Why The Youth Should Be Involved In Peace Building; Rwanda As An Example

Part 1 Rwanda recently joined the whole world to celebrate the International Peace Day under the theme “Youth peace and development. Make Peace Happen”. Just a few days earlier, we hosted the Nkabom Commonwealth Leadership Youth Program. ‘Nkabom’ is a Ghanaian word which means coming together and this is where the pioneer program was held in 2004. This is a sign of how the whole world appreciated the efforts of the government of Rwanda in its efforts of having the youth fully involved in National building. There is this widespread belief that the youth are inexperienced; some people argue that they do not know what they really want most, given their wide scope of interests. However, in this article and the other articles ahead, I will clearly show you why the youth should be involved in not only conflict resolution but also peace building. The youth are not only leaders of tomorrow but also of today. The youth are the future of every society, and the future belongs to them. There is need to equip them so that they may carry out sustainable achievements. Without proper molding and proper guidance on the moral front, all that is being done will be of no benefit. The youth are special because they have an extremely high potential for learning, and their level of creativity is unmatched. With great respect I appreciate the government of Rwanda for what it has done in molding the future generation! We have the National youth council and the ministry of youth in this country. These two bodies are doing a great job of empowering young people. Someone will argue that there are some other countries with these institutions; this is very true. However, if I were to go by what I was told by fellow youth during the Nkabom Leadership Program, Rwanda is far ahead in terms of catering for the youth. The role played by President Paul Kagame in advocating for gender equality in this country and also installing confidence in young people has led to high levels of patriotism among the youth. Today’s Rwandan youth are confident and talk proudly of their country because the president has taught us to believe in a better tomorrow. He has taught us to also defend our convictions and be determined to achieve our dreams. Today if you are to meet a Rwandan girl from FAWE Girls School, for example, she will challenge all the different aspects of life. I have seen them in debates, throughout my eight years of professional debating; I believe there are only two countries whose girls are incredibly smart; Rwanda and Botswana. In a nutshell, leaders of other countries should emulate Rwanda‘s example so as to uplift their youth. The youth should be involved in peace building because they are not only the leaders of tomorrow but also today’s leaders. They are energetic and very creative. They are not only fast but also great learners. Innocent250@gmail.com