YOUTH LEADERSHIP NETWORKS: CAPACITY BUILDING FOR ENHANCED SKILLS TO BETTER ENGAGE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT AND ITS MINISTRIES ON EMPLOYMENT AND EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES

By Our Correspondent

As part of its mission to promote transparency, accountability and inclusivity in the design and delivery of youth employment and empowerment programmes, the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development organised training for the members of three Youth Leadership Networks – Okana Youth Leadership Network, Marine Base Youth Leadership Network and Kpor Youth Leadership Network in Port Harcourt.

The training was aimed at building the capacity of the youth network to understand how to employ several strategies in stakeholders engagement and use these skills to reduce conflict arising from shared economic opportunities in their respective communities, LGA and River State at large. The training was also aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the network as well as better organization to effectively tackle government employment/empowerment programmes in ensuring that it is transparent, accountable and inclusive.

During the training, the youths shared experience of the success of their activities in Gokana and Abual Odual LGAs and Marine base communities and learnt from one another. The youths lauded the training programme and suggested meeting more  often to benefit from the fluid learning atmosphere that comes from experience sharing of successes, failures and way forward.

The twenty five (25) youths in attendance were empowered on civic resistance, engagement and peace processes. The facilitator, Katherine Hughes-Fraitekh, is the Associate Director, Field Initiatives at International Centre for Nonviolent Conflict, United State of America. The training empowered the youths to use various strategies in their engagement with relevant state agencies in demand for equal participation and benefits from government sponsored youth employment and empowerment programmes in the state.

They learn how to draw a power structure and how to identify the support and opposition groups. The facilitator showed the youths how to move opposition parties to become support stakeholders and build a solid support based to aid their advocacy, engagements and key cause.

The youth came to understand that every stakeholder has an interest that should be discovered and such knowledge will aid in planning effective strategies to drive their messages.

The facilitator also led the youths through ways of fighting corruption and how to transpose and bring about good governance among the government agencies and parastatals.

The experience sharing was impactful as there was knowledge transfer and renewed commitment in the pursuit of transparency, accountability and inclusivity in the design and delivery of youth empowerment programmes in Rivers State.

The training will contribute to reducing grievances related to lack of transparency in the employment and empowerment process, contribute to strengthening accountability process in youth employment and empowerment programmes as the youth can track how government selects and engages youths for each programme.

About the Network

The Kpor, Okana and Marine base Youth Leadership Networks were formed in 2014 by the youths of Kpor community through Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development with support from Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme, NSRP to carry out enlightenment campaigns within the community on the importance of using non-violent actions in the demand for economic opportunities for the youths, enlighten communities on how to key into government’s employment and empowerment programmes, and advocate for an equitable distribution of government programmes within the community, L.G.A and senatorial district.