Liberia YMCA Delegation Leaves for Youth Summit in Ethiopia

MONROVIA – A four-man Liberia YMCA delegation headed by the national general secretary, E. Edward Gboe, leaves Liberia today, October 28, for Ethiopia to participate in the African YMCA Youth Summit.

This was contained in a release from the YMCA headquarters in Monrovia.

Members of the delegation, include T. Martin Allen, national youth coordinator; Alston Armah, president, National Youth Council; and Aminata Dorley, youth intern, YMCA of Liberia.

The summit is themed “From Subject to Citizen: African Youth Claiming Their Space, Influencing for Positive Transformation.” It is aimed at building the civic competence of selected youth leaders and will also focus on youth crises in Africa. During the Summit, participants will identify major crises, analyze root causes and develop action plans to become agents of transformation.

Sixty participants from Africa, along with representatives from YMCAs of North America, Europe and Asia, will be equipped with the skills to act as citizens and not as subjects who are manipulated and victimized.

The main aim of the summit, according to the Liberia YMCA, is to equip a new generation of youth leaders in Africa with tools of effective civil engagement.

A Liberia YMCA statement also said the youth will be able to engage with and positively influence those in authority, thereby equipping them with both the belief in themselves and skills of engagement.

Young people will also be able to effectively engage in the process of the African Renaissance to positively influence the private sector to prioritize investment in their future and to provide market access opportunities to the youth. They are also expected to positively influence political and civic decision - making processes and policy formation in favor of the youth of Africa.

Speaking to newsmen in Monrovia on the upcoming YMCA Youth Summit in Ethiopia, the Liberia YMCA National General Secretary, said the Liberia YMCA will be making its contribution to the general framework of the summit, aimed at helping young people graduate from being subjects to becoming citizens. He said the Liberia YMCA is committed to the recovery and development indicators of the National Policy action plan of the Government of Liberia, on youth development and national growth.

The Liberia YMCA National General Secretary said his organization is aware of a number of challenges affecting young people, some of which include livelihood constraints, lack of education, limited access to education and skills, opportunities, etc. He said these are factors which have in negative ways impacted the lives of young people. These, he said, have taken away the self-esteem and self confidence by which young people would consider themselves as citizens.

The Summit, which takes place from October 29 to November 4, 2009, will also focus on the deliberation and action plan by participants of what it means to be a citizen – a young leader who has the skill and confidence to engage with their local social institutions, including churches, mosques, etc., to make positive changes. It is also expected that participants will return to their countries with the belief that change starts with them and that as they live their change, they will make significant impacts in their societies, leading to positive actions for change.