mercredi 8 avril 2015

Youth For Sustainable Development (Y4SD)


Youth For Sustainable Development (Y4SD) 


This is a presentation of an initiative called Youth For Sustainable Development (Y4SD) that the author is planning to implement in Rwanda. the major aim of the initiative is youth participation in decision making processes in their communities. 


Why youth participation in Rwanda? 

Youth aged between 14 and 35 years represent 40% of the general population in Rwanda. Such a huge proportion of youth is a great opportunity, a vibrant force that can be used for a sustainable development of the country. However, this force can also be manipulated and used for ill-intentioned political reasons and have enormous consequences. In the history of Rwanda youth have been used for destructive purposes, for instance during the genocide that was perpetrated in 1994 and claimed more than 1,000,000 lives of Tutsis and some moderate Hutus who tried to oppose the genocide.

After the genocide, the Rwandan government has provided spaces for youth at different levels for their participation in everyday life of the country. Spaces are available from the grassroots up to the national level. Despite their existence, these spaces are not fully utilized by youth to raise their issues to upper levels to get them addressed. This might be mainly due, on one hand to lack of capacity and confidence of the elected youth leaders and on the other hand to a lack of information about their rights and their responsibilities for the youth constituents. 

The assumption for this initiative is that if youth are empowered and fully involved in the everyday lives of their communities, they will fully participate in the implementation of the agreed plans, benefit from and sustain the outcomes of a sustainable and inclusive development as well.  

The Initiative: Youth for Sustainable Development (Y4SD)

The Y4SD will attempt to fill that gap through a combination of approaches. These will include: 

  • Training workshops for the youth leaders, to empower them with skills, attitudes and information necessary to accomplishing their responsibilities as elected leaders. These will target 80 youth leaders in 10 sectors of 5 Districs in Rwanda, 2 sectors per District.   
A group of youth receiving a training on community youth mapping. (Photo by Virgile.U) 
Most of of the materials will be shared as hard copies during workshops and public debates. However, some audio-visual materials, will be shared through social media for instance the Facebook page of Youth For Youth (Y4Y) an organization that I founded to help me with youth development initiatives.Short videos will be used to prompt discussions and debate and will be uploaded on the YouTube page of the Y4Y and links will be shared on the Facebook page mentioned above. 

  • Public campaigns to raise awareness of the youth constituency about their right and responsibilities in regard to participation in the decision making processes in their communities.  These will also include discussions and debates on various issues related to youth development and their lives in general. 
Youth during a discussion on vocational skills training. (Photo by Virgile. U)


Young girls in a discussion on sexual and reproductive health




























With both sides, youth leaders and their constituencies, empowered and aware of their rights, responsibilities and ways of working, we expect the following results;

  1. An increase in the level of participation of youth in the decision making processes of their communities and in the implementation of agreed plans and initiatives, 
  2. An increased ownership of community developmental plans, on the side of youth who will feel their contribution valued, hence full participating towards achieving the agreed and set goals in their communities; 
  3. An increase in the responsiveness of local leaders towards youth related issues and in their proper and timely treatment; 
  4. A better use and performance of spaces made available by the government for youth to fully participate; 

The following picture is of a group of youth, who after a three days consultation and debates, decided to make a road linking two neighborhoods in their sector.We expect the same ownership spirit at the end of the initial pilot phase of two years of the Y4SD. 

Youth are working together to make a road connecting two neighborhoods in their sector. (Photo by Virgile U)  

DISCLAIMER:
This article was composed in partial fulfillment of a course on "Citizen Engagement" organised by the World Bank, on Coursera. Though it is published here, it is still a project that I am planning to improve. Consider it as a class material rather than something final. Your advice an input are welcome.
Thanks not to share or cite it anywhere.

Prepared and published by Virgile UZABUMUGABO 

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