National Youth Council (NYC) in partnership with United Nation Development Program (UNDP Gambia) is set to stage the first National Youth Dialogue on the ongoing reform processes in The Gambia – Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC), Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Security Sector Reform (SSR) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The two-day event is meant to mobilize feedback from citizens, especially youth, on the various reforms mechanism and development issues in The Gambia for necessary improvements, while increasing understanding, participation and ownership of the reform processes.
It also aims to provide young people with needed capacity and information to enhance their full participation in the ongoing reform processes, and provide a platform for institutions leading the various reform processes and national development initiatives to engage and directly interact with youth across the country on the progress, challenges and opportunities, and further received feedback and recommendations for improvement.
The dialogue will be held in three different regions, Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region and Lower River Region. The maiden will be in Kanifing Municipality and will start on Friday, August 30th at the President International Award Scheme (PIA), Bakau and August 31st 2019 at Ebunjan Theatre.
The activity is design within the frame of Youth Connekt Gambia priority areas on civil leadership and participation. The Youth Connekt Gambia identified dialogue as one of the main strategies to facilitating youth civic leadership and participation in the Gambia.
The creation of safer civic spaces for youth to discussed the current reform process and development issues within the Youth Connekt initiative could enhance citizen ownership and grass root participation in the processes.
The event targets 100 participants for each of the dialogues – seventy five (75) youth and twenty five (25) stakeholders. Male and female participants each 50 percent while 10 percent will be persons with disability.