AFY_EmilyB
Facebook
I just wanted to direct your attention to the most recent International Youth Activist Network newsletter. Each month young people around the world contribute their stories, successes, and challenges in activism in their countries.
This month, Ephram, the leader of the Talent Youth Association (TaYa) in Ethiopia, discusses how his father's life and death led him into activism:
Over ten years ago, I lost my father due to an AIDS-related illness.... Having seen the prevailing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, I have had a hard time accepting the fact that this could affect me and my family. I’ve witnessed how painful the illness is. .....My father’s life gave me the courage to do something and devote my life to reducing new HIV infections in my community and among my peers. When I was at the university, my friends and I came together to discuss how to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Through time, Talent Youth Association (TaYA) developed into an established non-governmental organization (NGO) in the year 2003.
Read the rest of Ephrem's story
Alphonso, the leader of a youth development organization in Liberia, describes International Youth Day in that country:
The 19th president of Liberia, William Richard Tolbert, remarked that the youth are the “precious jewels” of the nation. He further said that youth are the indispensable asset of any nation or the index finger pointing to the future progress and continuity of the state. If their growth and development process is inhibited, it reflects the malaise of that nation. In this light, a coherent approach to youth issues should be a priority, because they are the ones who feel alienated, frustrated and most vulnerable. This is why YOCADS organized a CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM in commemoration of the International Youth Day on August 12, 2009, to further discuss what has been done to implement the World Program of Action for Youth; how far Liberia is to ratifying the African Youth Charter; and if/how the government has taken steps to enact the National Youth Policy into law.
Read the rest of Alphonso's story
The iYAN relies on content from young people around the world. Read the newsletter to learn more about news and events affecting adolescent reproductive and sexual health and rights around the world, and if you are living internationally, submit your story by emailing Mimi Melles, manager of the International Youth Activist Network.
No Comments.
[Add New Comment]