Building a truly global movement: What can the youth learn from women?

For a long time, I have wondered what characteristics of the women’s movement makes it unique and its agenda resonate more widely than that of the youth. I’m not suggesting that the youth movement does not have wide appeal, but unlike the women’s movement, global recognition of youth is usually premised on risk and vulnerability. …

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What is youth? – exploring the concept

Interesting article on the conceptualization of youth. Originally posted on Africa photo stories blog and reproduced below with the kind permission of the author, Helen Gebregiorgis. --- At the age of 20, I travelled to Africa for the first time and with my mother and four siblings, I went to our home of origin, Eritrea. …

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Why do young men join Boko Haram?

My reflections on the Boko Haram challenge originally published by The Nerve. --- Africa has since the 20th century been characterized as the theatre of the world’s most protracted violence, and this, sadly, continuous to frame the discourse on its youth. In the highly regarded book ‘Vanguard or Vandals: Youth, Politics and Conflict in Africa’ …

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What is the value of Youth participation in decision making processes?

I was invited during early October by the UN Population Fund to share my experiences at the General Assembly Meeting of the East and Southern African branch of the African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Below is an excerpt from the reflections I shared during a leadership workshop session …

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Christian Youth and Political Participation

Introduction Let me clarify from the outset what I mean by each of the two key concepts. By Christian youth, I mean any individual who is ‘born again’ in the sense that Jesus meant it in John 3 verse 3 and who is between the ages of 15 and 29. However, I also recognize that …

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