I work with young people in primary and high school levels as a project officer. My work involves organizing programs for students and teachers that will influence the positive and integral development of the full potential of learners. This is in collaboration and partnership with school management bodies, staff, parents and the wider community.
I recently attended the World Youth Alliance Certified Training Program, Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop at Cara House in Karen Nairobi. What stood out for me during the training is the attention given to the dignity of the human person. That every human being has value and worth that is intrinsic and cannot be taken away from them. That value exists regardless of physical ability, intellectual capacity, gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, circumstances of life and experiences. The connotation that the dignity of a person comes first and therefore all deserve respect and ought to be treated justly. This has changed the way in which I relate and interact with people. As I left the training I felt loaded and challenged to make a difference in my community.
With the knowledge and skills I learnt at the workshop, I intend to introduce WYA to young people through the formation of clubs and through encouraging them to complete the Certified Training Program (CTP).
I expect to mentor and train young people in my community on the dignity of the person so that this will encourage them to adapt a positive view of life, seek to influence policy making at the community level, and engage them in discussions on matters affecting their lives. For example, many young people in Kenya and in my village specifically are not very familiar with the Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) yet these goals represent very important aspects of the very livelihood of citizens. I believe that with the knowledge on the dignity of the human person in mind, they can use the SDGs as a foundation for developing proposals, getting involved in public participation, policy making and advocacy for a better life for themselves and for future generations while putting the human person at the center of every discussion.
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Written by Janet Wanjiku Muchene, a WYA Africa member from Kenya.