Africa—The International Association of Youth and Students for Peace Africa Region held the Regional Assembly of Young Africans online and in person to commemorate International Youth Day from August 12-14, 2021. The activities included conferences, service projects for peace, and dance competitions, among others, under the theme “African Youth Engagement for Prosperity and Planetary Health.” Events were held in four cities: Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie and Nkayi.
The Congo Brazzaville Chapter mobilized more than 185 young people during the three days, online and in person. On Thursday, August 12, 2021 in the city of Pointe-Noire, at the headquarters of the Universal Peace Federation, nearly 30 young people participated in the opening ceremony of the Assembly and in the service project for the peace. We chose the Congo River shoreline as the site of our clean-up project because we noticed that despite the garbage cans provided by the public sanitation service along the beach, unfortunately people ignore the cans and throw garbage here and there. We resolved to set an example for others. A lot of garbage was collected.
In the town of Nkayi, young people raised awareness about tree protection. People were able to follow the progress of the programs in the four cities online.
On Saturday August 14, 2021, the last day of the Assembly, we organized a big conference in Nkayi with the participation of nearly 110 young people. Held in the conference room of the Catholic Church of Nkayi, the event started at 3:30 pm with an opening prayer offered by the Head of Catechists of the Catholic Church of Nkayi. The IAYSP general secretary, Yannick Kasongo, and the student coordinator, Ferdinand Elenga, spoke about the vision and mission of IAYSP and the events that were being held in celebration of International Youth Day. Mr. Kasongo developed the main theme: “African Youth Engagement for Prosperity and Planetary Health.” Mr. Elenga closed the series of events with the theme: “Autonomous and innovative youth for the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” giving an overview of the 17 Goals and adding practical life advice for the young people. Around 6:30 pm the conference ended with a group photo and refreshments offered to all participants.