BY LARISSA HASS

As part of my internship with The Youth Cafe’s External Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, I was given a unique opportunity to attend the 19th OIDP conference in Itztapalapa, Mexico on Monday, 09.12.2019. The main topic of the conference was Participatory Democracy and its vision, scope, and obstacles.

It was a great experience where I not only got to meet a lot of interesting people but also learned a lot about Participatory Democracy and Budgeting, as well as human rights and happy life movements. During the conference, I was able to have some inspiring talks with people that are interested in partnering up with The Youth Café. I also got to attend various interesting panels, inspiring workshops, and crucial networking events.

Arriving at the conference, I had some obscurities since it was the first time for me attending such a big event. But after a cup of coffee and some Mexican snacks, it was quite easy to find several inspiring people to talk to. The day was a good mix of panels, workshops, exchange of experiences and networking. In between the events, we were given the opportunity to see some Mexican artwork and to listen to touching stories of indigenous people and their struggle for independence.

The major topic of the conference was participatory democracy; therefore, most events were dedicated to that topic. The concept of participatory democracy means including individuals of every stratum of society in policymaking and giving them a say in decisions that affect them. One of the main concerns of governments nowadays is striving for sustainable development but this requires democratic and social planning.

There are many obstacles to participatory democracy. Especially in developing countries, where lack of time, knowledge and resources makes it impossible for leaders to listen to all the needs of their citizen, as well as prevents them from implementing those. However, to ensure a fair and equitable society, it is important to develop empathy in order to be able to put oneself in the position of each individual and thus stop inequalities. People from every stratum of society must be considered, regardless of gender, age, disability, disease, political orientation, religion, the status of education, etc. It is crucial to make decisions that might not directly impact you but your external environment and with that, build a fair and equitable society that also has a positive impact on you in the long-term.

Leaders need to be able to hear about citizens’ concerns of every class of society and make them partake in the process of political decisions, tax allocation, and community development. Different groups want different things and it is not easy to decide on what and where the priorities should be set and thus satisfy the whole community. What we need to create is a transparent joint-effort, where everyone is held accountable; an open dialogue between governments and the population to hear and understand different concerns. Informing citizens about tax allocation and other political processes reduces the risk of corruption, stops inequalities and leads to an accountable society.

We must assure active democracy participation by guaranteeing credible institutions, access to education and political training. As one of the speakers said, “We are what we think of the world, we are how we do things, we are what we know.” Hence, our beliefs, knowledge, and emotions a very important when shaping society. We must motivate already participating groups in society to continue and challenge others to become active. One of the most important groups to empower is the youth. There are 1.2 billion people aged between 15 and 24 on this planet which counts to 16% of our whole population. By 2030 this number is estimated to rise to 1.3 billion. It is time to equip the youth with the right skills and transform them into accountable leaders. Because they are not only the future; they are the present and are ready to make a change now!

THE YOUTH CAFÉ AND THE YOUTH LEADERSHIP CENTRE

My major mission at the conference was to showcase and connect with potential partners about The Youth Cafe's new capital investment project which aims to mobilize $2 million for a youth leadership and training facility in Kenya. As the need to equip African emerging leaders with skills to achive their potential, The Youth Cafe has decided to build a Leadership Center. The Youth Café is an award-winning pan-African organization that exists to empower youth, drive social progress and inspire political change. Our vision is to create a fair and equitable society in which young people enjoy full social, economic and political rights.

Our new project, The Leadership Centre, will serve as a regional hub across Africa and equip the right people with the right skills. Nearly 1 out of 3 Africans are between 10 and 24, 60% of the population is beneath 35 with lots of potentials. However, the lack of the right resources prevents them from becoming active and successful leaders. Matching the right people with the right opportunities, inspire future leaders for social change, harvest the wealth of cultural heritage, facilitate education and dialogue and impart youth with career success skills are the goals of the Leadership Centre and crucial to stimulate a new future for Africa. A future of equalities, opportunities, sustainable development, democracy, peace and justice for everyone.

How can you become actively engaged in transforming Africa? You are kindly invited to join our expansion trough our $2 million capital investment campaign. Your generous support will help complete the project. Kindly make your contribution through any of the options available in the bronchure. Or contact us for further information.