by the Minister of Youth Affairs. The innovation this year will be a tree planting exercise in Maroua. The Minister will among other issues meet with leaders of youth associations, and hand over donations to youths in prison in Maroua.

According to the national harmonised programme, sports and cultural activities as well as a trade fair have will be organised. The youths will equally be treated to educative talks on topics such as climate change. The week long activities will be closed by a grand match past in Yaounde. The theme for this year will be disclosed in the days ahead.

The 44th edition of the national youth day coincides with the 50 years anniversary of independence of Cameroon and also the recent holding of the international conference on climate change in Copenhagen. For this edition, which coincides with the anniversary celebrations a special square will be constituted of youths who will be distinguished by their prowess in different domains. Organisers are determined to ensure a hitch-free commemoration of the National Youth Day.

[All Africa]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

SWAZILAND

Senator Bhutana praises King

Mbabane, Jan. 12 - HIS Majesty King Mswati III has been applauded for initiating the youth development fund. Senator Bhutana Dlamini said this was proof of the love His Majesty has for the youth and nation at large. He said young people are the future of the country.

He explained that the availability of the fund also showed that the king does not only love the youth but also recognises them.

Dlamini was speaking during the Ntondozi youth meeting held at the area’s constituency over the past weekend. He was the guest speaker.

He pleaded with the youth not to disappoint the King by being involved in bad things like being members of banned political parties and interfering in political issues because they would lose a lot in as far as the king’s plan for their welfare is concerned.

Dlamini stated that he was disappointed with the Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Hlob’sile Ndlovu, for failing to ensure that the youth development fund was fully functionaly, a year after the king had announced it.

He wondered if the minister was aware that the king was also disappointed by this, saying this could be attested by the fact that in his speech recently, he announced that the money had increased.

“What is happening in as far as the youth fund is concerned does not only reflect badly to the country but even the king himself because he is the one who came up with this initiative.

“This is also proof that the king is doing all he could in his powers to make sure that he leads people who are happy but we, the very people he is struggling for are letting him down,” he said. He lamented that the world and enemies would not laugh at the minister for the failed implementation of the fund but the nation and the king at large something, he said, was not proper.

The senator further pleaded with the minister to speed up the hiring of the person who would manage the fund. He also urged that the minister hires the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Swaziland National Youth Council for the smooth and prompt utilisation of the youth fund. Dlamini wondered why the minister was failing to avail time and meet the youth to get their views on the issues concerning them.

“How can she work for the youth if she does not consult them? “ It is now time that we as people and leaders stopped imposing things to people because they are not animals but human beings,” he said.

The senator, on another note, told the youth members that he was always ready to help them on anything they will ask for.

He said once they have finalised their plans they must tell him, through their MP, what kind of assistance they would need from him.

[Swazi Observer]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

MALAYSIA

Malaysian Youth Council's top post uncontested

Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 8 - PENANG Youth Council president Mohamed Maliki Mohamed Rapiee won the post of Malaysian Youth Council president for the 2010-2012 session uncontested, here, on Friday.

"I will carry out my responsibility as president to the best of my ability and will stress on unity among the council members," he said after the announcement was made.

Mohd Sukor Md Yusof won the deputy president post uncontested, while the vice-president posts are held by AB Karim Mohammad (Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs), Irmohizam Ibrahim (Malaysian Scouting Association) , and Low Eng Tack (United Youth Movement of Malaysia).

Mohd Zaidi Aziz from the Malaysian Islamic Students Union won the post of secretary-general uncontested.

[Bername]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

UNITED KINGDOM

Don't freeze the national minimum wage for young people

London, Jan. 6 - THE British Youth Council (BYC) has disputed calls from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) to freeze the minimum wage for younger workers.

In response, BYC Chair Alex Delaney commented:

The National Minimum Wage for 16-21 year olds should rise in line with inflation, rather than freeze or fall. The current age-tiered system is deeply discriminatory: young people’s living costs and bills are the same as older colleagues’ but they do not receive the same pay for the same work.

"Freezing the rate for young people implies that they are less competent and less deserving than older employees. It would also widen the inequality gap: young people could become more dependent on their families, have to work longer hours and run up debts."

The new CIPD manifesto, Platform 2010 – a recovery that works, suggests that the minimum wage for those aged 16-17 and 18-21 should be frozen in absolute terms in 2010. This would mean that rates for adults workers would rise with inflatation, while rates for 16-17 and 18-21 year olds would remain at £3.57 and £4.83 respectively.

Chief Economic Advisor to CIPD John Philpott has defended these recommendations for economic recovery, saying:

"It is right that younger workers lucky enough to have jobs should play their collective part in helping maximise the chances for those who do not."

But the Institute’s suggestions have been condemned as ‘disgraceful’ by Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, a BYC member organisation..

[BYC News]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

BENIN

BYC wants capable hands in education, sports ministries

Porto-Novo, Jan. 10 - THE Benin Youth Council, BYC, a socio-cultural group in Edo State, has appealed to Governor Adams Oshiomhole to inject capable hands to man the Ministries of Education and Sports in order not to kill efforts being made by the state government to empower youths in the state.

Vanguard, however, learnt from government sources that the commissioner manning the Ministry of Education, Mrs Ngozi Osarenren, is one of the best commissioners in terms of performance, but that her efforts in trying to bring sanity into the educational system was being misconstrued in some quarters.

The BYC, in a statement signed by the National Coordinator, John Osazuwa, argued that the two ministries have failed to impact any legacy on the youths since the inception of this administra-tion.

“We hope you will take advantage of the New Year which comes with new resolutions to reshuffle your cabinet and reposition these bedrock ministries, as there is nothing on ground that suggests the purpose and direction by the commissio-ners, particularly that of sports.

“It is heartwarming to state that as the umbrella body of all Bini youths, we have it on good authority that all suggestions and collaborative proposals delivered to the commissioners have not been responded to for the past one year.

“We appeal to you, Comrade governor, to act fast now to save Edo people from the nonchalant disposition of some of the commissioners,” the group stated.

[Vanguard]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

CANADA

Canada World Youth urges Canadians to contribute to the aid effort in Haiti

Ottawa, Jan. 14 - ON January 12th, 2010, Port-au-Prince, Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the small island nation to its very foundation. The destruction is unthinkable, the loss, unspeakable.

The entire Canada World Youth team is filled with grief as we continue to watch the struggle to save the lives of the thousands that are still unaccounted for and to offer assistance to the survivors.

Canada World Youth does not have a mandate to provide emergency aid; however we encourage all our alumni, youth volunteers and partners to support the rescue effort by providing funds, donating blood or supplies to organisations that will be working for months to come in the gigantic endeavour that will be required to provide the Haitian people with some relief.

[CWY News]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Aligned education a must for contributing to nation

Bandar Seri Begawan, Jan. 14 - YOUTHS who are not educated in line with the country’s aspirations may not be able to contribute positively to the development of the country, the president of Brunei Youth Council warned yesterday.

Speaking at the Southeast Asia Islamic Youth Conference at the Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong, Associate Professor Dr Hj Hashim Hj Abd Hamid said that, in line with Brunei being an Islamic country, Islam is the core of physical and spiritual development of the country.

“Religious appreciation is the benchmark and the focal point of knowledge acquisition, professionalism and understanding which makes a country strong.”

He added that religious appreciation must also not be separate from commitment and clear vision. “Youth should follow and participate in the development and exposure of new knowledge and technology without neglecting local values,” he said.

Looking back into Brunei’s history, Dr Hj Hashim said that Brunei’s youth faced various challenges post-independence, notably challenges in education as well as social and economic issues. “Even though Brunei realised the importance of Islam and its values and incorporated them in its educational system, the integration has not yet reached the level where youth can really appreciate Islamic education,” he said.

After independence, educational development in Brunei presented learning opportunities and good teaching and learning infrastructure, he said.

However, Dr Hj Hashim added, this development can only be said as a transition of knowledge from one generation to the next. “We need to ensure that in our educational system, new explorations are made in terms of research, paving the way for an innovative and creative community,” he said.

In other words, he added, education should not only educate the nation to become literate, but also make sure that the education brought something new and beneficial to the country. Dr Hj Hashim said that countries today face two forms of social challenges: moral degradation and crime among youth.

“These two issues are not unique to Brunei,” said Dr Hj Hashim.

“These problems can only be effectively (solved) if we can identify their causes. A comprehensive approach towards tackling this should cover education, caring citizen concept, marital harmony, media, law and most important of all, strength in faith and religious understanding and appreciation,” he added.

Youths are also not exempted from economic challenges, Dr Hj Hashim said.

“The economic challenges to youth are related to the level of education and skill of the youth,” he said.

“We have heard of cases where in unemployment, our youth are choosy in finding employment. We also heard of organisations providing assistance to our youths to set up small or medium enterprises, but failed.

There may be some truth in this, but the reasons why these happened has not been looked at by the relevant bodies,” he said.

[The Brunei Times]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

INDIA

City Conference of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held

Mangalore, Jan. 11 - YOUTH should involve in activities that join hearts and not separating people, said C Basavalingayya, theatre director and former director of Rangayana on Sunday January 10.

He was speaking at the ninth city conference of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) held at commercial tax employees’ hall, Kottara Chowki here. He expressed regret that the coastal district has become a platform for the political parties that groom their party workers to divide the society in the name of community and religion.

He said that most of the vibrant youth need to think of strengthening the society and see that everyone irrespective of their community or religion have the freedom to exercise fundamental rights and duties provided by the Constitution, he said.

The religion and community is a very personal issue and should not be used as a tool to spread communal disturbances, he said adding that the political parties are involved in such activities, which the youth need to be aware of.

Samuel Titus, working president of welcome committee, leaders of DYFI, Dayanand Shetty, L T Suvarna and Prashanth Achar were present.

[DaijiWorld]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

VIETNAM

Closer ties with students abroad can tap expertise

Ho Chi Minh City, Jan. 9 - THE HCM City government and the Viet Nam Students’ Association should strengthen their ties with Vietnamese students studying abroad so that their expertise could be tapped in future, a scholar told a congress held by the association yesterday.

Le Mai Anh of the Overseas Vietnamese Students Club said these links would also keep them abreast of the Govern-ment’s policies and encourage the students to come up with ideas for the nation’s development.

She told city leaders that the students should be informed regularly about the country’s developments and job opportunities and their contribution to the country should be formally recognised.

With this kind of encouragement, they would bring back their skills for use in Viet Nam, she said.

Many wanted to return and contribute to the country but they needed more information about the jobs available here, she added.

Nguyen Thanh Doan, deputy head of the association in HCM City, said the establishment of an overseas Vietnamese students association to maintain links with Vietnamese studying abroad was under discussion with city authorities.

In the future the city plans to organise an online exchange with students abroad.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Viet Nam Youth Federation, and the Viet Nam Students Association held an online exchange with overseas students in Ha Noi on Thursday.

Nguyen Van Dua, deputy secretary of the city’s Party Committee, said the city would create the best possible conditions for these students.

Anh said the Overseas Vietnamese Students Club’s HCM City unit had many programmes to attract Vietnamese studying abroad back to the country.

"It regularly holds online exchanges with them while many return home to do charity during the Mid-autumn Festival and Christmas," she said.

"It is also important that they hold exchanges with students at city universities, helping their peers develop soft skills and providing information about studying abroad," she said, adding the club would organise a university tour for overseas students this year.

[VietNamNet]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Youth commission aims for much better future

George Town, Jan 25 - WHO better to help shape the future of the Cayman Islands than its young people, which was the focus of a recent meeting between the expanded National Youth Commission (NYC) and government officials.

The meeting, led by Youth Minister the Hon. Mark Scotland, outlined plans for the coming year in the youth commission’s primary role to research and advise on youth issues, while monitoring on-going youth programmes.

“The combination of talents which you bring from a cross-section of society and the different disciplines represented, should yield positive results,” said Mr Scotland, as he pledged that government will keep youth issues “on the front burner.”

The NYC, established in 2001 to advocate youth issues, has introduced the National Youth Assembly, the weekly Youth Flex radio show, and presented local studies to government on youth matters. It is comprised of students, educators, community leaders and members of non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of the National Drug Council and the RCIPS.

”There are so many concerns,” said NYC Chairman Jenny Manderson, JP, who leads the 20-member group that will be assigned to sub-committees dealing with youth development, youth welfare and youth affairs, “and this committee will have an important role in seeing that all youth issues are addressed appropriately.”

Key youth concerns were identified as crime and violence, education issues and drug abuse. In keeping with these topics, the NYC’s priorities will be to refine its action plan; to lead an audit of all youth services, and to develop a youth index to evaluate the status of young people as well as the effectiveness of current programmes.

To help guide the group’s direction, a report that compiled all recent research and findings relating to youth was presented to the members.

The National Youth Policy itself is also in the process of being reviewed and will soon be finalised.

“Government spends a tremendous amount of funds across several departments on youth development,” said Mr Scotland, “however, there needs to be closer monitoring and coordination, even within the districts.”

Though the NYC has traditionally focused on teens and young adults, Mr. Scotland urged the group to focus more attention on children under 10 years of age. He said that this will allow decision-makers to identify behaviour patterns early, and to enable a smoother transition from child to adult.

[Cayman News]

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********

THIS news bulletin is a service of the World Assembly of Youth (WAY).
Although all efforts are made to ensure accuracy and reliability of reports, the content and opinions expressed within this bulletin are those of the authors/news agencies and are not necessarily shared by the publisher.

Please forward all queries to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it my