Regional Coordinator for Youth Education and Gender Equality at Oxfam Ghana, Dokurugu Wumbei has urged young people to form youth movements within their jurisdictions to enable them have a strong voice in decision making process.
According to him, youth movements gives young people the power to demand for better services and best representation adding this has proven to be a best model for youth strength across the globe.
Speaking to Diamond news in an interview to mark the 2020 International Youth Day, Mr. Wumbei said the theme for the 2020 celebration which is “Youth Engagement for Global Action” amplifies the need for youth engagement in decision making.
He indicated that young people however will not make the needed impact at the top if they do not see the need to form networks to give them a strong voice.
Mr. Dokurugu Wumbei also said it was not enough for young people to contest political party elections and win, but urged policy makers to have a deliberate policy for youth representation at all levels of decision making.
He expressed worry that Parliament and other government agencies often pass laws and enact youth related policies without engaging young people in the process even though such laws are to affect their lives.
The theme of International Youth Day 2020, “Youth Engagement for Global Action” seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes.
The theme is also to draw lessons on how the representation and engagement of youth in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced.
International Youth Day gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.
Story by: Edward A. Ken-Zorre
