YOUNG PEOPLE IN YUMBE ENCOURAGED TO EMULATE SOME OF THE LYD YOUTH CAMP ACTIVITIES IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES.
The Yumbe district LC5 vice chairperson, Mr. Hon Kayia Linus, has called upon young people in the Yumbe district to emulate some of the community outreach activities, specifically the voluntary cleaning of health facilities and the provision of community service in their respective communities after the camp.
He made the call as the guest of honor during the official closing ceremony of the Live Your Dream Youth Camp Yumbe that was held from 28th to August 31st, 2022, at Yumbe Secondary School.
The live your dream youth camp was organized under the theme; Leaving No Young Person Behind: Positioning Young People in the Fight for Gender Equality, SRHR, Life Skills Enhancement, Drug, and Substance Abuse Mitigation, and substance abuse mitigation and Leadership and it brought together 134 young people, including 63 males and 71 females from both in and out of school and refugees from bidi bidi settlement.
The young people comprised pregnant adolescent girls and young women, young mothers, boys and young fathers, refugee girls, and peer educators who were taught on topics like working with young people as agents and champions for eliminating sexual gender-based violence and harmful practices, Understanding key drivers and underlying factors for teenage pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, child marriages, enhancing young people’s employability, business start-up and management, entrepreneurship, skills development, and understanding available government opportunities, among others
As one of the key activities during the camp, the young people led by the Yumbe district youth chairperson Mahad Ajabo carried out a community outreach where they cleaned Yumbe health centre IV including cleaning and mopping the wards, sweeping the compound, and also visited the sick in the wards.
Kayia, who was impressed by the initiative, noted that the young people should carry on with such a practice in their respective communities so as encourage and promote better health on top of exhibiting leadership in the communities where they live.
“This camp has brought a new feeling and sense of youth participation in Yumbe district.” I have never seen young people in Yumbe willingly take up such responsibilities, and I must say if they are to extend such initiatives in their respective communities, then Yumbe is going to change,” he explained.
The Yumbe district assistant district health officer (ADHO), Sister. Irene Likicho, also re-echoed the need for the young people to propagate and share the knowledge they have learnt with their peers, families, and the entire community.
“Out of the many young people in the whole of Yumbe district you have been chosen. This is a form of responsibility given to you, it is not for fun. So please be change champions, go and spread the message so that our communities can change positively” she stressed.
She thanked Uyahf and the other partners for bringing the youth camp to Yumbe and urged the organizers to bring in more of the camps so that more young people can benefit.
While Mahad Ajabo, the yumbe district youth leader thanked the young people for their positive participation and discipline throughout the camp and urged them to portray the same in their communities when they go back home.
The closing ceremony was also attended by several other district and partner representatives, including the resident district commissioner, the chief administrative officer, the district education officer, the district community development officer, and a UNFPA representative, among others.
They committed to working with the different district departments and youth structures to follow up on the young people to ensure that they implement what they learnt during the camp.
YOUNG PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE CAMP:
Maco Zubeda, young mother
I have learnt a lot from this camp. My favorite session was on HIV, where we held group discussions on the topic “understanding key drivers and underlying factors for teenage pregnancies, HIV/AIDS.” When I get back home, I will start by meeting with my friends individually, and sharing with them all that I learnt from which we can form groups in different areas to pass the knowledge to more people in the community.
Suzan Medina, a young person
I have never involved myself in sports activities like It was at the camp, the morning aerobics, the prayers, and the devotion were so inspiring. Among the topics we were taken through, I enjoyed most the one on enhancing young people’s employability, business start-up, and management. I learnt how to come up with a business plan even for a small business and how to manage my finances.
This is very helpful to me because as young girls we need to make our own money and become independent. I will meet with my fellow girls in the village and also teach them this knowledge and we can start up our small business together.
Atayo Peter, a young father
We have been hearing about government programs and money for the youth coming to the district, but how to participate in and access the money has always been hard. The camp has enlightened us on the different departments we can go to and the procedure for how to access the funds. I am going to mobilize my fellow youths and encourage them to take up such opportunities instead of being idle and involved in drug abuse.
Angulibo Rashid, Youth Chairperson, Arilo Sub-County
This is the first “of its kind” camp I have ever attended. I have met many people and created friends. I enjoyed the community outreach where campers and I cleaned Yumbe Health Center IV. It was something so unique and inspiring. When I get back home, I will mobilize my fellow young people so that we also do voluntary community service not only by cleaning the health facility but also the markets and water points among others.