Youth Are Rich in Ideas

Joyce is from Ghana. She is representing the Guttmacher Institute's Protecting the Next Generation Project at the conference.

I was in the skill building session this morning. It focused on "Unemployment, Poverty and Strategies to Empower Youth toward Economic Independence." There was a presentation on the situation of the youth on Saba Island in the Caribbean and structures put in place to promote economic independence.

Clearly from the presentations and results from group work, most countries shared similar youth economic independence barriers. My own country of Ghana is challenged with lack of education and skill, perception and attitudes of both the youth and decision makers, lack of support from the family system and poverty among others.

The Power of the Youth

Joyce is from Ghana. She is representing the Guttmacher Institute's Protecting the Next Generation Project at the conference.

I believe strongly in the power of the youth that can make a lot of difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I take inspiration from the young South Africans my age or even younger who fought for the freedom of South Africa.

I just closed from a poster discussion section which focused on the "Power of the Youth". It was good to realize how much concerned organizations are doing for the youth. Issues addressed by the organizations included that of gender which deals with both males and females-also inspiring because many gender activists are sometimes tempted to focus on only females, forgetting all about males. This indeed is not Gender Equity as they claim.

My major concern is the fact that the youth power was not felt at all in this discussion.