Happy International Youth Day!
Youth take up the largest share of the global population. In Rwanda, they account for about 39% of the population, which is a significant force in the country’s efforts towards socio-economic and political transformation.
On this day, as we celebrate the role of young women and men in tackling global issues, it is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges facing the world’s youth. This year’s theme – “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”, reminds us of the power of partnerships across generations.
As Never Again Rwanda (NAR), a peacebuilding and social justice non-governmental organization, we reiterate our commitment to facilitate intergenerational collaboration and dialogues, so that people of all ages, young and old alike, intentionally join forces to build a better world for all.
Prejudice and discrimination based on one’s age has been an increasing problem that affects young and old alike. This ageism devalues and limits the contribution of both younger and older populations to our collective community and national development.
There is need to leverage the full potential of all generations towards the attainment of effective citizen participation, participatory governance, lasting peace, societal healing and sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.
Never Again Rwanda is dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth and uplifting them as active members in their communities. We are also committed to engage both young and old people to share experiences, knowledge and lessons. This is hinged on the goal to mobilize entire communities into self-reliance by building people’s skills, leadership, peacebuilding, tolerance and confidence.
We have been facilitating intergenerational solidarity through activities that bring both the young and old. These include; spaces for peace, citizen forums, roundtable discussions, media interface dialogues and many others.
On this day, we have convened over 100 young people, decision makers, CSO representatives and many others to discuss how to challenge the “Do’s and Don’ts to enable the young generation to unleash their potential”. They will highlight the cultural and social barriers for all generations, the stereotypes between generations, the need for the older generation to listen to young people & strategies on how to give the youth an opportunity to share their ideas and to learn for the older generation.
This day is a reminder for more solidarity between the young & old to fight ageism and together build our respective communities. Intergenerational dialogue is extremely valuable and one of the fundamental principles of a peaceful society. We all have a role to play and by coming together, we can improve collaboration and communication between generations.