During the Commonwealth Youth Forum’s fourth plenary session themed ‘Co-creation and Strategic Partnership’, Dennis Akin, a Nigerian social entrepreneur, said that the youth must start talking about partnerships and international relationships in order to make something together. Akin calls for action between the private and public sector, especially for young people, so that they can thrive. “I find that partnership is not a question of ‘if’, but a question of ‘must’. We must begin to talk about partnership and collaboration as young people for the kind of work that we do, there is also this need for us to take responsibility for that partnership. “We must come to that level where we are not just sitting at the face but at the forefront, we actually need to start making these demands and reaching out to people, seeking for more organisations or individuals that are likeminded for us to be able to solve systemic issues,” he said. Akin realised that working alone will not bring the desired effect that we need for us to be able to create the kind of change that we want. And so, he believes a lot has to be done regarding building relationships. However, he suggested that young people be deliberate and decided about co-creation and partnerships, adopt humility, and understand their limitations and weaknesses because there is always a common ground for the youth to connect. During the panel discussion, Yawa Hansen- Quao, a Ghanaian social entrepreneur and feminist, and the executive director of Emerging Public Leaders, encouraged young people that were present to collaborate and seek partnerships; she said this while explaining her organisation’s partnerships that have been essential in establishing the world we are in today. “Partnerships are part of the process to success, no one can do anything of lasting value by themselves, we have achieved a lot of things in our organisation because of partnerships, none of this couldn’t have happened without partnerships. I want to encourage the youth, no matter what your specific vision is, to remember that you can’t do it alone, and if you want to go far you must go together,” she tipped the youth. Jean Michel Habineza, the founder of iDebate Rwanda and one of the speakers, shared that he learned that co-creation is more about creating relationships. “When looking for partnerships we only think about the big institutions, we think that if the government is going to be on our side, we are going to get a lot of money, and that everyone will love our ideas, but ideas are only five per cent of what makes things work, and I think the most unlikely partnerships or relationships are going to make the biggest differences,” he said. Akin also believes that Rwandan youth should learn from Nigeria in terms of partnerships and vice versa. “One thing about Nigeria is the way that we network, I believe Rwandan youth can learn from that, they should seek for collaborations and be the first to reach out and also adopt the mentality that ‘no’ is not rejection, the first step comes from speaking out because the support you need is planted around you,” Akin said. The Commonwealth Youth Forum provides an opportunity for young people of the Commonwealth to build cross-cultural connections and networks, deliberate on youth-led initiatives addressing emerging issues impacting young people, strategise on perspectives to influence decision-makers, and ensure young people have a voice and agency in its future.
