From: dan e (eritreawi100@yahoo.co.uk)
Date: Tue May 05 2009 - 15:14:24 EDT
For photos and videos click on the links below.
Eritrean Youth in the UK held 3rd Youth Mekete on Sunday, May, 3, 2009. After a brief introduction and a message of welcome by the Chairwoman of the Eritrean Youth Association in the UK, Lwam Haile, HE Tesfamicael Gerahtu, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to the UK and Ireland, gave a speech entitled “Youth and Transformational Agenda”; in which the Ambassador talked about issues relating children, youth and families in the UK and involvement of youth in the nation-building process.
Running for a third time, Youth Mekete has been a platform that brings young Eritreans in the UK together to discuss, share ideas and carry out activities that benefit young people, the community and Eritrea at large. Aimed at creating a strong community, Eritreans in the UK , in particular the youth, have been carrying a number of programs and activities. Ambassador Tesfamicael emphasized the importance of strengthening the ongoing drive through strategic grassroots activities and mobilization of children, young people and families in their local areas.
One of the main programs of the event was a workshop that was designed to generate discussion and come up with concrete ideas and plans for implementation. The workshop generated a very productive and heated debate on the following three topics, bridging the gap and mending the communication between parents and children; what opportunities and spaces exist back home for Eritrean Youth in Diaspora; and on expanding the organization and participation of Eritrean Youth in the UK. The discussion that took place in three large groups was presented at the end of the workshop.
This was followed by a very important step - in taking the youth activities to a local level- in which more than twenty young people from North London, South London, East London, and West London, enthusiastically volunteered to play a leading role in implementing different programs including sport, forums, art and other children and youth activities.
Rightly entitled “Eritrean Diaspora Youth in Action” was another main program of the day; in which two young Eritreans shared their experiences in doing voluntary jobs in Eritrea and one a trip to Sawa. Adams, a law student, shared his fulfilling experience that helped him advance his profession, working for the Eritrean government in the legal aspect of claims commission for the thousands of Eritreans who were deported from Ethiopia; Mela, shared her experience working voluntarily with the Eritrean orphanage; and Tamara, who shared her trip to Sawa.
The event was concluded with music shows that displayed the artistic creativity of two young Eritreans.
Vidio-Photos-music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSXswePWWZQ
Photo-Slideshow
http://picasaweb.google.com/meadna1/EritreanYouthInTheUKHeld3rdYouthMeketeOnSundayMay32009#slideshow
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----