Accommodating the youth in secure youth centres

Regional youth officers are urged to adapt to young people’s levels in terms of accessing social media platforms, and using their social language as the internet was highlighted to be pivotal to the youth as a necessity rather than a luxury.

These were some of the outcomes of a recent training session for regional youth officers to ensure the safe and secure running of youth centres in the country.

It was organised by the One Economy Foundation’s BeFree Movement, in collaboration with the youth ministry.

The partnership aimed at effectively equipping regional youth officers recommended by the line ministry to understand the needs of the youth in their care, while introducing emerging and impactful programmes to their various regional youth centres.

“As the youth officers selected were those who primarily interacted with young people in their respective youth centres across the regions in Namibia, the training’s main focus was on how to effectively run a youth centre,” said the head of communications of the One Economy Foundation, Ileni Hitula.

The topics included ‘Running an effective youth centre’, ‘Launching social development’, ‘Understanding advocacy as a means of social change’, and ‘Handling disciplinary matters in the public service’.

The programme saw vibrant regional officers from across all 14 regions take part, with facilitators such as Lysias Haudiwa (chief youth officer at the line ministry), David Gawaseb (senior youth officer Khomas region), and Panduleni Nghipandulwa (lead facilitator for Ingenious Consulting Services).

After the training, several youth development goals are to be attained, such as ensuring that the youth centres are safe spaces for young people, and that the evolving needs of the youth are met in the adapting youth centres through relevantly effective programmes while incorporating digital technology.

Each regional youth officer received a training certificate, and they should now effectively implement what they learned in their regions, such as launching social development programmes and understanding advocacy for social change which will directly impact the youth they serve, and enable them to play an active role in their communities.

Lastly, Hitula indicated that “a partnership already exists between the #BeFee movement and the MSYNS through the #BeFree Youth Campus in Windhoek.

As such, this training is a stepping stone to further collaborate on a regional level.