As part of the project titled “EMERGING DEMOCRACY BUILDERS: ENHANCING CIVIL ENGAGEMENT AND DEMOCRACY THROUGH LEADERSHIP EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN LIBERIA”, the Young Women’s Actions for Rights, Peace and Development (YWARPD) has completed several democracy related activities across three counties in Liberia, namely, Montserrado, Grand Bassa and Bong Counties.
The project, which is sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), encompasses the establishment of new Democracy Clubs in Grand Bassa and Margibi counties, dialogue between students and local authorities, formation of Local Youth Shadow Democracy Parliaments, as well as the organization of elections for student councils and local town hall meetings between students and elected officials.
The project responds to the limited attention paid to issues concerning youth and the lack of structures for achieving meaningful youth participation in decision-making processes and local governance. Through a broad-based, multi-stakeholders approach, the project seeks to develop a long-term mechanism for youth participation by providing an opportunity for youth inclusion, in articulation of the issues and resolution of the problems related to their generation; ultimately increasing youth participation in governance and democratic development at local and national levels.
The overall objective of the project is to help contribute to the building of a democracy culture in Liberia, through increased awareness of young people of their civic rights and duties, as vital mechanisms for meaningful participation in democratic reform and good governance.
Already, as part of the project, YWARPD has facilitated the establishment of eight democracy clubs in Grand Bassa and Bong Counties. The objective of the Democracy Clubs is to educate and inform students about the electoral and democratic process. YWARPD has also worked with the Democracy Clubs to organize Elections for Students’ Councils in the three counties under the theme: “Practicing Democracy: Voter Education and Engagement on Campus”. The organization, with support from NED, has worked to set up Mini Election Commissions and worked to organize political debates, campaigns and provided ballot boxes for local elections. YWARPD has also convened Youth Democracy Parliament and Youth= Stakeholders Dialogue across the three counties to allow young people to engage on issues relating to political and democratic governance, local governance process, human rights, accountability and county development.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of YWARPD, Richelle Allison, has expressed her organization’s gratitude to NED for its continuous support for its activities. She disclosed that NED has provided the platform that has elevated the status of young women in Liberia to another level. She noted that the continuous support of NED has not only provided support to ensure the realization of the inherent objectives of her organization but has also motivated her and her team as young women to stand up and be counted.
YWARPD was founded in July 2022 to serve as an advocacy mechanism and platform for young women’s 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 several universities across Liberia and seeks to serve as the main platform for young women engagements in several activities affecting their development. YWARPD is a member of the
Global Coalition for Democracy 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.