Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) will hold its fourth season of Organizing for Policy Advocacy and Civic Engagement (OPACE) Season 4 under the Youth Organizing School of Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, USA.
There has been a fundamental shift in the level of participation of African youths in electoral process. However, a lack of clarity on practical ways to effectively engage elected leaders in policy formulation and implementation throughout the electoral cycle, however, pose a challenge to youth in the post-election period.
In a bid to sustain responsible youth civic engagement in democracy, OPACE Season 4 is being implemented to build the capacity of young people to engage in policy advocacy, as well as encourage citizen participation in democratic governance processes. OPACE Season 4 sessions covers specialized topics on Citizen Engagement, Democratic Governance, Policy Platform Development, Building and Youth Organizing, Community Mobilization, Developing Effective Communication for Advocacy and Campaign, and Using Social Media Tools.
The Organizing School is scheduled for the 4th – 7th October, 2016 in Abuja. (Arrival date is: Tuesday, 4th October 2016 – Departure is 7th October 2016).
Participants have been selected from Kwara, Taraba, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Osun, Cross River, Lagos, Rivers, Plateau, Gombe, Bauchi, Edo, Kogi, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Enugu and Ondo states and the FCT,
In order to strengthen cross-border and regional collaboration, 5 West African countries, namely Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Sierra Leone will also be represented at the Youth Organizing School 2016.
The program is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Washington DC with the aim to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of youth organizations in formulating policies and implementing advocacy activities towards promoting democratic values and principles in Nigeria and across West Africa. Participants will emerge with a better understanding of policy advocacy, as well as policy advocacy training skills.
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