A one day National Youth NGO Summit was organised under the theme, “Sustaining the Growth of Youth NGOs through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” at the US Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia.
The summit aimed at providing leadership skills in sustainable development to several NGOs. The daylong event was hosted by Green Liberia Incorporated with support from the US Embassy. Several heads of youth-related non-governmental organization (NGO) from Montserrado County participated and benefited from the training.
Founder of Green Liberia Incorporated, Darius Bleh said, “The SGDs identify areas for intervention and developed strategies that can be used to achieve targeted global impacts. Youth organizations in Liberia are yet to align their works with the SDGs, and because of this, there is a low impact in the implementation of the SGDs in the country.
He further asserted, “Lots of the organizations have passion to create the needed change with commitments, but what remain lacking is the required skill to make the intervention, the opportunities for expansion and a plan that directs their focus towards sustainable programs.”
It is from this backdrop that the organization with support from the US Embassy and other partners decided to provide leaders in youth-oriented organizations knowledge to align their organizations’ focus to the SDGs and develop long-term strategies.
Executive director of the Pursuit for Positive Action Youth Organization, Mac Nelson said, “One of the key strategies youth leaders can use to sustain their organization is incorporating social entrepreneurship into organizations’ programs. Social entrepreneurship, which is based on innovation and creativity is a driving force that brings solutions and builds a strong and sustainable organization.
Other speakers include: Assistant Director at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planing, Numene B. Reeves, who presented papers on “The SDGs and Us,” and Executive Director of Sustainable Development Network, Blamo Nimle also presented papers on “Integrating the SDGs into non-profit organizations.
One of the participants, Jeremiah Kerkula, a youth volunteer, thanked the organizers, because he feels the summit helped him to become knowledgeable about the SDGs, and how his organization can align its focus with it to develop a formal intervention for sustainability.
The summit comprised of presentations, group discussions, and experience sharing among the participants. Meanwhile, Green Liberia is expected to present a post summit evaluation after monitoring and evaluating very shortly.