……SPEAKING OUR MIND
WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA:WHAT WE WANT
This publication may be reproduced in part or wholly without any need for permission, as it is in the public domain. Acknowledgment would however be appreciated.
Produced by Youthaid Projects Inc.(NOW YOUTHAID INITIATIVES/NIGERIA) December 1998
P.O. Box 5785, Ikeja
Lagos-Nigeria
E-Mail: youthaid_ng@yahoo.com
YOUTHAID PROJECTS INC.(NOW YOUTHAID INITIATIVES/NIGERIA)
Youthaid Projects Inc., organisers of the now annual Youth Agenda Summit, is non-governmental, non-profit organisation. Youthaid's focus is to help groom adolescents and young adults to become responsible adults. Youthaid does this by providing detailed, uninhibited, up-to-date and sincere information, education and counseling on Adolescent Reproductive Health and Developmental Issues; and vocational training Programmes. Youthaid was founded in 1990.
Youthaid adopts a multimedia advocacy approach to training, lectures and now the Youth Agenda Summit to inform, educate and counsel not only the young adults but also their parents, guardians and society in general. This is to encourage among other things, parent-child communication on sexuality and developmental issues, goal setting, high self-esteem, skills acquisition through vocational training Programmes, career choice, etc. These we believe, will help to prevent and control high incidences of early involvement in sex, unprotected sex, child prostitution, drug abuse, cultism, teenage pregnancies, abortions, STDs, HIV/AIDS, school drop-out, low income earning, death and other social vices.
BACKGROUND
One aspect of the multi-media approach adopted by Youthaid Projects Incorporated to solve adolescents problems is the television programme, Youthaid Lifeline which is aired live on MITV Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos every Saturday from 9.00-10.00am. Its radio version is Youthaid Liveline. In the last quarter of 1997, a youth club named after the television programme. Youthaid Lifeline Club was inaugurated to feel the pulse of these young ones right there in the studio as they participate live on the programme.
They engaged themselves in debates and quiz as well as respond to questions or contributions made by their friends at home either by phone or through letters. This way, their friends, parents from home are not only encouraged to speak out but also implored to join them in the club where they are trained to be peer educators. Beyond the one hour session in the studio, there are other club activities they engaged in geared towards making their adolescent stage in life a risk-free one, like acting out drama sketches they contribute to the formulations.
JUSTIFICATION
The society through different institutions has had a tradition of presenting to the youths what is expected of them. The summit therefore is a gathering for the youths to present their own views on issues that concern them especially what they expect from the different institutions in the society for the benefit of their parents, guardians and the society in general and particularly for youth programme planners and service providers.
THE SUMMIT
Youth Agenda Summit- is a summit for adolescents and young adults to deliberate on sexuality and developmental issues as they concern them. Each year a topical issue concerning the adolescent and young adults will be brought forward for deliberation at the summit on the 27th of May to commemorate the children and youth day.
Participants will pay a fee or be sponsored to attend the summit each year. Fees paid or sponsorship will be used to provide things like Venue, Summit Brochure, file, Souvenirs, Publicity, Refreshment and some IEC Materials. Participation is open to adolescents and young adults from Schools, Youth Clubs, Religious Organizations and other individuals within the focus group willing to attend from any part of Nigeria. Adults from relevant organizations will also be invited as observers each year.
GOALS
We hope to put our findings together for publication at the end of each summit as reference materials.
We also want to give the youths the opportunity to champion their own causes, as such, the summit is to be a kind of official voice for youths on specific sexuality and developmental issues every year.
We also see the summit as a way of bringing youths from across the country, from different institutions and socio-cultural backgrounds together to socialise.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUTHS SERIOUS
An important aspect of the work Youthaid does with the youths is that of decision linked research.
Youthaid then takes the research findings seriously and design interventions with the youths, with the aim of solving, reducing or bringing the challenge(s) to the notice of those in a position of solving them.
Youthaid takes youth views serious. We cannot afford not to.
This is why, when the members of Youthaid Lifeline Club requested for a platform through which they could join with their friends from other parts of Nigeria, and different background to deliberate on issues affecting them, and make such issues known to adults and the society in general, Youthaid responded by designing the Youth Agenda Summit, with contributions for the format of the Summit coming entirely from the members of the club.
The next level after the summit was to get their views across to the people who touch their lives one way or the other. You are one of such people. Youthaid appeals that you please take them seriously and do something about the issues they have raised.
Youthaid on her part is working on designing and implementing interventions to address some of their requests, starting with parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues, as well as platforms for youth2youth interactions. For one, this Summit is to become an annual event.
Thank you for your interest in the welfare of youths.
Richie Adewusi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
YOUTHAID PROJECTS INC.(Now Youthaid Initiatives/Nigeria)
Dear Friend,
As you read through this material, we believe that you're doing so because you love the youths and issues that concern us. So we believe you are our friend. Thank you for being our friend.
The Youth Agenda Summit is the platform from which we tell you our mind. Please, take us seriously and do something about what we have said, as it concerns you or where you work.
We also invite you to support the Summit every year by sending participants and helping us to host it by making a financial contribution, which would also help us publish and send the published out-come of the Summit to you and others.
Thank you for reading this publication. Thank you for supporting the youths of Nigeria, by supporting Youth Agenda Summit .This is Our Voice.
Yours faithfully,
Agalabri Obaro
President
YOUTHAID LIFELINE CLUB
THE COMMUNIQUE
WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA
WHAT WE WANT
1
We want an enabling environment that will give us access to a good standard of living, with opportunities for qualitative education, so that we can be empowered to become Responsible citizens of this great nation.
2
We want sexuality education to be integrated into school curriculum at all levels, and such integration to be implemented immediately, with relevant books on adolescent reproductive health made available.
3
We want counseling to be intensified in schools, so as to help monitor students' excesses and curb students' involvement in vices like substance use and abuse, early involvement in sex, unsafe sex and cultism.
4
We want more opportunities for Programmes like this, where we can air our views, interact with others, share experiences and also learn.
5
We want the government to look into the issue of free education so that we youths can have access to basic education.
6
We want the government to improve our teachers' pay so that they can be more committed to us , as we do spend a lot of our time with them and as such look up to them for many things.
7
We want stability and consistency in the educational system.
8
We want the government to create recreational and leisure centres within our neighborhoods where we can put our excess energy to constructive use.
9
We want mutual respect and recognition from our peers.
10
We want opportunities to enable us have a good sense of goal setting and high esteem which will help us attain our goals in life.
11
We want religious leaders to be broad minded enough to address adolescent reproductive health issues and problems from the pulpit because we appreciate and respect their advice.
12
We want youths to be represented in the governing bodies of all religious organizations, so that we can air our views on issues affecting us in them.
13
We want religious leaders to address the problems facing us without hypocrisy and inhibitions, instead of stigmatizing us.
14
We want love, independence, freedom of expression and recognition from our parents, especially, in their manner of approach to us.
15
We want our parents to be more approachable, and to stop the “do as I say” syndrome.
16
We want our parents to see us as unique individuals, so they should stop comparing us with others.
17
We want our parents to be the first to discuss sexuality issues openly and sincerely with us.
18
We want our parents to get up-to-date information on sexuality Issues, and also learn how to communicate the information they have with us without inhibitions.
19
We want the media to present and report educative programmes and not those that would corrupt our minds, and lure us to form bad and anti-social habits.
20
Above all, We want all the facets of the society the family,
religious leaders,government, NGOs, educational institutions, peers
and the media, to do everything possible to make us have sense of
belonging in the world, so as to build us up as leaders of tomorrow.
Each segment of society should discharge their responsibilities
faithfully, having at the back of their minds, the “Love of all” .
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