Liberia is a country located on the West Coast of Africa. It has a population of 3.5 million people. According to LIGIS 2008 census report, 65% of the country population is youths. The country gained its independence on July 26, 1847 from the United States of America. The country was colonized by a group of free slaves who were taken from plantations in America and other parts of Europe by an organization called the American Colonization Society (ACS). The organization aims were to repatriate free slaves from America back to the continent of Africa; to provide independence and security to the free slaves and to take the gospel of Christ to Africa. Upon arrival on the soil of Liberia, the settlers, commonly called Congo met another batch of people living in Liberia. The true identity of those people did not come to the lamplight till the late 50s when the Settlers (congo) and Indigenous (natives) sentiment became to creep in every facets of the society.
From the late 50s up to present, most of the country problems have been based on ethnic sentiment, rampant corruption, and citizens’ disenchantment over the manner and forms the system of governance is managed. Youth participation in decision making at the national government level was never seen. In fact, the system of close government became the order of the day. The only right given to young people from the 80s up to late 90s was the so called “quality education”. If you were to rate the quality of that education, your rating would have been 30%. Holding to that fact, the 14years civil war and other distracting factors were causes of the many setbacks in the country. Results from the past proved that the ability of young people today cannot be match to that of the youthful population in the early 50s and 60s. Therefore, this has been and is one big generational gap that needs to be bridge with pillars of access to information, freedom of expressions, and youth participation in decision making at the national and sub-national governmental levels.
Pursuant to the above mentioned, I hope to espouse the below discussed seven key steps as strategies that can be used to widen youth for development advocacy in Liberia.
Step1. Civic Education on the rights of youth:
This strategy is geared towards enhancing youth capacities and understanding on their basic and fundamental rights. It hopes to domesticate international best practices tool that promote youth development and participation in decision making around the world. It also helps to widen the strength of youth for development advocacy in other parts of the country.
Step2. Building networks and think-tank groups:
This strategy is aimed to build a network of young people in other parts of the country that will acquire the knowledge of youth development. It seeks to coordinate activities and events with the lead Youth for development activist.
Step3. Advocacy:
This aspect of the strategies is very essential to the success of the overall goal of this initiative in Liberia. It will need a person that is resourceful, ingenious and astute in research and advocacy. Being cognizant of the fact, I will use my expertise and human resource ability to effectively deliver approved duties under this pillar.
Step4. Local County Outreach
This strategy is synonymous to that of Step 1. It is directed to youth at the sub-national level of Liberia. Step 4 of this strategy is geared towards enhancing youth capacities and understanding on their basic and fundamental rights. It hopes to domesticate international best practices tool that promote youth development and participation in decision making around the world.
Step5. Media Relation
This strategy is to use the media (print and electronic) as conduit through which a call for change in the system of governance goes directly to promoting youth participation in decision making at the national and sub-national levels.
Step6. Lobbying for a change in a system that denies youth development
This strategy hopes to use internal and external lobbying power to influence change at the 52nd National Legislature. The change will encompasses youth participation in decision making, youth empowerment, youth empowerment and youth access to quality education.
Step7. Peer to Peer Interaction
This strategy hopes to create the platform for youth in Liberia to interface with one another at the national and sub-national levels. It hopes to create competition amongst youth in the, to be established networks and think tank groups across the country so that the message of youth development can be seen in every facets of Liberia.
Conclusion:
The overall completion of this strategy will be considered goal accomplishment. Today, with the passage of the access to information and freedom of expression acts by the 52nd National Legislature and the Executive Branch of Government, I think young people do have a favorable atmosphere and well constructed political system that can be used to advocate for an arrangement that promote youth in development, youth empowerment and youth employment.
Written By: Brezhnev D. Paasewe
Resident Director
Youth Campaigners International
