Democracy is a topic that should concern every person in every country. It has to be achieved that every person is aware of the importance of democracy and that this is a big challenge. How can people be taught why it is important to actively participate in democratic processes?
Organizations – such as the Mwanza Youth and Children Network (MYCN), a non-governmental organization from Tanzania, have the chance to promote participation. Today at the World Forum for Democracy I talked to Shaban Ramadhani Maganga, the executive Chairman of MYCN. With his NGO, he helped creating a child-led media program in Tanzania to increase children’s confidence and engagement in democracy; offering them a opportunity to produce an own program on the radio and television for one hour, once a week.
Most importantly: Raising awareness, decreasing violence
The NGO’s ultimate goal is to raise awareness among Tanzanian youth about topics which concern them the most. These are engagement in politics, development and protection. But what does youth in Tanzania need to be protected from? As Mr. Maganga states, “a big threat to Tanzanian youth, is violence, especially to women”, which the NGO tries to address. According to him, the lack of resources available makes it difficult for MYCN to perform well and reach their goals. Improved access to resources would help the NGO to work more effectively, but this is difficult to achieve, since MYCN works on a limited budget and usually the Tanzanian government must consider its expenditures carefully. Nevertheless, MYCN gives hope to youngsters and tries to motivate them to take action. Through empowerment they can have have a real impact in the field of politics, not only in Tanzania, but all over the world.
[source photo: MYCN webpage]