REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY WORKSHOP BY YOUNGPATHS INT’L ON AUGUST 12TH, 2013

YOUTHFUL & USEFUL

I write to commemorate youths all over the world as we celebrate 2013 International Youth Day today, August 12th, 2013.  This is to show my love and affection towards the contributions we have made hitherto as development agents both in our various countries and the world at large.

The theme of this year International Youth Day is ‘Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward’ and I strongly believe that millions of youths all over the world have gathered to voice out their opinions, views and contributions towards this subject matter through various activities.

As we all know, youths are people with high level of mobility, agility, versatility and creativity, eager to make changes and ready to champion positive movement and to achieve this, we need to move from one place to another, one state to another and one country to another which is referred to as ‘Migration’.

This points to the fact that wherever you are, whether at home or abroad, you are expected to make impacts and promote development.  As I described above, youth have all it takes to make changes and champion positive movement wherever they are.

Youthful and useful! Yes, every youth is a useful tool in development, no matter where you are, either within your country, continent or outside your continent. We are change agents and we must showcase this not only in exuberance but more importantly in promoting development.  Development is the responsibility of all and sundry, old or young, white or black, at home or abroad.

After a long hour workshop, fostered through intensive deliberation and brainstorming with the staffs and volunteers of YoungPaths INT’L on THE USEFULNESS OF YOUTH IN DIASPORA IN PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT AT HOME AND ABROAD, the followings recommendations were made;

*  Integrating cultural uniformity into development so as to bring tribalism and racism to zero level;

*  Promoting gender equality in order to give women equal footing in promoting development;

*  Transfer of knowledge, ideas, innovations and concepts especially from developed countries to the developing and underdeveloped countries;

*  Sensitizing other youths and showing them their place in development through engagement, involvement and investment;

*  Compliance and commitment of migrants to national and international norms and customs either at home or abroad.

Before I drop my pen, I will like to make this submission that youth and development are inseparable and youth in the diaspora must play a vital role in promoting development by observing the above listed recommendations together with other brilliant contributions from youth advocates around the world.

Teniola Kehinde O.

CEO

YoungPaths INT’L

young_path@yahoo.com

facebook.com/groups/youngpaths