The Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) joins the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and the rest of the World in commemorating the Workers’ Day, a day set aside on the world’s calendar to pay tribute to the contribution of workers across the world. YETT, a youth networking organisation committed to the full participation of young people in sustainable development through advocacy and capacity building of youth and youth organisation in Zimbabwe, celebrates the Youth Frontline soldiers who are finding purpose in this moment of COVID-19 crises, and inspiring others to hope and act. Despite the unprecedented difficulties, uncertainty, confusion and uncharted paths, young people in the world including the SADC region are rising up and making a difference in their communities by saving countless lives and generating innovative ideas to tackle this pandemic. These young frontline workers are also facing an unprecedented workload and sometimes limited resources in overstretched health facilities but continue to persevere. This will go down in history and will show the world and the future generations how young people helped to inspire their communities from fear to hope and from confusion to understanding the COVID-19 virus.
Young people continue to fight COVID-19 in diverse and innovative ways in their local communities. The youth activists and volunteers are reminding their communities to stick together even when they are apart and tackling misinformation and myths around COVID-19. Youth and youth organisations around the region are turning to virtual platforms and digital media (digital advocacy) to share the correct information and recommendations to inform policy responses by governments. The outbreak has come with new terms like social distancing, self-isolation, self-quarantine that need to be well explained to the communities and these young activists and volunteers continue to educate their communities. Therefore, YETT calls for young people and youth-led organisations in the region to join hands with the youth frontline workers who despite their own well-founded fears, are stepping directly into COVID-19’s path to aid the afflicted and help stop the spread of the virus. The heroism, dedication and selflessness of young frontline health workers, activists and volunteers gives a reassurance to the whole world that we will overcome this virus.
YETT envisages a just, inclusive and prosperous society where young people fully participate and lead in sustainable development.
Source: Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT)