USAID/OTI Liberia Hot Topics
August 2005
Project Identification Brings Youths and Elders Together
Liberians under 30 are a significant factor in how this country's political transition unfolds and will also greatly influence its aftermath. The Office of Transition Initiatives engages these young people through the Youth Education for Life Skills (YES) non-formal training program. The program provides opportunities, skills and resources for these young Liberians, and hopes to increase their leadership roles and responsibilities within their communities. The YES training program is reinforced by small grants, which are identified and prioritized by these village youths to benefit the larger community.
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| Young people and elders listen as a youth representative presents ideas for improvements in the community. |
During the past few months, young people in each partner village were given the chance to identify and develop a community project that, while youth-driven, had the goal of helping the entire community in a manner that would bridge the generation gap. To ensure that the needs identified and prioritized by the youths were supported by the larger community, they presented their ideas to the community elders to get approval before implementation.
Both YES participants and community elders have provided positive feedback on the project-selection process:
- Many young people feel that youths in Liberia have traditionally been overlooked when it comes to community decision-making. One female participant explained: We are usually referred to as small children who don't know anything by the elders, while at the same time we usually don't think about how we the youth can take the initiative for the betterment of our community. Through the YES program we are beginning to change."
- In Gaylinkormah village, elders feel that the project-selection process is teaching young Liberians the importance of teamwork, while in Kingston village, the community development chairman hopes that the selection process will help "bridge the longstanding gap between the youth and elders."
- An important part of the selection process was to work with young people on how to present their ideas to the elders. One youth from Boikai Town said: "I was surprised when the elders listened to us and gave us their approval for [our] selected project. Usually [the elders] just tell us we have nothing important to add to community business."
- Some of the elders in Wanukai and Holder Farm are now saying that the program has helped to make the young members in their communities more cooperative and productive.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Donna Kerner, Senior Program Manager, 202-712-0716, dkerner@usaid.gov
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