From: Michael Solomon (mikesolomo@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Sep 10 2009 - 19:13:41 EDT
The YPFDJ North American 5th Annual conference was held from September 4th to 7th in Washington DC. What makes this year’s conference so impressive is not only in the number of more than 600 attendees rather the content of the conference. The conference started with a very welcoming atmosphere and ended with great inspirational zeal.
The power point, pictures and video presentations by each chapter were well prepared, organized and outline accomplishments and their mission. The lectures presented by Ambassador Girmai about the history of Eritrea were very educational. The presentation and question/ answer session by minister Saleh Meki about the history of the youth movement and the current Eritrean situation and horn geopolitics was very informative. Also the presentations by other guests were very educational and informative as well.
The whole purpose of the YPFDJ is to create a very strong, patriotic and conscious youth inside and outside the country who will inherit and shoulder the responsibility of transforming Eritrea into a respected, viable and prosperous nation by following the “Nakfa Principle”. The conference affirms that the youth are very conscious, patriotic and mature who are contributing to Eritrea and to their respective community tangibly. The youth understood that the secret to Eritrean strength is through unity of one heart, one people.
The conference left no doubt that the youth are determined to take Eritrea to the next level in terms of social equitability, development, societal awareness to create a progressive society. The youth have also understood that the only way forward is through unity, hard work, awareness and having a tangible mission for the long term. It is amazing to witness that the youth are connected to their comrades at home through their unique bond of Eritreanism and goal.
Most of the youth are also very successful and productive in their personal life. Most of them are either professionals or pursuing higher education. It was a heartwarming to observe the more than 600 youth Eritreans interacting among each other and forming friendships. Wow, what a beautiful scene!
The conference concluded with a great zeal, performance, dinner and celebration by the Eritrean community, Korchach and Bekita Ali.
The conference was way more than my expectation. I was very impressed by the maturity, patriotism, consciousness, presentation and determination of the youth. It was a very good occasion for Eritrean youth to connect, to interact, to exchange ideas and to unite.
I really encourage other Eritrean youth to join their Eritrean brothers and sisters to learn about the history, culture and progress of their country and in return contribute to the betterment of Eritrea. I also encourage the parents and the community at large to help their youth to participate, setting aside all the arcade, stone age and primitive thinking of their individual inner problems. The world and Eritrea is moving forward, even the youth have understood it and are taking action, so please do not be left behind. Let your children join their brothers and sisters and be productive part of society. You need to attend, see and judge for yourself.
Awet n’hafash
Michael Solomon