Mr Joseph Peacock, YMCA Secretary cum Gambian Youth Activist recently attended the 2nd Annual Global Youth Symposium in Canada.

The forum was held at Camp Mockingee, Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Canada from 05th – 09th October 2007 under the theme ‘‘Move Your World’’.

Mr Joseph Peacock, the programs secretary of the The Gambia YMCA who also doubles as a key guest speaker/resource person to talk on youth initiatives and programs in YMCA (Gambia), the African Youth renaissance and its impacts on youth development in Africa.

Mr Peacock who is presently in Canada since June 2007 at the Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University under YMCA and CIDA funding, is pursuing a course in Development Leadership, Advocacy and Citizens Engagement and Mobilizing Assets for Community Driven Development. He is expected back in December 2007.

In his presentation, Mr Peacock dilated on the need for employment opportunities for young people as an urgent solution to address the other social needs ranging from poverty to migration.

He attributed the steady increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS, Crime, and drug abuse to poverty, which he said results from lack of employment.

After his presentation, the Gambian youth activist received a standing ovation for creating a very emotional audience that raised a lot of questions.

He informed participants that the greatest and one most single developmental problem facing African youth today with double impact is ‘Unemployment’.

In a very passionate presentation, Joseph Peacock challenged international organizations to salvage African young people from this great dilemma.

‘The reason for elders failing to take care of young people resulted in young people taking care of elders’’. Buttressing this Joseph Peacock quoted from an address delivered by Kandeh Yumkele (UNIDO Director General) at the UNIDO High Level consultative Meeting in Ghana in February 2007 where Joseph Peacock was invited to share best practices of the YMCAs using life skills training and entrepreneurship development as a strategy for fighting unemployment.

The four days camp was organized by The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation – ACIC, Canadian Red Cross, UNICEF, and GPI Atlantic. The forum was attended by participants from all four Atlantic Provinces, Canada World Youth participants from China, Jamaica, and Ghana.

The Symposium was aimed at giving participants a background in some key global issues (refugee issues, HIV/AIDS, food security, etc…) and also to help them develop their skills to take action in a variety of creative ways. It was also aimed at engaging a group of young people on some of the most important issues facing the world today, provide a space for them to learn what other youth are doing to make a difference, and inspire them to take action in their own communities. The Camp was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).