Nangula Shejavali
26 October 2009
AS the presidential and parliamentary elections draw closer, members of the "born-free generation" of young people born in an independent Namibia are going mobile to have their voices heard.
In a five-week campaign called 'Listen Loud', the born-frees will be able to contribute to opinion polls via their cellphones, by simply calling a toll-free number set up by campaign partners: the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) with the support of the National Institute for Democracy (NID) and the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Speaking at the campaign launch last week, Unicef representative Ian MacLeod said the aim of 'Listen Loud' is to "capture the views, the perspectives and the priorities of children and young people about key issues that affect their lives".
He added that because the oldest of the born-free generation would be able to vote in this election, the campaign was focusing primarily on reaching those who hadn't reached the voting age of 18 yet.
"It is giving them the chance to vote," he said, adding that the campaign is taking place now "so that these young Namibians can contribute to the process of shaping the new Parliament".
According to national statistics, about half the Namibian population consists of young people under the age of 18.
For each week of the campaign, these born-frees will be able to contribute their opinions on a set theme by calling the number 0800002009, listening to the instructions in their language of choice and voting for the various opinions expressed that are closest to their views. At the end of a call, they can also send an SMS providing additional opinions if they wish to do so.
The five themes up for discussion for the five weeks include Child Protection, Education, HIV and AIDS, Health, and 'Your Future, Your Vision'. The themes and the opinion options were all selected through focus group discussions with young people.
Once the views of the young people are captured, they will be analysed and the highlights published in the media every week.
MacLeod also noted that at the end of the five weeks, the results would be collectively documented, and presented at the Children's Parliament in 2010, "where young people themselves will make specific recommendations to the new Parliament and parliamentarians for consideration."
At the launch the Junior Mayor of Windhoek, Nadine Boois, demonstrated the use of the toll-free line. She called on her fellow youth to use the 'Listen Loud' platform to express their views, and to ensure their participation in a democratic Namibia.
Member of Parliament Juliet Kavetuna said the views expressed through the campaign would be taken seriously by Parliament.
She encouraged the youth to utilise the platform provided by the campaign, highlighting HIV-AIDS as a serious issue that could only be tackled with their support, as members of the target age group are those most vulnerable to new infections.
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