The United Youth Association, in collaboration with the Service for Peace of America, on Wednesday, awarded seventy members of the association, partner organisations and individuals in “recognition of their selfless services to the association and the society” over the years. The award ceremony took place at a colourful ceremony held at the Bakau Newtown community centre.

The seventy member volunteers received awards in three categories: platinum -150 hours of selfless service, gold-100 hours, and silver - 50 hours.

Among those awarded included Musa Conteh, chairperson of the association; Hatab Fadera, secretary general; Kawsu Jaiteh, program coordinator, and Ida Jeng, assistant program coordinator, all of whom received the platinum award.

Institutions such as The Gambia Radio and Television Services, child protection alliance, Gambia Family Planing Association, New World For Youth, National Aids Secretariat, and the National Youth  Council were also awarded.  High profile individual awards were given out to personalities such as Mayor Yankuba Colley of the Kanifing Municipal Council, Alhagie Jawara, veteran philanthropists, Ebrima Jadama of Family Federation for World Peace, Binta Saidy, honourary mother of UYA, Famara Fofana of GRTS, amoungst others.

Speaking at the occasion, Musa Conteh, chairperson of the United Youth Association, hailed the awardees for their invaluable contribution to the association, as well as the country.  Conteh recalled that his association was conceptualised in 2005, with a view of engaging young people into an organised group in the quest to addressing social problems impeding their growth and development.

“It also seeks to empower its members and young people in general in the areas of education, building their capacities on awareness issues such as HIV/AIDS, child right promotion and protection, sexual and reproductive health and rights, the menace of drug abuse, the burden of malaria, amongst a host of other pertinent issues,’’ he said.

According to him, since the inception of the association, they have been engaging in a series of selfless services geared towards making young people to be responsible to the cause of their society, noting that the award ceremony was meant to show appreciation of his members volunteerism.

The UYA chairperson recalled that his association started collaborating with the service for peace of America in 2005, noting that since then they have benefited a lot from them.  Prominent among the benefits, he said, included the annual scholarship program for needy students of the association.

While commending the service for peace under its current international advisor, Beverty Bandt, chairperson Musa Conteh challenged the awardees to double up their efforts to the cause of his association and young people in general.

For her part, Beverty Bandt, international advisor of service for peace of America joined the UYA chairperson in commending the awardeds for their efforts, noting that they deserve to be awarded.

She noted that young people of the Gambia are full of ideas, and that their efforts should be complemented in a bid for them to realised their aspirations.

Madam Bendt described their collaboration with the United Youth Association as fruitful, noting that the association had inspired many young people to venture into meaningful activities geared towards improving the society.  She hailed her US student volunteers for rendering 3 week selfless service to the Gambian communities.

While assuring her unflinching support for the association, the service for peace international advisor urged young people to change the culture from self centeredness to living for the sake of others to live.

Hatab Fadera, secretary general of United Youth Association stressed the need for young people to venture into meaningful activities that will immensely contribute to the successes of their life.

Ebrima Jadama of family federation for world peace urged young people to be worthy ambassadors of their society.

Other speakers at the occassion included Binta Saidy, honourary mother of the association.

In a show of appreciation, the united youth association members presented gifts to their American counterparts.

The United Youth Association, an organisation formed by students and non students in Bakau Newtown and its catchment area, seeks to engage young people into an organised group, with a view to addressing pertinent issues; issues that impede their growth and development.

Established on March 4th, 2005, UYA seeks to empower its initiates in their quest to creating a vibrant society where their voices can be heard.

Aims and objectives

Prominent among its aims and objectives are to explore means of empowering young people in the area of education, to promote the rights and welfare of children, to foster unity among young people, as well as to raise awareness on some pertinent issues such as HIV/AIDS, child rights, the menace of drug abuse, sexual and reproductive health, and a host of other social problems impeding their growth and development.

Activities

Since its inception, UYA has embarked on series of activities, notably among them are capacity building and trainings on issues concerning young people, yearly acquisition of scholarships for the less privileged young people, community out-reach sensitization programmes, as well as the 2008 first ever youth conference of the association.

Future plans

With funding from donors, the association intends to provide more capacity building programmes for the young people on issues such as child right, HIV/AIDS, to organise annual youth conference geared towards capacitising young people for positive social changes. They also intend to decentralise their programmes and activities throughout the length and breadth of the country, by establishing regional branches. They also intend to organise skills training programmes for their wider membership and other interested young people.

Membership

Membership is open to all young people who promote their aims and objectives.  A member must have 25 years below.

The UYA can be contacted on address below:

United Youth Association can be reached on Tel: 9816861 / 9898416 / 7202689

Email: C/o hatabfadera@yahoo.com

The united youth association, an organisation formed by students and non students in Bakau Newtown and its catchments areas, seeks to engage young people into an organised group, with a view to addressing pertinent issues; issues that impede their growth and development.

Established on March 4th, 2005, UYA seeks to empower its initiates in their quest to creating a vibrant society where their voices can be heard.

Aims and objectives

Prominent among its aims and objectives are to explore means of empowering young people in the area of education, to promote the rights and welfare of children, to foster unity among the young, as well as to raise awareness on some pertinent issues such as HIV/AIDS, child rights, the menace of drug abuse, sexual reproductive health and right, and a host of other social problems impeding their growth and development.

Activities

Since it inception, UYA has embarked on series of activities, notable among them are capacity building and trainings on issues concerning young people, yearly acquisition of scholarships for the less privileged young people, community out-reach sensitization, as well as the 2008 first ever youth conference of the association.

And among their future plans are:

With funding from donors, the association intends to provide more capacity building programmes for the young people on issues such as child right, HIV/AIDS, to organise annual youth conference geared towards capacitating young people for positive social changes. They also intend to decentralise their programmes and activities throughout the length and breadth of the country, through instituting regional branches. They also intend to organise skill training programmes for their wider membership and other interested young people.

Membership

Membership is open to all young people who promote their aims and objectives.  A member must be 25 years below.

The UYA can be contacted through the following addressing:

United youth association can be reach community centre.

Tel: 9816861 / 9898416 / 7202689

Email: C/o hatabfadera@yahoo.com

The united youth association (UYA), recently concluded its first ever week long youth conference on the theme “capacitate young people for positive social change”, at the Bakau Newtown Lower Basic School. The youth conference, funded by the national aids secretariat (NAS), brought together over sixty young people from three sub-branches of the association, and its aims, among others things, to capacitate young people on pertinent issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness, reproductive health, child right, among a host of other social issues impeding the growth and development of young people.

During the course of the youth conference, participants embarked on wide ranging activities geared towards capacitating them on issues unknown to them. Prominent among these were a two-day NAS capacity building workshop on HIV/AIDs preventions, its causes and mode of transmission.

During the course of this NAS HIV/AIDS workshop, fifty-one members of the association underwent voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), administered by the GFPA’s new world for youth (NEWFOY). A community outreach sensitization program on HIV/AIDS awareness issues, particularly voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), was also carried out by participants in different areas of Bakau community.

Other activities conducted during the youth conference included a two day sensitization classes on sexual and reproductive health issues, conducted by NEWFOY; character education, conducted by the service for peace (SFP), inter-branches completion on teenage pregnancy and drug abuse as well as a cleansing exercise of public places within the Kanifing municipality.

Speaking to youth matters, Musa Conteh, Chairman of the organization, said that his association was formed by students and non-students within Bakau Newtown and its environs in 2005. And, according to him, the aims and objectives of his association, among other, were to engage young people in an organized group in the quest to address pertinent issues such as; child rights promotion and related issues, HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as to empower each other in areas of education, in order to eradicate illiteracy among young people.

“We also engage in activities such as discouraging young people from the use of abusive drugs, educate its members on reproductive health issues as well as to foster unity among them”, he said.

Chairman Conteh described the youth conference as successful, noting that his members were adequately informed and exposed to critical issues affecting the young. He used the opportunity to commend the national AIDS secretariat (NAS) for funding the youth conference, and the child protection alliance (CPA) and new world for youth (NEWFOY), for their genuine partnership.

Pa Malick Ceesay, the executive director of the National Youth Council (NYC) has called on young people to invest more of their time, by engaging in useful activities to help in effecting positive social and economic changes in their lives and towards the shaping of a better future.

Mr Ceesay made these remarks last  Wednesday while deputising for SoS Mass Axi Gai, Secretary of State for Youths and Sports, at the opening of the 1st Youth Confence of the United Youth Association, held at the Bakau Community Development Centre  in Bakau New Town. The theme of the conference was: “Capasitise youths for positive social change”.

According to him, young people are not only the future leaders, but they are also the hope for the future and what they do today and how they do it, would reflect on their future.

On the use of hard drugs and illegal migration, he advised the youths to do away from these acts and further challenged those who always portray the young as the perpetrators of major crimes, to look into this carefully, “because in The Gambia, a youth is defined as some body under the age of 30.”

On the issue of unwanted teenage pregnancies, he strongly advised girls to exercise their intelligence and consider the difficulties, hindrances and harmful effects that are caused by teenage pregnancies.

For his part, Hatab Fadera, the secretary general of the United Youth Association (UYA), said that UYA is a youth organisation formed by students and non-students within Bakau and its environs in 2005.

The aim according to him, was to engaging young people in an organised group, in the quest to address pertinent issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness among youths, child rights promotion and related issues, as well as to empower each other in areas of education, in order to eradicate iliteracy among young people.

“We also try to discourage young people from the use of halmful drugs and educate them on reproductive health issues” he said.

Alagie Bahoum, the councillor of Bakau Newtown, said that it has become evident that no nation can achieve optimum developmental goals in the absence of youth participation.

He reminded the youths to note that they are the cream of society and involving them in political, societal and economic decisions in communities, is very important and indispensable.

He then cited discipline as an important pillar, noting that it has become a major concern to every body especially parents, as the lack of discipline would hinder the progress of youth development greatly.

Aida Bidwell of Gamtel, the national GSM service operator, which funded the conference, assured UYA of Gamcels continued support in all their future projects and plans. She further commended UYA for coming up with a course that will surely reap great benefits for young people.

Other speakers included Aja Ya Nyima Jammeh, who represented police adviser, FRI Jammeh, Lamin Manneh, UYA PRO and   

Jundu Drammeh of Child Protection Alliance (CPA.

A new  senior management committee comprising of eight (8) members, was selected last weekend  by members of the United Youths Association (U Y A). The selection process took place at its secretariat located at the Bakau Newtown Community Centre.

The new management committee, tasked with the responsibilities of coordinating and running the day to day affairs and activities of the association, will serve as the umbrella body of all affiliated sub-branches of the association  nationwide.

The new members of the committee include; Musa Conteh as the chairperson, Hatab Fadera,  the secretary-general, Betty Keita, financial-secretary and Kawsu Jaiteh, programme coordinator.  Other members of the committee  also including Muhammed Jadama, Muhammed Baldeh, Ndey Jatta and Fatou Kanteh as the Public Relations officer, assistant secretary-general, assistant Public Relations officer and head of the organising committee respectively.

Speaking to Young Observer’s Anchorman  shorthy after being vested with their new responsibilities, Musa Conteh, chairperson of the association,  commended members for the trust and confidence bestowed on them, adding that the new committee will live up to the expectation of its members. He expressed hope that members of the committee will work together to achieve their aims and objectives within the shortest possible time.

For his part, Hatab Fadera, secretary -general of the association gave a historical overview of the association which, he said,  was formed in 2004 by students’ with the objective of complementing government’s efforts in the areas of education, health, child empowerment,  among others. He noted that the association was able to register some major achievements in the areas of health, education, child empowerment, among others, since its inception.

“In the area of education, we were able to provide scholarships for over seventy (70)  needy students’ within  the Kanifing Municipality and Western Region, through our partnership with the  “Service For Peace humanitarian NGO”,  based in the USA.

Today, we are proud to say that most of these students’ have completed senior secondary school education, whilst some others are pursuing their studies under scholarships”, he revealed .

Other achievements registered according to Fadera, include Batik, Tye-Dye training for its members, sensitisation programmes on child’s right issues, reproductive health issues as well as sanitation exercises in different health centres and major markets in the Kanifing Municipality. He added that the association also has instituted branches in New Jeshwang, Brikama and Gunjur.

He then observed that if everything goes as plan, the association, will this year, stage its first ever youth conference that will bring together over 500 youths country wide.

While soliciting for support towards this major youth conference, Fadera used the occasion to commend Child Protection Alliance (CPA) and the New World for the Youths (NEWFOY),  for their unprecedented support to the association since its inception.Ndey Jatta, Assistant Public Relations officer of the association, echoed similar sentiments.