Are you interested in becoming a young political leader in your political party, youth leader in your community and organizations, campaign organizer or campaign manager? Do you want to help your candidate win election based on issues? Are you interested in identifying and improving your leadership skills? Do you want to become a public speaker? The time is now! The Young Political Leadership School is here to assist!
We are pleased to announce that semester two of our Young Political Leadership School (YPLS) is now opened and classes run from July 11 to 15, 2016. The overall objective of the YPLS is to build the capacity of young people as effective participants in the political process at the national and local levels across Liberia. The program provides participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the political process, gain new skills needed for political activism and create valuable networks with like-minded young politicians.
In April 2016 NAYMOTE facilitated the first semester of the YPLS, bringing together over 45 young leaders from political parties, university student council governments, independent candidates and youth leaders. Over 10 professional experts facilitated various topics during the weeklong YPLS program and the program was graced by representatives from the Governance Commission, USA-Embassy, USAID, NEC, UNMIL, Swedish Ambassador, NDI’s County Director, OSIWA’s Country Director, political parties leaders, youth and students leaders.
The YPLS is a development program designed by NAYMOTE to improve Liberia’s democracy and electoral politics through effective youth participation and leadership as well as equip young people with the rudiments of political engagements, to effectively manage and be responsive to the national political environment.
GOAL
The overall goal of this YPLS semester two project is to improve the effectiveness of youth participation and leadership in politics.
OBJECTIVES:
- Recruit 75 young political activists and increase their leadership skills; and
- Provide youth activists with the skills and tools necessary to foster youth participation in political parties.
ACTIVITIES
The specific activities supported under this grant would be:
Activity 1: Lecture and classroom series:
Grassroots political organizing, message development and delivery, planning and executing effective electoral campaigns, setting up voters contact and outreach to voters, elections and security including alleviating electoral violence,
Activity 2: Debate series:
Inter-party debate series on topical national issues. The debates will serve as a learning activity, which youth will use to structure their various parties’ debates and prepare their party candidates for debates during the general elections.
Activity 3: Public Education/Canvassing:
Conduct public education campaign to get more first time voters out to register, visit high school campuses with messages on non-violent election campaigns, helping young voters understand their rights, roles and responsibilities.
Facilitators- Facilitators will include expert trainers from international and local institutions from Liberia and the West African Region.
TRAINING METHODOLOGY
This training blends theory with practice and considers participation and sharing experience as key elements in its approach. The experienced team of trainers and knowledgeable consultants use participatory methods, rich in visual elements, to encourage contribution. The seminar strives for quality and applicability by ensuring that the training is highly practical, participatory and interactive and learner centered and that training sessions promote a feedback sharing mechanism.
The training sessions will include lectures, discussions, role-plays, small studies, networking exercise, field trip, planning session and screening video documentaries.
Additional Benefits for attending this seminar
- Branded t-shirts, pens, folders, memory sticks with presentations and photos and reading materials in hard copies.
- A field trip to rural communities,
- Excellent opportunities for networking opening new frontiers for personal and organization growth Certificate of participation
Event Cost is USD 200.00 per participant covering training, debates and field trip/public outreach for three months.
Interested institutions and individuals can apply by completing and submitting the application form, which can be found at https://goo.gl/OxXCm0. The application forms can also be picked up at our central office in Monrovia-situated on S. D. Cooper Road, and regional offices in Bong and Rivergee counties. Applications close Midday (12PM GMT) Monday, July 6, 2016.For further information about the training contact us, email: info@naymote.com and cc eddie@naymote.com, daviesbenetta@yahoo.com and djoshcleon91@yahoo.com or call cell numbers: 0886510479, 0886784328. For more information about the organizer, please visit: http://naymote.com/ or https://web.facebook.com/naymoteliberia/.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZER: NAYMOTE-Partners for Democratic Development has been one of the leading grassroots organizations promoting democracy, peace building, human rights and civic engagement in Liberia since its establishment in 2001. The institution since 2001 has initiated and implemented several programs to foster political accountability, enhancing dialogue lawmakers with their constituents, thereby making elected leaders more accessible and accountable to their people. The institution has also implemented projects over the past 10 years that has built the capacities of local leaders to be more effective in service delivery, and increased youth and women participation in decision-making processes. In its role as a think-tank, NAYMOTE has conducted research on citizens’ perception on the working of the lawmakers, produced publications titled ‘Youth Participation in Local Governance’, ‘Fostering Social Accountability’, ‘Legislative Guide to Organize Town Hall Meetings’, ‘A Civic and Voters’ Education Guide’ amongst others.
Indeed, the Young Political Leadership School is dear to our heart as an institution because we believe that it is more than a school. It is part of a revolution to transform our political system for the good and ensure that solution to communities’ problems and passion for development remain a major component of the framework within which political parties can compete so that the voters of Liberia can reap the benefits of their participation in decision making. Link to our semester one YPLS event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQxTgDrUAL4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZyWkSxV2A
