Unga röster från Västafrika
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Sedan 2012 bedriver CIS ett utbildningsprogram för unga politiker i Västafrika, PYPA – Program for Young Politicians in Africa. Det är ett tvärpolitiskt program vars mål är att stärka ungdomars deltagande och inflytande i politiken och i samhället.
Varje år utbildar CIS tillsammans med sin partner IGD drygt 20 unga kvinnor och 20 unga män från Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Mali, Elfenbenskusten, Senegal och Togo i allt från ideologi, antikorruptionsarbete, jämställdhet och hållbar utveckling till konflikthantering, kommunikation, ledarskap och kampanjarbete. Läs mer om programmet på CIS hemsida.
Nedan berättar några PYPA-deltagare hur programmet förändrat deras liv:
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Guy Armand Adjoumani, Cote d’Ivoire, PYPA 2018
PYPA has had a positive impact in my life. Before PYPA, I would do things without planning or having a strategy. Today, after I have received the training, I manage to carry out activities in accordance with a plan, and I also feel more open to the rest of the world. I exchange ideas with others and feel much more comfortable in my communication. PYPA also taught me how to be a leader not just by giving orders but rather by working alongside others and contributing to the activity success. In other words, PYPA allowed me to become a better team player.
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Sokhna Ba, Senegal, PYPA 2018,
Thanks to PYPA, I have now a deep commitment in my party. PYPA allowed me to assert myself as a young person but also as a woman. This assertiveness has allowed me to become an assistant at the secretariat of my party where I am responsible for organizing different party activities. Thanks to PYPA, I have become more open-minded and it is now easier for me to build relationships with others.
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Yayé Saley Harouna, Niger, PYPA 2013,
PYPA has changed a lot of things in my life. First, I learned to speak in public and I am now able to speak in front of any kind of people. Then, it also changed my way of thinking about politics. Before, I thought that politics was a way for me to access certain privileges or to be used as a social ladder. But now I have realized that it is a way to develop my country and make it independent from the West. Finally, PYPA allowed me to understand how democratic systems serve as a solid base for development in some countries. This is not the case yet in my country Niger where politics is a place to settle accounts or a tool to provide services for relatives, friends and acquaintances. Long life to PYPA!
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Christine Akénan, Cote d’Ivoire, PYPA 2016,
PYPA allowed me to overcome my shyness and lack of confidence. Today I feel very comfortable with expressing myself in public during big gatherings of my party. Thanks to PYPA, I am now the first responsible for representing my party at my municipality. I am also a very active member within my party leadership and a trainer at courses organized for new young party members. PYPA also allowed me to become a less impulsive, more responsible and well organized person.
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Yoro Sylvain Teti, Cote d’Ivoire, PYPA 2018,
Firstly, the module on gender was crucial for me in PYPA. Before my participation in PYPA, I had always minimized women. This has changed after PYPA. I now encourage young girls to participate in all the spheres of life (politics, community, jobs which are considered to be reserved for men, etc.). I have recently encouraged a young woman who wanted to write a paper. Now, she is very active in the party.
Secondly, the political council within my party highly appreciates my inputs now. It did not happen before PYPA. PYPA has become a very efficient tool in my political career.
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Médissa Sama, Togo, PYPA 2018,
I am currently engaged as a mentor in the Mentorship Program for Young Entrepreneurs called YIC LIFE. I have trained over hundred young entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs. I have also recently received an award “Strong Women” for promoting women’s representation at the local elections in Togo. Last month I delivered a speech on keys to success in front of 2500 people. I am also politically active and work as an assistant of one of the key politicians in the party.
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Franck Iboye, Cote d’Ivoire, PYPA 2016,
Politically, I now express my thoughts in public even if I know that my remarks could shock the party executives. During the recent meeting of the political bureau, I asked the president of the party in public to provide us with a financial report on his management activities.
As for my career development, I now represent my direct superiors at the meetings and conferences in Abidjan and all over the country. I also represented them in Ghana some days ago. I believe that PYPA’s module on political communication has strengthened me a lot.