The role of the youth is of critical importance for young people are the most important building blocks of any society. They are an important source of creativity, enthusiasm, and are drivers of social change. A just and an environmentally conscious society can be created only if the youth of every society are empowered with sufficient knowledge, enabling skills, and appropriate attitude and values. It is wise to enable young people to comprehend their relationship with the environment and make concerted efforts to conserve it.

Youth voice should be present in all aspects of our work. Young people are promoting ideas, vocalizing their goals, organizing community groups, engaging in political discussions, reclaiming identities, creating identities, connecting with others, and taking over these networks full force as their own personal environments.

Youth know more about themselves than anyone else will ever know and their unique perspective makes them valuable partners in efforts to improve foster care outcomes. When youth are successfully engaged, whether at the individual case level or the administrative level, everyone benefits. For any fruitful sustainable development in he near future, it is imperative for this generation to invest on youth just like a parent would invest in their children.

For the youth to be prepared to work in partnership with adults, they need to develop and enhance their leadership skills. Leadership training prepares youth to manage time, work as a team, set goals, start conversations, facilitate meetings, and make effective presentations. To fully participate with adults, youth also need to be fully engaged in decision-making processes and be informed about the adult perspective of the problem, challenge, or issue being discussed: the jargon that adults use to describe their work; and strategies for approaching the work. In other words, we need to be sure the field is level for all of the players.

Young people and adults can work together so as to solve the puzzles in real problems and address real issues. Youth-Adult Partnerships give both parties equal opportunities to contribute, make decisions, use their skills, and learn from each other. The key to Youth-Adult Partnerships is mutuality and it is through these events such as conference, workshops, etc that provide the platform for mutuality.

The world my be one large house, very challenging to navigate but at least the international events can bring people together despite their races.

Thank you!

Hamisi Tsama Mkuzi
RCE-Greater Pwani {KENYA}