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REPORT
FIFTH ANNUAL YOUNG GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION
July 31 – August 8, 2004
National Centre for Women Development, Abuja, Nigeria
The Fifth Annual Young General Assembly Session began in Swaziland in July 2002 when Temidayo Israel-Abdulai, Director of General Action Against the Violation of Human and Children’s Rights (a Young General Assembly Member Organization in Lagos, Nigeria), made a proposal to host the 2004 Young GA Annual Session in his homeland. Temidayo’s proposal was approved at the Closing Plenary Session. This was an ambitious undertaking for Temidayo, who was 16 years old at the time.
In September 2003, it was announced that the Fifth Session would be held in Lagos, Nigeria July 31-August 14, 2004. The meeting was planned to be 2 weeks long so the delegates would have time to revise the Young General Assembly Charter, a task greatly needed so the organization could operate more efficiently. In April of 2004, there was a Drink Reception hosted by the British Council to publicize the upcoming Young General Assembly event. Also that same month Temidayo changed the venue to Abuja, Nigeria and shortened the meeting by a week thus eliminating the time needed for the charter revision. The Charter Review Online Conference was quickly organized and held by electronic mail to make up for the missed time in Nigeria.
Arrival day, Saturday July 31st, began with a trip to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 4:00AM to pick up the Young General Assembly Representative to the United Nations, Julia Walsh, Director and Founder of Synthesis, a Young General Assembly Member Organization in the USA. Two hours later, Julia and Temidayo were interviewed on “Saturday Morning,” A popular show on Nigerian national television. Delegates arrived throughout the remainder of the day. Between 20 and 30 unregistered people came without conference fees at the last minute putting extreme pressure on Temidayo to find adequate funds to house and feed them.
The Session began at the National Centre for Women Development at 6:00PM with dinner, which was followed by an evening orientation program held in the Hostel courtyard. Afterwards, the delegates were assigned their rooms and went to bed early.
Sunday, August 1st, after breakfast the participants engaged in a vision activity through which they created and expressed their visions for the world and the Young General Assembly in ten years. Then twenty one organizations gave reports about their activities over the last year. It was indeed inspiring to hear what young people ARE accomplishing ! The participants began the study of their educational packets by learning about the Young General Assembly newly revised Charter. After lunch Child Participation was defined, discussed and the kinds of roles and responsibilities that adults and children can take in order to contribute in meaningful ways to building a peaceful, sustainable world. After dinner Temidayo Israel-Abdulai, Director and Founder of the host organization, led a Dream Vision Workshop. Participants were guided through a process by which they created a vision for their own personal lives and then wrote down how they would achieve their visions. The electricity went off during the workshop at a very good time. The participants were left without visual stimulation, so they could focus more fully on Temidayo’s guiding words. The evening activity ended with a stirring song for world peace.
Every day afterwards began with jogging at 6:30 AM. Monday morning breakfast was supposed to have been ready at 8:15AM. It was not, so the participants began a day of study about the United Charter, the United Nations structure, its recent reports, activities, and documents concerning children. In the late afternoon, the participants were scheduled to select their Young General Assembly ambassadors. Because there were so many Nigerians in attendance, selecting the Young General Assembly Ambassador from Nigeria became a difficult situation. Many were qualified and wanted the post. The discussion became so noisy that if a bomb went off, it would not have been heard. Some of the young people came to adults asking them to intervene and stop the disharmony, but intervention was held back in the belief that the young people could find their own solution. They did! An hour later the Young General Assembly Ambassador from Nigeria had been chosen and everyone was holding hands and singing with joy. Seventeen year old Benjamin Matebule became the Ambassador from Malawi. Twelve year old Regina Mondeh became the Ambassador from Sierra Leone. Sixteen year old Adegoke Oluwaseyi became the Ambassador from Nigeria. No one qualified from other countries. There was an informal Open Mic night to end the day that set the pattern for the remaining fun filled evenings.
Tuesday morning was devoted to the Opening Plenary Session and Ceremony in the Africa Peace Mission Hall at the National Centre for Women Development. The event was called to order by fourteen year old Ibrahim Adamu who started the Nigerian National Anthem and the Christian and Muslim opening prayers. The Moderating Team conducted the Young General Assembly Business meeting: Ibrahim Adamu was the Guide, Lola Rodriguez was Time Keeper, Damilola Apotieri-Abdulai was Peace Keeper, and Titi Animashaun and Adegoke Oluwaseyi were the Scribes. The newly selected Ambassadors were introduced and Agenda for the Session was approved. Then there was one of three interludes of music and dance provided by the Young African Stars Club. After the first interlude, there was a welcome address given by newly appointed Young General Assembly Ambassador from Nigeria, Adegoke Oluwaseyi. After the second interlude, there were opening remarks by the Young GA Secretariat Coordinator, Ellen Brogren, and the Fifth Annual General Assembly Session Convenor, Temidayo, Israel-Abdulai. After the third interlude the Special Advisor on Human Trafficking and Child Labour spoke and a welcome address by Rita Akpan Obong, Honourable Minister of Women Affairs was delivered by Mrs. Halima Lawani, Director General of Women Affairs. The address described how the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and UNICEF have set up an active Children’s Parliament in Nigeria. The twelve year old Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, Chinyere Nwagori, sat at the high table throughout the event.
Then the keynote address, written by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was delivered by Frank Nweke Jnr., Honourable Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties because the President was called out of the country. In the President’s speech entitled, “Among the Partnerships We Seek, We Turn to Children Themselves” boys were described as the “fathers of the future” and girls were described as “mothers of the future” and children were described as “the bridge to the future.” Nigeria had recently passed a Child Rights law awarding further rights to Nigerian children than those stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that Nigeria ratified several years ago. The Nigerian government has shown not only in word, but through action and through law, that it realizes that the quality of its future depends on the quality of its children. Nigeria is a model from which other countries can learn a lot about the value of Child Participation. After the President’s speech, Honourable Minister Nweke spoke to the young people with enthusiasm and was given a resounding long round of applause. After a vote of thanks and closing Muslim and Christian prayers were offered by Nigerian children, Temidayo led the audience in a rousing series of uplifting chants.
After the excitement of the morning and lunch, the participants were divided into seven Working Groups. Each group was assigned three targets from the United Nations document “A World Fit for Children.” Then they were asked to write five project plans for each of the three targets in the Young General Assembly Project Format. The groups wrote five project plans for one target on Tuesday afternoon, five project plans for their second target on Wednesday morning, and five project plans for their third target on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday evening a splendidly decorated and delicious banquet was arranged for the participants by Nkem Oselloka-Orakwue, Director of Children’s and Young Person’s Development Centre, a Young General Assembly Member Organization. The sponsor of this elegant event was Deputy Senate President of the Nigerian National Assembly, Senator Ibrahim Matu, affectionately known as “Daddy.”
Thursday morning, the Working Groups needed more time to complete their project plans. They achieved their goal ! One hundred five project plans designed for children to help their governments achieve the 21 targets of “A World Fit for Children” were written ! However, because the host organization was unable to get computers and printers, the participants did not see their work in print before they went home. The Second Plenary Session was held after lunch Thursday chaired by the Moderating Team, all under the age of 18. The agenda was discussed in detail and resolutions were formed. The ongoing Executive, Finance, and Special Issue Committee members were selected to carry on the work of the Young General Assembly until the next annual session. Later in the afternoon, the delegates took a tour of the National Television Station and climbed Aso Radio Hill to enjoy and photograph a panoramic view of beautiful Abuja surrounded by mountains. Thursday evening was international night, a time of fun, music, and laughter.
Friday morning, August 7, the newly selected ongoing committees met and set their courses of action for the year ahead. Those who were not on an ongoing committee met and created plans for an art contest for disabled people.
Friday afternoon, the Third Plenary Session was conducted by the Moderating Team. The Plenary opened with the Nigerian National Anthem and Christian and Muslim prayers. Fifteen resolutions were read, discussed and voted upon by the Young General Assembly Ambassadors-all under the age of 18. The newly selected Executive and Special Issue Committees reported about the decisions made at their meetings that morning. The Finance Committee said it wanted to make its report later, but there was no other Plenary Session in which to do so. The Finance Committee had developed an idea to make a pamphlet about the Young General Assembly, take the pamphlet, and around and ask for cash donations. Their idea worked ! In 1 ½ days they managed to collect 3,410 N that was given to Convenor to help pay the meeting bills. Friday night there was a party in the Banquet Hall.
Saturday, there was free time, football and an outing to Millennium Park. Sunday, was unhappy departure day.
EVALUATION
Registration was exceptionally difficult for this meeting. The Secretariat had sent out announcements to over 5,000 e mail addresses in September 2003 and a series of second and third announcements in October and November. The Convenor, Temidayo Israel-Abdulai, left Nigeria in December and went to live in the UK for 6 months. The Nigerian Planning Team members felt lost without him and did little. In April Temidayo returned to Nigeria and the British Council hosted a wonderful reception from which Temidayo made many new contacts and gained sponsors. Then Temidayo decided to move the Young GA Session from Lagos to Abuja. At that time
fighting began in northern Nigeria and, because Abuja was closer to northern Nigeria than Lagos in the south, many parents of international delegates withdrew their registration after reading the travel warnings for Nigeria listed on the internet. It was a shame that parents reacted that way because the Convenor had organized a Security Corps to accompany the participants wherever they went when they were in Abuja and the fighting had stopped long before the Young GA Session began. The Nigerian Planning Team responsible for taking the Nigerian registrations for some reason could not understand the registration process. It turned out that 45 additional Nigerians showed up in Abuja unannounced and without conference fees. All during the Session, there were meetings with government officials to gain the needed funds to pay the bills. The Director General and the staff of the National Centre for Women Development were extremely understanding and flexible. Mrs. Fawekun of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs came daily to check to see what was needed. Last minute and vital contributions from Frank Nweke Jnr., Honourable Minister for Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties; Senator Ibrahim Matu, Deputy Senate President of the National Assembly; IBB International Golf Club, and Albakar Airlines made it possible for everyone to leave four days after the Session with all bills paid. Eighteen year old Temidayo Israel-Abdulai, the Convenor, learned a lot from this experience that will help him to manage responsibility even better in the future.
Evaluation from Augustine Idonije of Country Associates Network, Abuja:
When I came I thought it would be boys and girls talking together about issues concerning them and their future. I learned a lot more about the world and the United Nations. I also learned how to blow bubbles with bubble gum for the first time. The part I liked best was the Closing Plenary and making all the plans for next year. I made some new friends. I am going to tell my friends at school all about this meeting and encourage them to do projects. I will start now to save money to go to the YGA Session in Bangladesh in 2005.
Evaluation from Muhees Adigun of Strategies for Social and Human Development, Lagos. ( Muhees had his 10th birthday during the Session.):
I found I CAN be confident with strangers. Before I came to Abuja I was scared to speak up, but now the fear is gone. I can go home and tell my friends and co-workers to pass the message to all children about child rights and child participation. I liked learning about the United Nations and the doing the project plans and meeting new friends. I liked the vision activity best. I will hold that picture in my mind.
RESOLUTIONS NOT APPROVED
1. Charles Mba would like to propose that each Member Organization should contribute 30% of its funds available for hosting projects to the Young General Assembly Secretariat to have it run smoothly.
2. In 2005, the Young General Assembly will change its requirements for delegations to the annual sessions so that each delegation will consist of four people: one person over the age of 18, two people 13-17 years old, and one person 10-12 years old.
RESOLUTIONS APPROVED
Res.YGA/04/1: The words “children’s duties” are to be inserted after “children’s needs” in Paragraph 4, Chapter I, Article 1. of the Young General Assembly Charter.
Res.YGA/04/2: The Secretariat will investigate further asking Rick DellaRatta, Founder of Jazz for Peace, to put on a benefit concert around the first week of December at no cost to the Young General Assembly.
Res.YAG/04/3: The Sixth Annual Young General Assembly Session is to be held in Bangladesh in 2005 hosted by the National Federation of Youth Organisations in Bangladesh. If conditions make this not possible, Youth Challenge of Singapore will be the approved host organization.
Res.YGA/04/4: The Seventh Annual Young General Assembly Session is to be held in Malawi in 2006 hosted by Sue Williams Education Foundation and the African Network for Protection and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Res.YGA/04/5: The 2004-2005 Young General Assembly Executive Committee will consist of 14 people under the age of 18: Daniel Adamu, Ibrahim Adamu, Nura Adamu, Oluwadamilola Apotieri-Abdulai, Princess Ashowo,
Mariama Bah, Miriam Bathna, Glory Gabriel, James Adetokunbo George, Tina George, Abubakarr Messeh Kamara, Anthony Kamara, Wusu Sidique, and Joy Yakubu.
Res.YGA/04/6: The 2004-2005 Young General Assembly Finance Committee will consist of 14 people over the age of 18: Chukwuebuka Anisiobi, Charles Anyawike, Ayodele Fanida, Nentawe Gomiyar, Maddieu Kabbah,
Charity Kalu, Salifu Kamara, Nasir Kolade, Chuks Newman, Busola Obayomi, Cynthia Okoro, Kafayat Olukotun, Samuel Oyatolu,and Shem Shehu.
Res.YGA/04/7: The 2004-2005 Young General Assembly Special Issue Committee will consist of 27 people both under 18 and over 18: Titilayo Akibo, Titilope Animashaun, Francis Anyaegbu, Chidi Charles Anyawike,
Shehu Audu, Abiodun Azubuike, Olanrewaju Badiru, Omotoyosi Craig, Blessing David, Babajide Fawekun,
Iwona Haneczok, Samuel Isichei, Dayo Israel-Abdulai, Tokunbo Keshinro, Omotola Macaulay, Oluwatosin Makanjuola, Prince I. Moses, Normac Nwojo, Kelly Oliseh, Konyenum Oliseh, Benjamin Omojoye, Samuel Oyatolu, Rabiat Quadri, Taiwo Sanusi, Bimbo Solanke, Adejoke Soremekun, and Ibrahim Yeku.
Res.YGA/04/8: A Young General Assembly Advisory Board consisting of people over 18 years
of age who have been highly involved in YGA and UN activities and have been selected by merit shall be formed. This Board shall be under Article 7 of the Young General Assembly Charter. It shall share and assist
with the duties of the Secretariat. Other added responsibilities of the Board will include:
* To make recommendations to the Executive Committee on planning and policy decisions;
* To evaluate the activities of the Young General Assembly Member Organisations and submit reports to
the Secretariat Coordinator;
* Be responsible for networking Young General Assembly organisations and strategically increasing
the number of YGA Member Organisations;
* Create strategy goals for the YGA and promote strategy building at the annual Young General Assembly
sessions;
* The Board, whenever possible, will meet prior to the annual YGA sessions to discuss the progress and
way forward of the YGA; and
* The Board members, however, will not participate in the voting processes of the YGA done by the
Executive Committee and Ambassadors who are people under 18.
The founding members of the Executive Board are: Caroline Barebwoha, Uganda; Blessing David, Nigeria; Temidayo Israel-Abdulai, Nigeria; and Julia Walsh, United States.
Res.YGA/04/9: The 105 project plans written during the Fifth Annual Young General Assembly Session will be typed, corrected for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and sent out by e mail as well as posted on the Young General Assembly website.
Res.YGA/04/10: During 2004-2005 the Young General Assembly Finance Committee will raise funds for the winner of the World Arts and Crafts Contest for Disabled People to attend the Sixth Annual Young General Assembly Session in Bangladesh and funds for cash prizes for the second and third place winners.
Res.YGA/04/11: The Young General assembly Secretariat is to e mail the list of Member Organizations in a nation to all Member Organizations in that nation.
Res.YGA/04/12: Young General Assembly Member Organizations must include the name and contact information of a responsible person outside the organization who knows that the Member Organization’s work. The individual must send a statement and sign it verifying that the Member Organization has indeed done the projects it claims to have done in the annual report. The Member Organization must also send also must send at least 2 photos of group members actually working during different stages of its project development. No posed, still group photos will be accepted.
Res.YGA/04/13: The ongoing Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Special Issue Committee Bylaws will be changed to read, “Future Generation Bulletin” instead of “Why, Gee! A Bulletin!”
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WORLDWIDE ARTS AND CRAFTS CONTEST FOR DISABLED PERSONS
At the Fifth Annual Young General Assembly Session in Abuja, Nigeria, the young people decided that they would initiate an international contest for disabled people. This came about because two young disabled people from Nigeria and Sierra Leone attended the conference and pointed out how often disabled people are excluded in society.
Submissions should express the artist’s ideas about children’s experiences now or how it is hoped they will be in the future in four different categories: 1. Children’s healthy or unhealthy lives; 2. Child education or lack of it; 3. Child abuse or the prevention of child abuse; 4. HIV/AIDS suffering or prevention as experienced by children. The judging committee will consist of disabled young people living near the Young GA Secretariat.
Entries can be submitted in the mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture (any materials), woodworking, sewing/knitting/crocheting (including quilts), original recipes, shoe making, ceramics, basketry, dance/instrumental/vocal music, drama/mime, photography, poetry/stories/play scripts, etc.
Contestants must send a digital or VHR video tape of their submission to arrive no later than January 15, 2005.
Artwork sent through the postal mail will not be accepted because it could get damaged or lost in customs.
Contestants must be under the age of 18 on August 15, 2005.
The first prize winner will receive free airfare and conference fee to attend the Young General Assembly Session July 26 – August 6, 2005 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The second and third prize winners will receive cash prizes.
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