YOUTH The focus on youth is of major importance for FES-Botswana. The alarming prevalence of HIV/AIDS as well as the increasing unemployment among young people might have a negative impact on the stability of democracy in Botswana. Mobilising the young generation to actively participate in politics is therefore an eminent part of FES’s work in order to improve their involvement in social and democratic processes. One of the major partner organisations regarding youth programmes is the Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC). The political empowerment programme is implemented by the National Youth Centre, based in Gaborone. The well organised District Youth Councils enable the National Youth Centre to operate this programme countrywide. FES is supporting the BNYC, the National Youth Centre as well as other organisations working in this area on a continuous basis. As a result, a Manifesto of the Youth ("Youth Charter") was prepared and published in 2002 in order to show the interests and concerns of young people in Botswana. Developing leadership skills, promoting dialogue with political parties and institutions on subjects of youth interest, such as business opportunities, the introduction of school fees or activities to avert the disturbingly high voter apathy of youth are main issues in the context of the “Youth Empowerment Forum”, which organises 5-10 debates per year all over the country. As a highlight in 2004, the first "National Youth Parliament" comprised a training workshop for youth representatives from all over the country as well as a mock session in Parliament to learn about parliamentary democracy, among others supported by FES. The Department of Culture and Youth, DCY, in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs is partner in efforts to assist in the revision of the present Youth Policy as well as in a new “National Action Plan for Youth”. Top of the page
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