Windhoek, Namibia 24th - 26th August 2019
Ahead of the 2019 Psychosocial Support Forum (PSS Forum), RIATT-ESA, REPSSI, EGPAF and the Government of Namibia and many more key Partners co-hosted the bi-annual Children and Youth Forum. The forum took place in Windhoek, Namibia from the 24th to the 26th of August 2019. Bringing together 61 children and youth from its 13 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa region to discuss key issues that affect them, their families and communities. The aim of the forum was to equip the youth with advocacy and communication skills and provide a platform for youth to engage and share their experiences and lessons among themselves and subsequently with the 5th PSS Forum.
The 3 days of the youth forum were action packed. With a wide range of presentations and discussion points ranging from the impact of climate change to addressing HIV related stigma and discrimination. In addition to the presentations and discussions, the youth were trained in practical reporting skills including, content development, learning to convey information in a clear and concise manner, on-camera presentations, broadcasting, reporting on-air, conducting interviews, developing stories and techniques in packaging information for advocacy.
This conference had the support from a wide range of partners who facilitated sessions on key issues in the region, including REPSSI, EGPAF, the Children’s Radio Foundation (CRF), MHPSS.net and the South Africa AIDS Foundation.
Highlights
Participation from the Government of Namibia
With this key event capturing the attention of the Government of Namibia, it received a tremendous amount of support from the government office starting from the coordination and planning, all the way to the participation of the office of the First Lady of Namibia.
To the surprise of the youth, on the afternoon of the 24th of August 2019, EGPAF coordinated the participation the First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos, an entrepreneur, qualified lawyer and strong advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls, joined the Youth Forum chairing a session on issues affecting children and young people. At this point the room was ecstatic with excitement, as the youth had the opportunity to address key issues affecting them to a highest level of authority. As an ice breaker, the First Lady invited a Namibian music group to perform during the afternoon session.
During the forum, coaching was provided, by the CRF, for one young delegate, the Child President of the Republic of South Africa, to host an interview with the First Lady on issues regarding Child Safety in Africa.
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)
Leading up to the Children and Youth forum, EGPAF played a critical role in coordinating and securing the participation of the First Lady of Namibia. EGPAF also supported the participation of youth ambassadors, who played a key role during the forum in leading group discussions, interviews with Children’s Radio foundation and facilitating the discussions with the First Lady of Namibia.
Childrens Radio Foundation (CRF)
To support with the youth training and facilitation of the youth forum RIATT-ESA contracted CRF, who brought a team of dedicated staff, a pop-up radio station and were able to facilitate a great number of engagements during the forum. This included sessions and training with all the youth on key reporting skills, and the creation of advocacy messaging, to be
used within their countries and organisations; as well as hosted key interviews with youth delegate, partners and the First Lady of Namibia.
From the 61 children and youth participants, 8 youth representatives were identified and supported by the CRF in the consolidating of the key advocacy messaging coming from the youth forum. These messages were then put into advocacy presentations and calls to action, to be presented at the main Forum on behalf of the Children and youth forum delegates. The 8 youth representatives were invited to stay for the main PSS forum where they presented their calls to action and advocacy messages as part of the Opening ceremony of the 5th PSS forum, on the 27th August 2019.
The MHPSS.net
The MHPSS.net conducted interviews with select children and youth from each of the 13 countries where REPSSI works, on the mental health and psychosocial effects of climate change. Youth were trained on presenting clear and concise information, and on camera presentations for the development of an advocacy video on the impacts of climate change and the persectives of youth in Africa.
The South Africa AIDS Foundation
The South Africa AIDS Foundation hosted a session on Sexual health, aimed at influencing the development of their manual on SRHR best practices for children and youth, with the focus on getting the voices of children and youth on what needs to be included in the manual and how for it to be child and youth friendly.
REPSSI
As well as being a part the core coordinating team for the forum, REPSSI also delivered a session on Climate Change, and mental wellbeing for children and young people. During the Children and Youth forum, REPSSI hosted a parallel media training for journalists on reporting on children and youth issues. The training included discussions with the journalists on reporting on issues of child marriage, supported by RIATT-ESA. The journalists were then invited to the children and youth forum to cover aspects of the forum and for coordinated interviews with the young delegates.
Conclusions and key Outputs
This forum was a key event that enabled all participating partners to get the perspectives of young people on the emerging issues in the region, as well as to hear about the issues that are important to the youth that may not traditionally be considered within the global development focus areas.
The impact and reach of the youth forum was wider than expected, with live videos and posts on social media from partners and the youth being shared widely by our networks and followers. With journalist and news reporters covering aspects of the forum, and with the expert skills of Childrens Radio Foundation.
CRF also recorded various interviews, to be later aired on SAFM during the month of October 2019 (SAFM has a national listenership of 190, 000 active listeners). From the audio recording throughout the forum, CRF developed a SoundCloud playlist to be featured on the CRF’s SoundCloud page with over twenty thousand followers. Audios will also be shared on various CRF social media platforms.
Video recordings by MHPSS.net on the mental health and psychosocial effects of climate change, were presented at the International Conference on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Crisis Situations, 7-8 October, Amsterdam, hosted by Her Excellency Ms. Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Finally, with advocacy messages and calls to action developed by the youth were presented by the 8 youth representatives at the opening ceremony of the 5th PSS forum on the 27th August 2019 Windhoek Namibia.
Click here to download the advocacy messages as presented by the youth.
Watch some of the videos here:
Young people speak out on climate change
Live from the Childrens and Youth forum the First Lady of Namibia youth discussion: https://www.facebook.com/REPSSIHQ/videos/256249655258114/
Listening to the youth, live from the Children and Youth forum on Sexual Health information sharing: https://www.facebook.com/REPSSIHQ/videos/2466428790062995/
SABC Covering the youth representative's participation at the PSS forum- More laws to be introduced to clamp down on child marriages in Namibia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLmOx1Z0Th8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2N9KSZTHPYnnsfTJxnsKmxH7Ct49nIQBBezsviE54XAZxx_RwKnsHwnog
REPSSI Acting CEO interview with SABC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLZbc1p2W2w&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR16FmKbsPm5KYdkjqajCCOaianteLZdicOqb-02FlCHwAHbuc5ykZS1bTM
For more of videos and pictures follow @PSSForum @RIATTESA @REPSSI @MHPSS @FLON_Namibia @VSO_Intl @EGPAF @Foundation_JF @airnamibia1 @CRN_SA @FirelightFnd @UNICEF @UNESCO @tdh_de on Twitter