By Moses Ziyambi
Several youths who attended a Youth Forum consultative meeting in Masvingo on Thursday praised the youth group for its commitment to the advancement of young people who remain hardest hit by the current difficult economic conditions in the country.
Held in conjunction with Youth Agenda Trust, an affiliate of Youth Forum, the meeting served as a data-gathering exercise meant to appreciate the situation of youth for efficient policy formulation.
“I am happy that our country still has organisations like Youth Forum who are genuinely concerned with our plight at a time when the problem of unemployment has seen us losing hope. To have somebody who sympathises with you and who is prepared to hear your side of the story is a privilege,” said Mercy Taonezvi who attended the workshop.
Masvingo Residents Trust (MRT) Chairperson, Prosper Tiringindi commented Youth Forum for engaging young people on all issues that affect them.
“We are happy that Youth Forum has continues to engage the youth on the ground so as to gain an understanding of the socio-economic challenges that they face,” said Tiringindi.
“We however would like to encourage the organisation to map the way forward and take action on all the problems that have been brought forward,” he added.
The youth group’s National Deputy Chairperson, Fadzai Tayengwa said the meeting was part of a series of country-wide data-gathering exercises on youth.
“We are aware that youth in different communities may face different challenges that require unique solutions hence our resolve to do wide field work. This gives us an opportunity to gain practical knowledge that will help in policy formulation,” said Tayengwa.
Godfrey Kurauone Youth Forum Chairperson for Masvingo
Of late, the group has been vocal in youth activism work; lobbying the government to adopt a more friendly national youth policy.
Recently, the organisation also distributed snooker tables to various districts in Masvingo province to be used for income generation by its members.local
