The Regional Center of Expertise (RCE) Minna Youth Network held a Round Table Discussion with the theme: Volunteering towards Achieving ESD: the Role of RCE Minna Youth. The programme was held on the 16th August, 2015 at the RCE Minna Resource Center. It was aimed at bringing together RCE Youth and other youth organisations to foster strong youth commitment and action through volunteering to achieve Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Participant at the discussion includes RCE Minna Coordinator and representatives, RCE Minna Youth and representative of other Youth organisations within Minna. Also, Dr. Abdullahi Mann of Federal University of Technology Minna who will attend the Community-to-Community Exchange and Capacity Development Workshop for Traditional Knowledge Holders on 28 September - 4 October Bangalore, India was at the workshop.

The programme featured presentations on RCE at glance, beyond YUVA and the theme of the programme by the coordinator RCE Minna Youth Network Ibrahim Akibu Ja’afaru. Dr. Abdul Husaini who gave an opening remark at the event advised the youth to harness the available opportunity within RCE Minna and come up with quality programmes and activities. Furthermore, Mal. Nurudeen Lemu also charged the youth to come up with a programme that is beneficial to the community which they are passionate about. He cited the example of the award winning RCE Minna Project on the ‘Use of Used baby diapers in enhancing the life-span of plants’. He also displayed a documentary on the new RCE Minna project which was on a balanced canoe that enables safe water transportation.

In the same vein, RCE Minna Youth Network held a meeting which was chaired by Ibrahim Akibu Ja’afaru the Coordinator RCE Minna Youth Network. Matters arising from the workshop were discussed. Some of the action plan from the meeting included, organising a 2-day capacity training workshop for RCE Minna Youth; agree to improve collaboration with other youth organizations such as RCE Minna Youth Network, ACERAD and Young People for African Development (YPAD) and to organise an Inter-Secondary School debating competition by 1st October, 2015; lastly to identify areas of collaboration with schools and government institutions. At the end of the meeting, the youth further agree to a renewed commitment to develop a workable action plan for quality programs and activities in short, medium and long terms. 

This article was writte by Ibrahim Akibu Ja’afaru, Coordinator of the RCE Minna Youth network.