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Keynote Address delivered by Hon. Etmonia David Tarpeh, Minister of Youth and Sports - At the 44th Ordinary General Assembly of the Liberia YMCA

His Excellency   Joseph N. Boakai, Vice president of the republic of Liberia other officials of Government, Her Excellency Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General Ellen Margretthe Loj, the general Secretary of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs,  Delegates at the 44th Ordinary General Assembly, Partners of the Fourth Estate, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am highly honored to have been selected as your key note speaker for this very important occasion with the theme focused on transformation and self–fulfillment of youth and communities.

The holding of this ordinary general assembly this year after almost a decade is but one more of the many indicators of Liberia’s return to normalcy.

It has been a very great honor to be serving as the nation’s Youth and Sports Minister in the first government administration since peace was declared. Youth in Liberia today make up a larger than normal portion of the population. (the new census will tell us more, but the voter registration in 2005 has already revealed this).

This county’s young people play many roles at this time, perhaps too many roles. They are the segment of the population we rely on to serve the economy by growing food, creating jobs and raising the standard of living. They are the people we rely on to raise today’s children into reliable and productive adults. They make up most of the nation’s corps of school teachers who must prepare the next generation for its future work.
And they are the segment of the population who are taking the responsibility as bread winners, caring for their parents, and the elderly of the nation.

And with all this responsibility, they have not been adequately equipped with education, skills, nor a healthy economy. They have not had a level playing field for personal development, and now they have no choice but to accept the demands put upon them and try to move forward. But they are getting some help. Our government at this time is gradually putting steps in place fort the youth. My ministry is there to work with them and I know the Liberia YMCA is there for them also.

 One of my first places I visited after being appointed Minister of youth and Sports was this very building, because I knew that if we are going to succeed in our work with the young people of this nation it would be hand in hand with the YMCA.

So, what then is our task as we work together? Among other things, we must tackle: 

The high rate of unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, teenage pregnancy and the lack of marketable skills among the youth, who form over 60 percent of our population.

In an effort to address the situation, the young people themselves, under their umbrella organization, the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), have carved a national youth policy to serve as a guide in this endeavor.

This was made possible through several donors/sponsors whom I am pleased to recognize – the YMCA of Liberia, UNDP, Action Aid, and FLY for collaborating with the minister of youth and sports in these efforts.

 The youth’s participation in the poverty reduction strategy (PRS) as a cross–cutting working group enabled them to project serious youth issues and concerns. These are areas   which constitute our task and as the government, through the ministry of youth and sports and other ministries, works to address these areas, we look to the YMCA for continued collaboration.

What must the YMCA do? The YMCA   is an icon of youth development in Liberia.
It is one of the oldest institutions in Liberia - established in 1881. The YMC can boast of the many leaders who grew up in its walls, and who remain connected to the “Y”. Its is high time that these connections begin to pay off – in furtherance of the mission of developing youth leaders. The “Y” is involved in many aspects of community life, as well as in city renewal programs and others.

Let me hasten to say that every young person can be a leader in one way or another: on a football team, in the classroom either as a student or a teacher, in the Sunday school class, or in the community – in so many ways – in a neighborhood watch group, as an organizer for trash collection, or a health committee that promotes good health practices, or as a youth volunteer.

 Today, one of the most important ways to demonstrate good leadership is through the promotion of non-violence and conflict resolution – young leaders are needed in the small rural towns just as they are needed on the university campuses.

 The mission of the YMCA is to unite and empower young people through self development and services to their communities among   others. This has long been the driving mission of the YMCA, and I am happy to know that it continues to be the focus in the new Five-year Strategic Plan, which this assembly will review during deliberations these two days.

Youth leadership and development, education and employment and health and environment are the three strategic areas in the strategic plan, which is commendable.

We must seek to be a community of vision that is energized and disciplined, characterized by obedience to the distastes of the Holy Scriptures. A community contextually relevant and responsive to the temporal, as well as fundamental, needs for transformation that our nation’s situation has created and demands.
 
The youth must adopt a new consciousness that life is worth living and that every human being is a significant element in God’s creation – these needs to become a permanent reality.
 
Let the youth remain steadfast in ensuring unity in the communities and among themselves – throughout the length and breadth of our country. They owe this not only to themselves, but to the generations to come.

I understand that from the very beginning the YMCA was essentially a youth movement – this should become more and more a focal point in the deliberations of this 44th ordinary general assembly.
The involvement of youth must be a center piece of your policies – you must continue to be youth driven.

I pray that the officials at one point will have the courage to surrender your privileged positions to youth and take the risk that others took when they entrusted you with leadership of the “Y”.

Like in the words of our scriptural text for this assembly, 1st Timothy 4: 12, you need to ensure that you clearly say to the youth: “don’t let anyone put you down because you are young. Teach believers with your life – by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith and by integrity “

The challenge now is the need for effective leaders – if we all commit to support the YMCA to continue its work – helping the YMCA is helping the communities and the country.

Every general assembly, like this one, is a defining moment –which means a decision, a resolution or a turn in the road that when taken, will determine the future.

I pray that your deliberations will lead to valuable and meaningful consensus and speedy actions that will truly inspire the youth and communities to ensure true transformation and self –fulfillment to us all.

May Good bless this awakening of transformation and self fulfillment in our youth and communities and bless the YMCA.

I pray that the new executives to be elected will have the desire to serve every one so that God will be gratified and the membership will grow and find hope in their lives, may God grant you His mercy as you unite in your march into the future.

I wish the YMCA well in the decades to come.

Thank you