YES-Sierra Leone Network Action Plan
v STRUCTURE of the YES Country Network
The current membership of YES-Sierra Leone Network is as follows:
q Individual Membership
q Organizational Membership
YES Country Network Membership and Contact Details
See list attached**
The YES-Sierra Leone country network does not have regular
meeting time as a result of the lack of its own office space.
The Network meets once every two months.
v YES-Sierra Leone Partnerships:
During the year under review the network develop some partnership with some member organizations. The partnership aimed at promoting post sensitization, expand the membership and strengthen the presence of YES in the country.
YES-Sierra Leone entered into partnership with the Independent Youth Forum [IYF], a coalition of youth organizations working for the inclusion of youths into the stream of effective participation.
The IYF helped to provide the network with a temporary office space and the use of its equipment to facilitate the activities of the network.
In another development, an opportunity was given to the YES-Sierra Leone to be part of the on-going peace-building and human rights sensitization campaign. This campaign was designed to target youths in the interior of the country. In this campaign the role of YES-Sierra Leone was use one hour to inform Sierra Leonean youths about the YES Decade Campaign of Action that was launched in September 2002. To date the post-summit sensitization has been taken to nine districts in the country. In all the nine districts of the country YES has been able to reach and win the support of one hundred and eighty youth organizations. All of these groups have now consented to members of the YES Country Networks in Sierra Leone.
PEACELINKS – an organization working to enable children and youths to step forward for positive change. They are assisting the Network with administrative facilities. In other words, they assist YES-SLN with access to desktop and its related facilities. Using its office space for general meetings.
v LEADERSHIP DECISION MAKING:
Currently, the network is operating under the stated structure:
The General Membership
The Board
Management (Executive) Committee and
At present the following committees:
q Finance and administrative committee
q Program Committee
q Fundraising Committee
q Nominating Board Committee
Sierra Leone YES-Country network has no supporting institution. The network lacks office space, equipments and furniture. All of which are an obstacle to the impact of not only its member’s efforts, but also the global campaign as a whole. The organization has drafted a proposal for Institutional Capacity. A copy was sent to YES International Office. The aim of this was for the International office to help spot out donors that will assist the Sierra Leone network.
MISSION AND VISION:
VISION:
Youth Employment Summit Sierra Leone Network works to create an enabling environment and opportunities through networking and collaboration that will allow stakeholders to help in promoting youth employment and curb youth unemployment in the country.
MISSION:
The YES Sierra Leone network is civil society driven initiative, an affiliate of the Global Alliance for Youth Employment advocating and creating means of support and engagement for private job creation and sustainable livelihoods for young people as agreed in the Alexandria Youth Employment Summit Declaration, which takes into consideration the Five for youth employment (6) E’. i.e. Employment Creation, Equity, Employability, Equality, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment.
The YES country network Sierra Leone future goals are as follows:
q To provide 1,000,000 jobs for youths in the country.
q To capacitate the network so that it can be able to provide job opportunities for youths in the private sector
q To protect and promote youth employment for all youths and by youths.
q To compliment governments efforts in the search to develop and expand the private sector through employment creation
v YES-SLN Vision can be achieved through the following:
q Collaborating with local and International Organizations that will help with different projects and programmes to ameliorate youth unemployment.
q By creating private employment for youths.
q Fundraising.
q Drafting and presenting project proposals.
q Consolidating and coordinating the projects of membership organization within the network.
v IDEAS AND OBJECTIVES THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED AS A NETWORK
q Strengthening the institutional capacity of the network.
q Consolidating the YES- network
q Lobby for employment creation for young people especially those in the rural areas.
Embark on a constructive campaign to achieve the following:
q Conduct a survey of youth employment and unemployment in the country
q Creating a means through which the network will raise awareness on current youth employment project and begin to lobby for support
q Collaboration with Government and non-governmental organization private sectors for youth employment projects
q Lobby for the establishment of youth employment desk in the ministry of Youth, Labor Employment & Industrial Relations, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food Security, Housing Works and Technical Maintenance
q Work on an up-dated and comprehensive youth employment policy
Result /Outreach of the YES-Country Network Action Plan:
q Reduce the threats posed by youth unemployment in the future and ensures the consolidation of peace in post war Sierra Leone
q Transform the social status of Sierra Leonean youths
q Ensure a vibrant and pro-active network
q Ensure the network stands on a better footing for the follow-up 2004 Mexico Summit
v Current Youth Unemployment Situation
It will be difficult to give a specific figure on the current youth unemployment state in the country. According to the 1996 population project, it is said that Sierra Leone has a population of 4.8 million people.
The current number of young people living in the country is 1.24 million i.e. 40% of the country’s population.
There is Civil Society Organization in Sierra Leone, but they are more of human right, and peace building oriented focus. Expect for few local and International Organization that are working with youth organization on other programes like vocational skills training etc.
v YES-SL ACTIVITIES:
From the consultation so far held, and on the causes of youth employment. The following are some methods that can overcome youth unemployment.
q The re-adjustment and provision of a youth employment policy by Government and implementing of what is reflected in the policy.
q The establishments of Youth Employment Desk in government ministries like: Ministry of Youth and Sports, Labor Employment and Industrial Relations, Development and Economic Planning. Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food Security, Housing Work Technical Maintenance, Education Science and Technology
q Collaboration with other NGO’s who are interested in reducing youth unemployment and create jobs in the non-formal economy or private sector
q Building the Institutional capacity and consolidating YES Country Networks.
q Fighting corruption in high place
q Create educational opportunities for youths
v Learning from the Summit can be effective put into practice through the following ways:
q Collaboration with other YES Country Networks on youth employment programs.
q Leveraging of resources
q Making use of the Global knowledge resource from the YES website
q Emulating the experiences in the YES Framework of Action
q Using the YES Declaration as a guide to measure up and evaluate the progress of the YES Country Network
v Role of the YES – Country Networks
q Coordinate all youth employment programes
q Lobbying to Government and Non-Government Agencies for funds to support youth employment initiatives
q Organize symposium, workshops, Conference on find a way forward for youth unemployment compile comprehensive report about youth employment situation and report them to appropriate agencies concern
v Growing opportunities for youth employment opportunities:
q SECTORS:
Government Ministries:
Ministries of Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food Security, Employment Labor and Industrial Relations etc.
Local Non-governmental organizations
International Non-governmental Organizations
q REGION:
The entire four regions
Western Area, North, East and Southern province in the country
v Timeline of Activities:
The timeline for YES-Country Network Sierra Leone is two years and by 2004, YES. SL should have had youth employment projects and district networks in all regions of the country.
In Mexico, it is the desire of the network to show the experience that it has gone through in a bid to build-up a consolidated, vibrant and pro-active network. The network intends to show samples of several youth unemployment projects that have created an impact in reducing unemployment and that meets the standards set out in the YES Declaration document.
YES-SL will also want to present concrete examples of products of projects that are the results of the network initiatives. Both the management and general membership of the network will implement the different components of the YES-Country network.
Ø Refer to Plan of Action –Activities
v PARTNERS
The following can assist in providing technical, financial or any other form of support that will both strengthen the network and the overall decade campaign of action:
q Government Line Ministries
q Parastatals
q Private Business Houses
q Non-Governmental Organizations [Local and International]
q Youth Organizations
q United Nations Agencies
v FUNDRAISING:
The YES-Sierra Leone Network will raise funds through the following ways:
q Drafting and presenting of project proposals to donors
q Fundraise by other means such as: organizing raffle, film show, etc
q Soliciting funds from business houses
q Collect membership dues
q Investment
v IMPLEMENTATION:
The management of the network and the general membership will implement the Action Plan. Business houses, Non-governmental organization and well wishers are welcome and will be encouraged to be on board the activities of the network.
v Assistance expected can be in the form of the following:
q Technical Assistance
q Provision of Financial Assistance
q Collaborations
q Media Coverage to promote the campaign
q Consultancy
v Progress can be achieved through the following:
q The amount of youth organization been offered membership into the network
q The number of youth employment projects undertaken
q The number of youth organizations that the network is able to assist with both technical and financial assistance
q Making full and good use of the YES Country network web-page
q Regular reports submitted to the country network members, donors; the YES headquarters in Boston and government ministries
q Quantifying and documenting success of the country networks in relation to the Decade Campaign of Action
q Reducing the unemployment rate among young people in the country
v REPORTING:
Below are the following ways through which we intend reporting to:
[A- The YES Secretariat]
q Providing quarterly and yearly report
q Informing YES about all financial contracts signed and project proposals approved
q Sending regular up-dates on successes relating to the decade campaign of action at national level.
[B-YES Country Network Members and other Stakeholders]
q Convening an annual general meeting
q Giving up-date on undertakings through the use of the print and electronic media
q Organizing press conferences and meetings
q Producing quarterly bulletins
q Posting reports/photos to the YES-SL Country Network web-page
q Visit youth employments projects
q Monitor and evaluate all campaign projects
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SIERRA LEONE NETWORK ACTION PLAN 2002– 2004
Project title: Post Summit Sensitization
Objectives: To provide stakeholders with the outcome of the summit between
September 02 and January 03
- To broaden and encourage the participation of youth organizations and
other civil society organization in the issues of the network at country
level between September 2002 and January2003
ACTION STEPS:
· Engage in radio and television sensitization with a view to provide relevant information about the decade campaign of action.
· Organizing general meetings for the membership of the network
· Organizing press conference to attract the media and thereby help to promote the campaign
ACCOUNTABILITY:
Primary: The Country Coordinator
Others: Members of the General membership within the network.
SCHEDULE
Start: September 2002
Complete: January 2003
RESOURCES
Dollars: $ 24,000
Time: 12 months
FEEDBACK MECHANISMS:
- Report writing and Documentation
- Up-date the country web page
PROJECT TITLE: INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY
OBJECTIVES: To develop the administrative capacity of the network between
January 2002 – 2003
- To provide a proper office space and equipment for the country network
Between January 2002 – 2003
- To have a permanent contact point for the network members and its
Collaboration partners during the decade campaign of action (2002-2003)
To improve on the effective and efficient coordination of the network.
ACTION STEPS:
· Look out for potential donors of funding
· Identification of office space
· Purchase of equipment and furniture
· Training of staff and personnel
· Fully operationalize the framework of action and declaration
ACCOUNTABILITY:
Primary: Country coordinator’s members of staff of the network
Others: Donors, General membership and collaborative partners.
SCHEDULE:
Start: January 2002
Complete: January 2003
RESOURCES:
Dollars: $ 45,000
Time: One Year [12 months]
FEEDBACK MECHANISM:
- Progress report writing
- Monitoring of assignments
- Holding of management and membership in-house consultations
- Organization annual recess
- Reporting quarterly on the implementation of the project to YES Boston and donor organization
PROJECT TITLE: CONSOLIDATING THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT COUNTRY
NETWORK
OBJECTIVES:
- To create a viable districts and regional networks between September 2002 and 2003
- To create an opportunity for youth organization to be at the center of implementation both the activities of the network and the campaign of action between January 2002/2003
- To develop a strong, vibrant and pro-active network work that will ensure productivity
- To accomplish the goals of the decade campaign of action
ACTION STEPS:
· Organizing town hall meeting for youth organizations
· Organizing district sensitizations meetings
· Establishing collaborative relation with government line
Ministries and non-governmental organizations