The Yei River County youth union in Central Equatoria State on Saturday concluded a three-day youth symposium that brought together youth from all the five payams of the county.
The symposium aimed at identifying and finding solutions to the challenges the youth are facing.
The speaker of the youth council, who was also the chairman of the organizing committee of the symposium, Gaga Frank, urged the youth to take the responsibility to act upon the resolutions of the conference.
“We as young people have come together for these three days and we have not wasted this time for nothing,” Gaga said. “I believe that we have discussed a lot and we had a lot of deliberations in different angles and challenges that have been affecting us as young people. What is left is to take the responsibility and act upon all the resolutions.”
Youasa Difa, a participant from Tore Payam appealed to the local government and the peace partners to come up with more programs that can impact the youth positively.
“We request for more programs to impact knowledge on the youth, to at least sensitize the youth on other issues that are affecting them so that we are able to bring up issues and solutions to our own problems,” Difa said.
Another participant, Viola Nyoka, said the symposium has helped the youth to figure out the solutions to their problems.
“We are so happy for the symposium that has been conducted. It has really helped us to figure out our challenges as youth and solutions to our problems so I am very much happy that we have really been transformed,” Nyoka said.
The director-general in the ministry of information in Central Equatoria State, Umba Peter, who was the lead facilitator during the symposium expressed confidence and trust in the capability of the youth in delivering services to the community and the local government based on the discussions held.
“Based on the participant’s discussions, I feel that these people (youth) are able to do things for themselves and the community,” Minister Umba said. “They can help the government in many aspects, in terms of service delivery, promoting peace and security stabilization.”
Meanwhile, Johnson Poru Hilary, the chairperson of the Yei River County youth union, said the youth will embrace and support the resolutions of the symposium
“There are concerns that as young people, there is need to change certain things at the community level, down to the Boma levels,” Poru said. “I also want to tell you that as young people in Yei, we will not fold our hands in ensuring that we support what we have discussed, especially in the promotion of the things that we came up with here in this symposium.”
The symposium addressed areas of peacebuilding, employment, and security stabilization in the county and brought together over 45 youths from the five payams of Yei River County; Mugwo, Tore, Lasu, Otogo, and Yei Town Payam.