Freetown | 19th August 2023 | Vertex Media
The Directorate of Youth Affairs, in collaboration with the National Youth Commission and the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, have engaged 500 young Sierra Leoneans in a cleaning exercise along the Aberdeen Lumley beach in celebration of the International Youth Day, with support from Orange Sierra Leone.
The cleaning exercise was one of the several ways this special day was celebrated across the country, and it was done in line with the theme “Green Skills For Youth: Towards A Sustainable World“.
The stakeholders deemed it fit to instil the sense of responsibility among young people to ensure a productive future. Youths make up bulk of the country’s population, and it is right to get them prepared for a brighter future.
Over 500 young Sierra Leoneans from various sectors, including university students, were among those who participated in the cleaning exercise.
On the importance of the exercise, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Kadijatu Grace Kamara said the purpose of the exercise is to give a sense of responsibility and accountability to young people. “It is generally meant to give the youths a sense of responsibility and accountability as 70% of the country’s population comprises the youths. We are throwing the ball in their court…,” she said.
The Deputy Commissioner of the National Youth Commission, Emerson Kamara, spoke about the importance of keeping the beaches clean and attracting more visitors, which, in turn, will create more employment opportunities for young people in line with the president’s promise of creating 500,000 jobs.
“President Bio promises the youths five hundred thousand jobs. Efforts to get that done are underway as the tourism sector will play a very big role in this. Setting that platform starts with this exercise,” he stated.
The Deputy Tourism Minister reiterated that they aim to sustain this exercise by ensuring youths are brought together to clean up the beaches at the end of every month.
In all of their statements, the various stakeholders emphasised the need to use this exercise to disengage young people who have indulged in drug abuse. They consider the alarming mayhem of the (‘kush’) drugs on our youths.
By Ibrahim Sorious Samura
