"Intergenerational Solidarity; Creating A World for All Ages" was the theme of International Youth Day for this year 2022, and for Chozen Generation Sierra Leone (CGSL) their International Youth Day (IYD) message was sub themed "Beyond the symptoms: addressing the underlying causes of youth violence in Sierra Leone."
Chozen Generation on the International Youth Day joins the rest of the world to draw attention to the myriad of issues that continue to prevent young people from reaching their full potential.
"Sierra Leone is in the spotlight again following the August 10 violent demonstrations in Freetown and other parts of the country which resulted in several needless losses of lives, including those of youths and security personnel. Chozen Generation Sierra Leone (CGSL) as a youth leadership organization is in great distress over this tragedy and wish to use this day to mourn our compatriots," the message reads.
Chozen Generation condemns the August 10th violence in every form and believes it is by no means an option for a solution to anything. This year's IYD theme: "Intergenerational Solidarity; Creating A World for All Ages" is apt with Sierra Leone's current situation. Chozen Generation believes the protest and consequences thereof are symptoms of many underlying issues affecting young people in the country.
According to Chozen Generation, the dynamics of what unfolded on August 10 are complex and divers and hope for impartial and independent investigation into the matter. "We know for sure that in the midst of hardship and loss of hope, youths were caught up between expressing their genuine concerns and being used as pawns by selfish politicians".
In their message, Chozen Generation quoted Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General who said "We need to support young people with massive investments in education and skills-building... It's not enough to listen to young people -- we need to integrate them into decision-making mechanisms at the local, national and international levels,"
The Organisation expressed that Youths can become more and contribute more if they are given the platform to learn and express themselves, maintaining that while it is convenient to describe the August 10 demonstrations as the result of political machinations only, the organization also think such an univariate analysis of events is lazy and unhelpful.
Chozen Generation addresses the underlying causes of youth violence in Sierra Leone, stating that the country has a high youth population with a high levels of unemployment and the harsh economic climate have always created a potentially fertile opportunity for chaos.
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"We also think the question of why this happened now is naive. As a matter of fact, we believe it has been a matter of sheer luck that we had not witnessed this much earlier. To the careful observer, the signs had been obvious and persistent. The cost of living is at an all-time high, pushing many Sierra Leoneans, especially young people further into poverty".
Chozen Generation noted that the government has often been slow, unable or unwilling to provide timely and adequate information to its citizens creating a communication asymmetry that has been exploited by rogue elements.
"The blood of all the innocent lives lost are in our hands - every government official or civil servant who steals state resources and deprives millions of Sierra Leoneans of a decent life; every business owner who hoards goods and services, creating unbearable hardship for the most vulnerable citizens; every Sierra Leonean who creates and/or share dangerously false, inciteful and divisive content on social media and indeed every citizen who keeps a deafening silence in the face of these. We must all collectively accept responsibility and take steps to prevent a recurrence"
"We urge them to speed up the investigations, take all necessary steps to bring to account those who bear the greatest responsibility, and make public the findings. We call on every youth to be law-abiding and peaceful. We believe there is still space to express our concerns within the confines of the law. No retribution or mourning is enough to compensate for a lost life".
