At least 100 youth leaders from 24 African countries are meeting at
the Lukenya Gateway camp from 15th -19th March 2010 to discuss new
tools and effective strategies of youth participation in democracy and
governance in Africa.
Dubbed Youth AfriCamp 2010, the theme of this Pan African Forum is: Youth, Media, and Governance. An initiative of Open Society Institute, the Youth AfriCamp is the first of its kind in the region.
Open Society institute Communication officer, Linda Ochiel said that the Pan African Forum seeks to provide a platform for positive transformation of African youth by encouraging them to harness new strategies and tools to get their message heard.
Ochiel said, “At the forum, the youth will showcase their work, share
their experiences, discuss the African Youth Charter and the African
Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; and learn how they can
apply these important instruments in their work.”
She said that Hon Cecily Mbarire, Kenya’s Assistant Minister for Tourism and Wildlife and Member of Parliament for Runyenjes will address the youth on Wednesday 17th March 2010 at 11.00am, at Lukenya Gateway.
In addition to showcasing their work and sharing experiences, the youth will participate in a social media training to learn new media messaging techniques for effective participation in democratic governance in order to hold their governments accountable.
The week long event will culminate in a public social media forum on 19th March 2010, to be officiated by Maina Kiai, the immediate former Chair of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), at the University of Nairobi Sports Ground at 2.00pm.
Local artists, musicians and comedians will participate in the event, coordinated in partnership True Blaq, a Kenyan youth entertainment company.
At the social messaging forum, Africa’s youth leaders will introduce the
African Youth Charter to the public.
The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a New York-based organization with a presence in over sixty countries around the world. OSI is a non-profit operating and grant making foundation that aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform.
On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to support the rule of law, education, public health, and independent media. Since 2005, OSI has been represented in East Africa through its Nairobi office, the Open Society Initiative for East Africa (OSIEA).
