RYON CONFERENCE & exhibition
Theme: The Youth Win the Race, the Possible Dream
Date: 8th -10th July 2011
Place: Maison des Jeunes Kimisagara

Objectives of the conference

The main objectives of the conference are:

a) To exchange solutions and experiences on youth related issues, such as livelihood, development and participation;

b) To initiate and encourage networking among youth organizations;

c) To facilitate partnership between youth led organizations and other stakeholders (authorities, donors, private sector and NGOs).

The Format of the conference

The conference is organized as followed:

I- Opening ceremony
II- Plenary panel discussions
III- Concurrent theme sessions
IV- Opening ceremony for the exposition
V- Closing of the conference:
a. Presentation of outputs
b. Closing remarks

DESCRIPTION

I – Opening plenary

A brief introduction of RYON and its partners and some information on the logistic, then followed by a multi-media presentation.

II- Plenary panel discussions

There will be two main plenary panels. Each panel will be composed of 03 panelists and moderated by a LEAD/RYON facilitator. Each panelist will make a 10 minutes presentation; at the end of all the presentations, there will be a Q&A session. Each panel will last about 1 hour.

The following themes are suggested:

Theme one: Rwandan Youth as actors of sustainable development: Dream or reality?

Panelists:
Moderated by: RYON/LEAD
Time: After opening ceremony

Theme two: Public-private partnership for youth development: What is going on?

Panelists:
Moderated by: RYON/LEAD
Time: After the first panel.

III- Concurrent theme sessions

Each theme will be covered in two sessions of 1h30 min each. There will be theme’s chair and reporter. The Chair will introduce the theme and moderate the discussions through the questions developed in the concept paper . The reporter will take note and write a summary report of the discussions to be presented during the closing session in the plenary.
All sessions will take place at the same time.

Concurrent session part-one: After the Plenary sessions and ends before the opening ceremony of the exposition (scheduled for lunch break)
Concurrent session part-two: After lunch and ends before the closing ceremony

The following themes were suggested:

Theme one: Youth as actors for sustainable development

• How to get more influence as a youth organization?
• How can a youth organization impact their community?
• What are the challenges and opportunities in engaging the youth for sustainable development?
• How to achieve Rwandan progress and youth work support?

Theme two: Platforms for knowledge sharing for and between youth organizations

• How can network technologies and social media enhance networking among youth organizations in Rwanda?
• How communities of practice around youth development look like?
• What are the useful ways to sustain youth organization networking and partnership?
• Building a database of youth organization: what could be the specificities in Rwanda?

Theme three: Best practices for youth participation in Rwanda

• What are lessons learned in working with and for youth in Rwanda?
• Are there some principles and norms relevant for youth development sector in Rwanda?
• What are some strategies used in Rwanda to develop multi-stakeholders dialogue and partnership on youth related issues?

IV- Opening ceremony for the exposition

Scheduled around 12:30 PM.

V- Closing ceremony

a) Presentation of outputs

Each reporter of the theme-session will present in no more than 5 minutes a draft summary of the discussions of their group. Reporters will be encouraged to use multi-media presentation. Reporters will be provided a template for presentation.

b) Closing remarks

By RYON representatives and authority.
A multi-media presentation with video and pictures from the sessions could also add some value.

Rwandan Youth Organizations’ Network (RYON) is a newly established network that gathers three youth associations funded by the Danish Youth Council (DUF). The three association’s members of the network are:

MEDSAR (Medical Students ‘Association of Rwanda): Trough MEDSAR, medical students carry out different activities aiming at health issues and human rights promotion in rural areas.

MMHA (Medical Students’ Mental Health Association) aims at improvement of mental health in Rwandan people

AEJTR (Association des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs de RISIZI) : this association is made of university students and secondary students who work with street children and try to help them to join their families as well as doing advocacy for them.

The objectives:

¢  Capacity building of Rwandan youth.

¢  Improvement of health and human rights issues of rural communities.

¢  Increase youth participation in community based activities.

¢  Advocate for youth organisations, members of the network.

¢  Sharing experiences, strengthening and support each other.

Vision:

To become a youth organizations’ network that will offer to youth the opportunity to get new skills and experience in order to offer a good service to their community and become good leaders of the future.

Activities:

• Capacity building workshops to youth:

The aim of these workshops is to train increase the capacity for youth to run different projects within their organizations; topics like Logical Framework Approach, fund raising, research skills study and financial management will be covered during the pilot phase of the project that will last six months; from June to December, 2009.

• Visits and study trip to other organizations:

The objective of these visits is to offer to youth organization the opportunity of learning from big organizations their experience in planning, implementing, monitor and evaluate their projects.

• Knowledge sharing sessions:

Knowledge and experience sharing workshops allow youth organizations to know what is being done in other association’s members of network and thereby share their experiences and skills.

• Evaluation of the pilot phase of the network:

In December, 2009 there will be an evaluation of the pilot network in order to assess wether the goals of this pilot network have been achieved and thereafter discuss about the future of the Rwandan Youth Organizations’ Network (RYON).

Realized activities:

-          A three days workshop on:

Logical Framework Approach and project cycle management.

Marketing and fundraising.

During this workshop 53 youth from three associations of members of the network have been trained during three days.

-          A one day visit to Search for Common Ground (SFCG):

The objective of the visit was t learn from search for common ground their experience in mass communication, project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The visit has been made by 18 members from RYON.

-          Meetings of the organizing committee:

From June to November, 2009; six members of the organizing committee hold four meetings. The objective of these meetings is to evaluate planning coming activities as well as evaluating realized activities. During these meetings, the organizing committee discuss also about the future of the network.

-          Meeting of the organizing committee with members of the executive committees of the associations:

From June to September, 2009 Rwandan Youth Organizations’ network organized two meetings where the organizing committee members presented the progress of the activities to members of the executive boards of the associations.

In addition to these, the coordinating team of the network discuss with executive committees members about the future of the network.

Future activities:

-          A five days workshop on research skills study and financial management.

-          Evaluation of the pilot phase of the network.

Associations members of RYON:

1. 1. Medical Students’ Association of Rwanda (MEDSAR):

The Medical Students’ Association of Rwanda and is a full member of International Federation of Medical Students Association and has more than 500 members, working in different standing committees and projects.

Its headquarters are at the National University of Rwanda, Faculty of Medicine, but may be transferred elsewhere in the country upon agreement of members. MEDSAR is in cooperation with many other medical students and youth associations wherever the world and is ready to extend this cooperation (e.g. International Medical cooperation Committee (IMCC, Denmark).

Objectives:

1. To unite ,defend and represent medical and Para-medical students
2. To promote science and research culture within members
3. To initiate programs whose aim is to promote the living standards of the population.
4. To combat solitude and ignorance by creating cooperation with other associations both in Rwanda and abroad.

Activities:

¢  MEDSAR is in partnership with IMCC ( International Medical Cooperation Committee) since 2004. Five projects; Family Planning Education Project, Stop Prostitution Around the Campus, Fight Against Malnutrition, Gender Empowerment Group  and Conflict Management Project are being run under this partnership.

¢  Other activities of MEDSAR are done through: -Different Standing Committees: Standing Committee On Reproductive Health and AIDS, Standing Committee On Professional Exchange, Standing Committee On Research Exchange Standing Committee On Medical Education ,Standing Committee On Human Rights and Peace,  and Standing Committee On Public Health.

Besides these projects, there is another large project which is Rwanda village Concept project (RVCP; www.rwanda-vcp.org )

More about MEDSAR, please visit: www.medsar.org

1. 2. Association des Enfants et Jeunes Travailleurs de Rusizi (AEJTR):

Description of organization

AEJTR was founded in October 2004 with the purpose of fighting for the rights of street children and unemployment in Rusizi. AEJTR is organized with a board of 7 members: President, vice-president, treasurer, secretary and 3 common members. AEJTR consist of 28 members (13 girls and 15 boys) from 20 to 35 years of age. Most of them have finished secondary school and few of them are studying at the university. The members are situated in Rusizi, Butare and Kigali.

A.E.J.T.R has been making partnership with Save Children and Youth from Denmark since February 2007; it is only one source of financial funding we have as an organization.

Objectives of organization

To make a democratic organization capable of handling all organizational activities including fund raising independently and improving the conditions of life for vulnerable children.

To fight against the rights of child in Rwanda especially in Rusizi district.

Activities and areas of working

-         The service delivery activities involve educating the children and their parents, and doing social activities for the children. Since the activities take place in both the village and the city and include both education and games, they are called “events”.

-         The capacity building activities include board and member meetings, the seminar and delegation of specific tasks and responsibilities to the members groups. The aim is to improve the organizational capacity of AEJTR.

-         Advocacy includes radio broadcasts at Rusizi community radio once a month and monthly meetings with the authorities. The aim is to try to influence authorities and public to improve the situation of the children.

1. 3. Medical Students’ Mental Health Association (MMHA):

Medical Students’ mental Health Association has 90 members from different departments at the National University of Rwanda.

MMHA has been created in 2006 in order to resolve mental disorders caused by the 1994 Tutsi genocide.

Objectives:

1. To increase the number of social assistants (counselors)

2. To raise the awareness of Rwandese population about mental health situation

3. To organize seminars, conferences in the field of Mental Health

4. To increase the number of students who specialize in psychiatry

and psychotherapy or other field  related to mental health

Activities:

Through Mental Health Empowerment Project; MMHA has carried out the following activities:

They do psycho-education on Post Traumatic Stress Disorders  in the southern province of Rwanda :

1. 4. in 10 Secondary schools
2. 5. During community work
3. 6. To orphans
4. 7. They act as counselors during the commemoration period.

Partners organizations:

Rwandan Youth Organizations works in cooperation with three Danish organizations:

1. International Medical Cooperation Committee (IMCC).
2. Save the Children and Youth
3. Mental Health-Rwanda