The Eastern Foni Program Area, CCF Affiliated, in collaboration with Youth With A Vision and the National Youth Parliament, held a one-day youth consultative forum recently at Kalagi Upper Basic School.

The meeting which brought together youth representatives from both the Foni Bondali and Foni Jarrol districts was attended by over 40 participants. It was aimed at paving way for effective youth participation in the programme of CCF and national development in general.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sanna Bayo, the Eastern Foni Programme Area Manager, told the gathering that CCF is a child-centered organization and is therefore very much concerned about the positive development of young people. Youth and children, he said, have a major role to play in the affairs of the CCF. This was indeed lacking in the area, he said, and expressed hope that with the collaboration of its new partners, they would be able to address the issue.

“Participation is key to development and all young people should be deeply involved in order to contribute their quota in national development efforts,” Mr. Bayo noted.

Mr. Lamin Jatta, the Acting National Chairman of the Youth With A Vision, for his part stated that his group was very much committed to the training and education of young people of The Gambia with a vision of a crime-free world.

He pointed out that collaboration is a key to achieving success and therefore urged the youth in the area to make good use of the opportunity.

The Speaker of the National Youth Parliament, Hon Lamin F Bojang, in his speech at the forum, revealed that “youth participation in the eastern part of Foni is very low”.

 “This has denied them the opportunity to also make the most required difference in the area,” he said, adding: “Youth should stand up to contribute to the development of their communities. This could be achieved in various means. But the most important thing is to come together as groups.