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GYSD 2020: Real Youth Solving Real Problems

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By Daize Merville Njounkeng (YES 2017-18, Cameroon, hosted by PAX in Zanesville IN)

Global Youth Service Day 2020 was indeed a challenging one with a lot of changes. For previous years, our Cameroonian YES alumni would visit orphanages, donate books or even organize a clean-up campaign but this year’s GYSD was different. While thinking of what could be done for a service project during the quarantine, I remembered a project idea I had months ago that fit perfectly in the scenario.

This video project titled “Real Youths Solving Real Problems” was mainly aimed at motivating my fellow youths who had lost the zeal to give back to the community. Many youths are beginning to feel frustrated with the system of things in the society now. When I interviewed a classmate earlier this year, she told me… “There are a lot of things that aren’t going right, but what can one person do, talk less of a mere teenager like me.” This statement hit me real hard because I already knew a lot of “mere teenagers” and “mere youths” making impacts in their various communities. The video was to show them that no matter our age, size, race or background we can still be a solution to a problem.

Our Cameroonian youths are rarely celebrated and many people don’t know about them. The secondary aim for the video was to show these youths to the public, to show how youths are making impacts in their various communities. They are real youths solving real problems. Despite the numerous challenges some youths encountered, they still worked their way up; to see their dreams being realized and community problems being solved.

Another aim of this video project was to encourage network and collaboration amongst youths within the community. Like the old African quote goes ““If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says the youths are the greatest source of the hope this generation needs. Working together certainly makes this achievable.

The good news is that all the aims of this video project have been achieved so far. Immediately the video was uploaded, I started getting comments like these:

Pride Babonga, age 19 said, “I just watched this video and wow indeed time waits for no one. I must pursue and dedicate myself fully to what I am passionate about.”

Leah Kindness, a friend noted, “Seriously Daize, when are we going out for community service again? This video just reminded me to get back to the project I was working on. Such a wakeup call.”

Also, the selected youths of the video got to know themselves better. The comments showed relationships that were formed. Some of them, both home and abroad, even suggested that we could organize a conference sometime in the future where they could share their experiences live to inspire others.

Since the 18th of April, more than 400 people have viewed this video and eventually many more people will watch the video and I believe the outcomes will be amazing.

I encountered many challenges while working on this project, however. Getting the youth together was not an easy task, since many people knew very little about them. I had to follow them on all social media platforms, leave several messages, and I even went through their friend lists to see if I knew someone who knows them personally.

The issue of internet connection and electricity back home too was a major challenge. Thanks to the YES Program coordinator Francois Donfack, who ensured that funds were available for this project. But the good news remains that it was successful after all.

This video project certainly taught me some great lessons too:

• There is no proper place or time or age to create impact in the community. Even from the comforts of our rooms we can inspire many and solve a need in the community.

• Never stop learning. Initially I set up to learn about youths in my community who are creating impacts locally and internationally and their works certainly inspired me.

The video project went above and beyond what I envisioned it to be. I am now, more inspired than ever to do other videos like this. It is amazing the impact can be created from the comforts of our rooms! Watch the video here:


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