Youth are ambassadors of their own
future
Conversely, youth are a source of
living changing in the society. With their strength, talent, desire for change,
leadership and looking into the future, they have been steering youth-related
projects to earn a livelihood, but also conserve nature. In almost every
community, youth innovations will meet your eyes either trying to run small
scale entrepreneurships, provide sanitation services for the community,
providing clean water for the mothers and children, providing alternate energy
sources, better farming and water management methods, sharing information with
the community through community radios and organizing community events like
road shows and artisans’ jobs, among others.
Youth are the voices of the
community
Youth are the voices for the
community through advocacy activities, while at the same time, providing the
community with up-to-date information around the region. Young professionals
have designed educational and conservation projects for their communities. In
regions where infrastructure is still a challenge, it’s the youth who have
devised new ways of transport, repaired the roads, put up bridges, and even
provided mobile health and communications service. Billions of trees have been
planted and nurtured by young people all over the world. In Kenya alone, the
Government has set aside funds to support tree-planting initiatives in all
regions of the country, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs. The trees have
been planted in primary and secondary schools, and used as a living learning
resource by the learners who participate in nurturing the trees. These may be
small actions but with great impact and investment into a sustainable future.
Youth networks- the support system
The success of youth in serving the
community and contributing to nature conservation is directly attributed to
working in youth networks. Youth have a huge resource base of Energy, Knowledge
and Time that the world needs to achieve sustainable development. However,
there is need to positively direct their resources to ensure all aspects of
sustainable development are achieved. To do so, they require education,
resources, and skills and hope that will promote a transition to this
sustainability. The youth are looking forward to put into use their resources
of in three main areas: improve their lives; improve the lives of their
communities; and influence other young people elsewhere to take action (or play
the celebrity status). Youth networks are one such avenue where we can support
youth through resources, political support, and hope for their present and
future. Youth networks are a place where young people help each other to grow
their careers, their social lives, build confidence, share experiences, and
most importantly have a platform to share and discuss their future as part of
the global network. As the leaders, they develop their leadership characters in
these networks. Most importantly they become a community of like-minded persons
growing in character and skills.
Why a youth network?
A youth network addresses three main
needs of youth – to improve their lives, improve the lives of their
communities, and to influence other young people elsewhere to take action – and,
in addition, a youth network can be established with an aim to address a
specific need that a group of young people have realized in the society. They
seek to answer the questions of the government, the community, or their peers
through this network. This need may also be an opportunity for them to seize
and create jobs for themselves. Whatever it is, it must be a need that requires
them to work together.
For a network to exist it must have
a Strategy and an Action plan. The action plan is preceded by a network profile
which details the name of the network (at times the network may be nameless),
vision, mission and aims, members, target group, and partners. A network
profile should clearly outline the principles and values that the members must
observe while in the network and expected inputs and benefits for the members.
An Action plan is meant to actualize
the vision, mission and the strategy of the network both in the short- and
long-term. Most critical in drawing up an action plan for a network is the recognition
of the roles of each member based on their strengths and weaknesses. Youth are
the best examples of communities of practice, they strive to specialize in
their career while at the same time are open to learn and share with their
peers new skills to ensure they achieve their targets.
Youth will continuously build the
network membership by inviting more young people and sharing with them their
vision. It is a characteristic of young people to dream and build castles while
in their social events, but these are now being achieved through the networks.
Social events have proved key in growing the membership of the youth networks.
·
Well-directed social events have
worked wonders in growing the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change in
Kenya. This is an organic network of youth organizations working on climate
change sustainable development in Kenya. In the first months of the year, we
spend time in social events with new members who join the caucus and
participate in our mind mapping sessions for the year. With time, they fall in
love with the spirit of the network and eventually, they are also part of the
dedicated membership.
Visionary leadership and direction
is critical; and the same is true for the organizational structure and
governance model of the network. This includes electing or nominating the
leaders of the network. Where a network is registered, such structures are
established at the initial stages mainly by the vision bearers who assist in
the registration of the network. However an organic youth movement takes time
to have an organizational and leadership structures. Under such circumstances,
they may have focal point persons or coordinators/volunteers for different
activities in the network. A constitution is also important for the registered
network, while a Charter or Standard Operating Procedures works well for the
organic movements.
·
A youth network leader has this to
say about the experience: “Leading youth networks is the most fulfilling
experience. I enjoy the late night work, the wee hours work, travelling,
planning, reporting, and corresponding with young people from all over the
world who need my attention. I have come to believe that i am in this world,
and at this position, at such a time like this, to help the youth realize their
potential in sustaining this planet.”
The activities under each network
are the reason for its presence. They are the tools that will retain youth,
attract others and even encourage other partners to join them. Some networks
are formed mainly to provide a platform for young people to meet and share
their experiences; such have main activities being meetings, workshops,
seminars, travelling, expeditions among others, while others are research
oriented. A big proportion of the professional youth networks are focused on
development initiatives including providing infrastructural, educational,
health, communication, business, and other social services. One such youth
network is the CEC Young Professionals, under the Commission of Education and
Communication in IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Environmental conservation youth
networks in Africa
While I worked with youth networks
in Africa, i was interested in youth networks involved in environmental
conservation, education and development initiatives. Their activities were
diverse: advocacy activities at grassroots, national and international levels;
public awareness and education projects; rehabilitation projects; waste
management; energy projects in solar, wind and biogas; small income generating
initiatives (eco businesses); wildlife conservation activities such as
de-snaring, birds monitoring and animal census; ecotourism; filmmaking;
mapping; sustainable agriculture; and ICT innovations. In this decade, more
advocacy youth networks have arisen – ranging from social and political to
environmental advocacy – that are involved in policy processes, right from the
grassroots to the international level.
One such example is the International Cimate Youth Movement (IYCM) – the largest most
dynamic organic movement of young people involved in international climate
change negotiations at the international level since 2004. In small, dynamic,
well-directed strategies, the youth have outreached each continent and state
involved in the climate negotiations, mobilized the youth and provided them
with a platform to take part in the climate change policy dialogues. Having
started as a small group in 2004, this organic movement has over 2,000 members
who are in daily communication of their climate change activities. In 2009, the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat
granted them a Constituency, meaning that they could participate in the
negotiations are equal players in the world most important debate of the year.
What’s amazing is how this youth
network is organized. With two Focal points to the UNFCCC Secretariat, all the
network activities are carried out by committed youth on a voluntary basis.
They commit months and years to work for the movement in whatever capacity they
can. This voluntary commitment includes dedicated policy makers, fundraising
committees, capacity building coordinators, website managers, bloggers,
activists, action groups, bottom-liners, planners, community builders, minute
takers, host organizations, email list moderators, among others. There is
always a task for each and every other youth.
GO TO THE NEXT PAGEGO TO THE PREVIOUS PAGE
0 komentar:
Post a Comment