Youth and decision makers ‘working together for a better Yemen’ [Archives:2007/1070/Last Page]
July 23 2007
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Abdullah Abdul-Elah Sallam's belief that dialogue is one of the most important means by which important issues can be understood and problems solved rationally, inspired him to build a court exclusively for youth whereby they could interact with relevant authorities and share ideas for a better future. As director general and founder of the youth court project, Sallam is one of many Yemenis striving to improve his country.
There is a communication gap between youth and decision makers. Decision makers and planners are ignorant of the pertinent role that youth can play in Yemen's development process, resulting in a wasting of youth capabilities and energy.
Supported by a number of national and international organizations, the new youth court aims to give youth the opportunity to freely express their opinions and discuss important issues with decision makers directly. This will, hence, contribute to a greater involvement of Yemeni youth in the development of their country, enabling their voice to be heard at the decision making level.
Members of the youth court range in age from 12 to 30 years old and include people concerned with issues of relevance to youth, such as journalists, lawyers, intellectuals, and decision makers. The project started 6 months ago when five trainers from the youth center affiliated with the youth court participated in a training course for a youth court in Egypt. “I dream at the end of six months to spread the youth court project from the youth center as an independent company and open more branches all over Yemen,\” Sallam revealed.
Every month 300 people are scheduled to meet and discuss an issue of concern to youth with a prominent decision maker. There are 12 decision makers currently involved in the youth court program
