I want to share with you my experience delivering the S2C Concept to the Inter Church Youth for Peace Forum on 17 Nov 2009…
We began this process early this year when the information from the AA reached the branch about S2C. Youth who were energised about the concept participated in the baseline survey as enumerators, but back then we didn’t have much information on the subject to citizen process. The participation in the S2C summit in Addis has opened my mind and I believe that youth are hungry for new ideas, new leadership and new kinds of interventions that directly address their thorny issues – issues that affect them and that they feel passionate about, such as lack of jobs, sporting facilities, youth-friendly programmes and poor social support. My belief has since seen us earn the confidence and trust from Africa Alliance for being the lead change makers through the concept of from subject to citizen.
In the Rift Valley we continue to enjoy a strong partnership with government agents and youth-friendly organisations. Their support enables us to stretch our potential and scale-up our capacity to address challenges facing young people through innovative approaches such as peer-led discussions, focus group discussions and community theatre sessions. These partners continue to support us through capacity building development in different trainings, they participate in our activities and offer moral support all towards the wellbeing of a young person.
I am convinced that when we are always together, our voices are more powerful than any epidemic known to man. And that’s how we will change this community. One life at a time, its time for Nakuru YMCA to lead from the front in the most unsettled region, which is politically and ethnically fractured with leaders who only mind about themselves.
With all the resources and skills we have from the Youth Summit in Addis Ababa, we the young people must stand up and find something to die for. We need to become leaders who are courageous, sacrifice and make difficult but informed choices by
- Increasing our knowledge and skills to practice what we believe and value
- Improving attitudes towards citizen mind and youth development in our surrounding community through a focused approach.
Henceforth, citizenship must actively take its rightful place among leaders so we make the necessary lifestyle changes to ensure a brighter common future for Kenya and Africa.
After my two activities since I left the Summit, I have an incredible passion and belief that we can indeed change the youth in my community. But as I leave the centre stage of my one hour s2c presentation, I hold a number of beliefs that our heros will only be those young men and women who can stand up for what they believe and value and move forward assertively.
Citizens what do you think?
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