In continuation of the project titled “EMERGING DEMOCRACY BUILDERS: ENHANCING CIVIL ENGAGEMENT AND DEMOCRACY THROUGH LEADERSHIP EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN LIBERIA”, the Young Women Actions for Rights, Peace and Development (YWARPD) has convened the second session of two -Shadow Youth Parliaments in Buchanan, Grand Bassa and Gbarnga, Bong County.
The project, which is being supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), seeks to help contribute to the building of a democracy culture in Liberia, through increased awareness of young people on their civic rights and duties, as vital mechanisms for meaningful participation in democratic reform and good governance.
The Shadow Parliaments are important platforms which are designed to foster democratic engagement, civic education, and leadership skills among young people. By simulating legislative processes, they empower youth to discuss policy, voice concerns on societal issues, and bridge the gap between young citizens and government, fostering active citizenship. The Parliaments also seek to institutionalize youth’s participation in local and national decision-making and ensure that that they hold elected officials and governance institutions accountable for their campaign and development.
The convening of the second session in both counties provided the young parliamentarians with the opportunity to review the work of the democracy clubs in each county and the first setting of each parliament. During the setting in both counties, participants recognized the importance of the democracy clubs and called on YWARPD to extend the initiative to other schools.
The objective of the club is to educate student about the rights and process, democratic principles, and civil responsibilities, thereby empowering them to become informed and engaged citizens. They also stressed the need to to leverage the ICT revolution to support constructive engagement between young people and local governments.
Specifically, in Grand Bassa, the Parliamentarians cited a number of issues affecting young people in Grand Bassa, including the issue of drug abuse, lack of opportunities for young people, widespread teenage pregnancy and poor educational facilities. At the county level, they cited poor road networks, lack of transparency and accountability, and a weak health care system.
In Bong County, the young parliamentarians mentioned a number of challenges faced by young people, including the digital divide, poor sanitation in schools, youth unemployment, and limited opportunities for young people and corruption in the educational sector. At the county level, they cited economic hardship, lack of job opportunities, domestic violence, poverty and the issue of accountability
According to the Executive Director of YWARPD, Richelle Allison, her organization, with the support of NED, has been working in the two counties and also in Montserrado County to ensure that young people leave the “democratic fence” as spectators and jump on the “democracy fence” as active players to ensure that the voices are heard. She noted that her organization has also worked with Democracy Clubs in school to organize local student council elections and conducted training for members of these clubs. She also stated that YWARPD was conducting meeting between young people and local stakeholders in the three counties
Meanwhile, Ms. Allison has commended the National Elections Commission (NEC), Center for Democratic Governance (CDG), and the Center for Security Studies and Development (CENSSAD) for their support in organizing and observing local elections in the various schools. She highlighted that to bridge the digital divide and help leverage the ICT to support constructive engagement between young people and local governments, her organization was working with partners to provide ICT services at selected schools in the three counties and was also working to extend its programs to Nimba and Margibi counties.
In a related development, the Program Team of YWARPD has also met with the Program Officer of Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy, Ms. Ana Lisa de Pera in Monrovia. The meeting provided the opportunity for YWARPD to brief the visiting Program Officer about the activities of the organization, especially as it relates to the ongoing project and plan to extend the program activities to Margibi and Nimba counties.
YWARPD was founded in July 2022 to serve as an advocacy mechanism and platform for young women participation in issues affecting their participation, development and survival. The organization grew out of the felt need to amplify the voice of young women. The organization was founded by young women from a number of universities across Liberia and seeks to serve as the main platform for young women engagements in a number of activities affecting their development. YWARPD is a member of the Global Coalition for Democracy, the West African Youth Network (WAYN) and the Working Group for CSOs, Women and Private Sector for NAP Implementation in Liberia.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, NED makes more than 1,900 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries.