In recent years, some youth were observed to paying attention for the calls of activists whose main target is for destruction, and violent demonstrations that can hurt the country’s economy and the livelihood of the people. This practice is not a simple action as it hurts the peace and overall development of the country, Alazar Zelalem said.
This is unethical both morally and legally especially in the Ethiopian culture where the society gives due respect for guests and every human being regardless of race, culture, religious and other identity differences, he said.
Unethical and evil actions, violent demonstrations and insulting each-other in social Media and similar activities are becoming part of the day-to-day activities of the youth. Even there is no common consensus on the ethical values between groups especially those actively engaged in the social media.
For him, to safeguard the peace and stability of a country, it is necessary to invest in the coming generation. It is also important to widen economic opportunities and develop moral values in society. But, at this time the youth are being sidelined. So, it is a must to open opportunities to help them realize their dream.
Alazar is a founder and director of ENG Ethiopia (Empowering Next Generation Ethiopia), a newly established youth-to-youth local non-government organization (NGO) aimed at investing in youths through providing life skills training that will have an impact on bringing attitudinal change and help them to live their dream.
His vision is to sensitize the values of the society and to feed hope, motivational energy and inspiration to practice their skills on the youth generation for a better, prosperous and peaceful future of Ethiopia.
Alazar told The Ethiopian Herald that establishing this NGO came to his mind after he graduated from University and started participating in attitudinal change, counselling and life skill training to support children at risk.
“After I have joined to the child support NGO, I have worked for nine months and my employers provided me with my salary with bonus, but I decided to do not accept the salary, because the employer is helping my society and I did only my responsibility”, Alazar said during the establishment of ENG Ethiopia last week.
“I hold a war with myself. It was a difficult time for me since I was a fresh graduate and depend on family. I started to know the feeling, interest, hope and plan of the youth and the teenagers, I fall in love with them and I published my poetry book which is now fully provided to the established NGO”, he stated.
“And then with three of my friends, we had continued helping and advising children during the past two years informally in our spare time. Then we decided to establish ENG Ethiopia to focus mainly on life skills training, attitudinal change and discussion forums as a form of festivals on youths”, Alazar stated.
According to Alazar, investing in the youth can be considered as investing in sustainable development and creating enabling conditions to sensitize the ethical values of the society and key to national development.
His organization aims to strive to provide life skills training, motivation, youth mindset, development, inspiration, creating a peaceful society, addiction and promoting youth active community participation. For their goal, the ENG has planned to implement eight training youth festivals to address 2000 youths during the initial year of establishment, preparing youth tours to historic places, life skill training, training for addicted youths.
For Alazar, it does not make sense for teens and youth to feel sad or guilty when they engage in something odd activities. First, we have to show them the positive directions and help them to practice their hope, to live their plan and to achieve their life goals. ENG is a youth-to-youth organization and by focusing on youth mindset and life skill training; the target of the organization is to build an ethical generation who gives a strong stance to the values of the society.
For Alazar, peace is a pole that holds everything together in a single rope. And development and peace of the country are on the hands of the youth. Hence, the government and concerned bodies should first show them practical support to achieve their goals by forming a clear platform. To score fruitful change, all concerned bodies have to invest in empowering and helping the youth to practice their passion by creating an enabling environment.
“After we adjust our office, we are planning to open it 24 hours for the youth without any payment, creating opportunities for formal and informal discussions.” Such opportunities are crucial for the youth to prevent them from wasting their time on evil activities. It rather inspires them to bear a bright future.
During the launching ceremony, Peace Minister Muferiat Kamil said that now is the time to build tomorrow’s prosperous, more developed and democratic Ethiopia. To make it real, investing in the youth is the only and the right solution in which the government’s policies and strategies are focusing on the youth.
Appreciating the initiation of the youths who formed ENG, Ethiopia has industrious youths filled with energy that can change many things in a country, Muferiat stated. “We have to invest in the youth who can develop their country for today and tomorrow. We have to properly use youths’ potential in terms of peace, development and overall changes” she added.
The Ethiopian Herald September 7, 2019
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
