Youth Partnership for Peace and Development

Youth Partnership for Development (YPPD) is a non-governmental, advocacy and human rights non-profit making youth-led organization that was established immediately after the decade long civil war in Sierra Leone as a youth-led development approach.

The organization however was borne out of the desire of bringing young people onboard who can serve agitators and agents of change and activists in their respective communities for the promotion of advocacy and youth empowerment in nation building.

YPPD holds a conviction on young people as agents of positivism in terms of national development, thereby strongly believing that as young people that there is the call for us to come together and build the buoyancy needed in others, as a possible way of enabling youth in stepping forward for positive changes in our various communities and the world at large. With our vision, we develop insight from the daily struggles of our fellow young people who are marginalized and voiceless in the communities they live. This initiative is entirely managed for and by young people inSierra Leone, which we consider as a novelty in the lives of every young person trying to make a change.

In response to the challenges that children and youth face and in line with the increased attention governments and the international community are giving to children and youth, YPPD has made a commitment to integrate and deepen its work by first preparing a strategy on children and youth. The strategy focuses that youth and children should not be seen as problems, research subjects or an issue, but as active agents of their own development in all spheres.

YPPD provides a ‘youthful voice’ that seeks to address the numerous challenges facing leaders of tomorrow by effectively using young resourceful minds to influence the course of inclusive policy formulation and development in a consistent and harmonized manner.

Within the first year of active service in awareness raising and community mobilization inFreetownand its environs, regional and district focal points were established in the four regions ofSierra Leone, with the formal establishment of theLiberiaandUgandachapter in 2007.

YPPD is thus by and large dedicated to promoting good governance, participatory democratic practices, human rights, gender integrity, economic and social justice in addition to a culture of peace, among others.

OUR VISION

We have a vision whereby young people can maximize their participation in development and democracy; shaping the present and future for their communities and societies. Thereby advocating for the rights and dignity of our fellow young people that are marginalized and voiceless.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to advocate, inform, involve, inspire and celebrate social change led by and for youth. We connects with organizations and individuals who support young people, and build an alliance between youth groups, empower and develop the marginalized and vulnerable youth of Sierra Leone and Africa at large for them to become responsible future leaders by taking active part in the decision making processes and development programs at all levels to take the golden destinies into their own hands

Also, to educateto inform the youth on global issues; Inspire youth to take action; encourage youth participation in global issues; Identify and build sustainable partnerships aimed at youth development; and provide young people with tools and resources for effective action.

Organizational and Operational Objectives

• To make easy the resource capacity build-up of poor youth by building and enhancing their knowledge base and equipping them with livelihood skills.
• Establishment of platforms to uphold the practice of socio-economic, political and social justice so as to bring about social harmony, solidarity and peace in the lives of young people.
• To promote the creation and strengthening of existing youth organizations/groups with the aim of improving their economic base, increasing their capacities and influence in decision-making and management at all levels.
  • To reinforce and support youth monitoring structures to enhance government’s accountability and transparency
  • To ensure the existence of youth platforms for advocacy, promotion of awareness and response to HIV/AIDS prevention.
  • To promote the use of participatory tools in advocacy and community development and developing effective reporting and information dissemination mechanisms at community and national levels.

OUR CORE VALUES

• Reverence for peoples’ initiatives and decisions irrespective of race, sex and class
• Effective participation and active involvement of young people
• Transparency and accountability to all
• Protection and promotion of human rights as a foundation for human dignity
• Protection and promotion of knowledge about the environment
• Partnership and collaboration with initiatives and organizations gearing towards development

KEY ISSUES OF MAJOR CONCERN TO US.

In acknowledging young people as trusted partners in democracy and development, as well as people with the right to life and health, we respond to the call for our youth-focused programs to address the global agenda on poverty alleviation and HIV/AIDS. In addition to our areas of strategic focus and mandates of our programs, we recognized that there are other important priority areas of youth development other than our core programs. These include disaster management, peace building and conflict resolution and the Millennium development Goals relevant to public health and formal education systems.

OUR STRATEGIC PROGRAMME AREAS

Our mandates demands that we focus on the following four strategic areas:

Youth Enterprise Development

This area of work represents a promising avenue for young people to create their sustainable livelihoods, supported be appropriate programs and supportive policy environment. Sierra Leone Youth Partnership for Development plans to promote sustainable livelihoods among young people as a strategy for poverty reduction and enhancement of living standards through youth enterprise training and research into other innovative projects in collaboration with our partners.

In this drive, we are tremendously trying to bridge the divide between non-disabled and the disabled young people.

Youth Networks and Governance

Our work in this area will give young people an opportunity to promote and provide practical support for the achievement of our fundamental values. The goal of this strategic program is to enhance the capacity of young people and youth networks to influence governance processes at local and national levels in partnerships.

Youth Participation

Participation is an essential vehicle for young people’s development, and it contributes to development in wider spheres through building conscious, tolerance and active citizenship. The goal of this strategic program area is to realize the potential of young people as citizens through their participation in, contribution and engagement with national, social, economic, political and cultural development processes.

Youth Work Education and Training

our work in this area recognizes that young people, youth leaders and youth servers all bring experiences and perspectives to the learning environment and, through formal and non-formal training creates opportunities and contribute to build a professional youth service. Through this Program, we plan to promote the profession of youth work, guided by codes of service and regulatory mechanisms.

Our Legitimacy/Status/Membership

ü Registered with the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs

ü Member of the Civil Society Alternative Process in Sierra Leone

ü Member of the Freetown Human Rights Committee of the UNIOSL Human Rights and Rule of Law

ü Member of the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) Sierra Leone

ü Member of the Pan-African Youth Parliament

ü Member of the African Union ECOSOCC Peace and Security Cluster

ü Member and Coordinating Agency for the Children and Youth Taskforce of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty in Sierra Leone

ü Member of the International Youth Foundation and the African Youth Foundation

ü Accredited with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XII)

ü Accredited with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

ü Accredited with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)