A Community Based Organization (CBO), Human Solidarity has ended a one-day training workshop for fifty (50) young people within the Hastings community in the Western Area Rural District (WARD) on capacity building to complement the government’s effort.
The training was conducted at the Twin Hall, Hastings community on Saturday, 28th, August 2021 with the theme “Youth perspective on civil society space for sustainable development”.
Welcoming participants to the training on behalf of the Hastings community Headman, Mr. Cecil Wright described Hastings as a big community with an increasing number of inhabitants, advancing that the training would allow participants to discuss relevant developmental issues.
He encouraged participants to disseminate vital information to all those that were not fortunate to be part of the training program, adding that the issue of capacitating or empowering young people with necessary skills and messages to foster development was not an easy task.
Mr. Wright sensitized youthful participants that Government and the community Headman cannot do it alone, dilating that if young people come together and organized themselves accordingly, the development would flourish in their various communities.
He discussed that community electricity, bad road network, water and sanitation, unemployment are issues needed to be discussed among youths to bring up solutions to the problem. He mentioned that youth development and community issues are voluntary work and highlighted that the session was all about finding ways to decentralize development among the working population.
Mr. Wright advised his audience against lawlessness because, according to him, it hindered or reversed progress and frowned against the use of invectives in public by some young people. He said the security issue of the Hastings community is improving than in the past for the fact that major incidents have not being reported over the period.
He lauded Hastings youths for their usual participation in community development programs such as the cleaning of the community water dam, cemetery, and other environmental cleaning activities. He appealed to the youthful participants to embrace unity, peace and to love one another as God loves us.
In his presentation, National Coordinator for Human Solidarity, Mr. Idriss Gibson Mansaray maintained that his organization was found in 2013 at Hastings Village, but came to full time operation in 2014.
He pointed out that Human Solidarity registered with the Western Area Rural District Council (WARD C) and other lined institutions, recalling that they have carried out a lot of community activities, including sensitization on teenage pregnancy, early marriage, and many other activities within the Hastings and beyond.
Mr. Mansaray recounted that they have received funding from the British High Commission to work with women in leadership positions, he highlighted that last year they brought together women parliamentarians in leadership positions from four political parties including, APC, SLPP, NGC, and C4C with big facilitators from recognized institutions.
He reminded participants that Human Solidarity will join the entire world to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child on 11th October 2021, adding that they will also receive visitors from Germany who pays visits to the organization’s office at Hastings community.
Mr. Mansaray discussed that human Solidarity works on human rights, gender issues, civic responsibility, and many more, adding that the workshop was to bring participants together to start discussing something that has to do with our individual perspective and developmental mindset.
The Youth Chairman for Hastings Village, Abubakarr Kamara expressed thankfulness to the National Coordinator, Mr. Mansaray for organizing such important training for them and emphasized that development is the desire of every individual in society.
He said the training would teach participants important lessons to foster sustainable development in communities, adding that the Hastings community was far behind in terms of development in the region. He, therefore, encouraged youthful participants to be selfless in initiating developmental projects.
The Youth Chairman continued that only politics and business could transform Hasting’s community and described Hastings as a politically divided community. He, therefore, urged beneficiaries of the training to come forward and take center stage in leadership for the fact that he said: “only leadership can set us free”.
He encouraged young people to embrace politics, business, and education for the development of the community and called on participants to make input and add value in to the process.
Representing Councilor for Ward 391, Edward Kargbo, a Ward Committee member, Lebbie Bangura described the development as a top priority in the Councilor’s agenda and congratulated all those that came together to actualize the workshop. “This development would bring positive changes in our community”, he stated.
A female participant, Isatu Boyah prayed for the continuation and sustainability of the initiative and called on fellow women to come together to push the development of the Hastings community forward.
She said capacity building is very key for Hastings young people because they are far behind in terms of development and emphasized on the importance to come together as women to address burning issues affecting their everyday lives.
An indigene of Hastings, Mr. Emmanuel Scott described the youths as a foundation in any society, concluding that if the youths of Hastings fail to hold themselves as one they would continue to find situations extremely difficult to enhance the most desirable development.
