2024-03-21 17:04:18
As part of the activities marking Francophonie Week, the NGO Trois Lys Nsimalen – Maison de la Franconia in Yaoundé, organized a conference on March 19, with the theme, “La Francophonie: what an opportunity for youth”. It appears that many young people are not sufficiently informed about the different offers offered by this Network.
Based on the observation that many young people these days are still unaware of the subject of La Francophonie, it appears that many of them are unaware of the riches that arise from this vast network. This is what justifies the theme addressed during the conference on March 19, “The Francophonie: what an opportunity for young people”. The aim of this conference was to raise awareness among young people of the opportunities offered by the Francophonie, in particular by highlighting academic and scientific opportunities for those considering studies.
Investing in youth
The first panel consisted of letting these young people know where these opportunities exist for students or young students who plan to pursue studies or do business in the French-speaking world. “We must invest in French-speaking youth to give them the means, the tools to face the challenges of the future. But do not endure these issues but rather invest in them and it is for this reason that there is not a youth sector that we should neglect, on the contrary, we should encourage and promote talent; the Francophonie in this ambition also encourages the expression of talents. It is an invitation to each of you (young people, editor’s note), to get out of Francodoxy, etc.” said Dr Ousmanou Nwatchock, lecturer at the Institute of International Relations of Cameroon (Iric). Indeed, for this teacher, we must engage young people to experience the reality of the Francophonie whose strategy consists of investing in associations, which are places for mobilizing youth. These associations, he explained, will not work in self-sufficiency, but will interact with other associations first at national levels, but also with the States which host them and internationally in the form of Networks.
Regarding the contribution of the Francophonie to African society, Christophe Traisnel, President of the International Network of Senghor Chairs, thinks that “We will only be able to rebuild the Francophonie if we have gone through recognition” because he explained, in the past we built a Francophonie of discourse, a Francophonie of the institution. “Before asking the question of what the Francophonie has brought us, there is something to deconstruct. There are a lot of political debates around the Francophonie, it is very criticized and questioned; from a scientific point of view it allows us to sort out the elements that must be mobilized to better understand this Francophonie, in other words, essentially culture, history, the past “, he indicated.
Search for information and funding
In the second panel, it was a question of highlighting through the profile of the speakers, the social or economic opportunities that the Francophonie offers through CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) and on the economic level also highlighting this. relief. Also, allow young people to understand that the Francophonie takes care of women, for example, there are specific policies that are put in place in relation to their commitment, their supervision in life for example. Each speaker shared their experience with the Francophonie which allowed young people to be inspired, to see living examples of what the Francophonie could offer beyond books and technical knowledge.
For Alicia Djengue Nguete, Head of the Economic Cooperation Department at the Directorate of Relations with the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) at the Ministry of External Relations (Minrex), young people should not limit themselves to consulting websites. because they are sometimes obsolete or not updated. However, she asks young people to contact resource people to have access to information, and to regularly consult the OIF sites. Dr. John Madi Madi, Head of the Social Cooperation Service for Solidarity at the Francophonie Directorate at Minrex, maintained that “the action to be taken by young people is to form a group and not be satisfied with their own structure”he also proposed a synergy of youth action.
Along the same lines, Diane Ndeuna, President of Eden Africa, an international non-governmental civil society organization accredited to the OIF, explained that “The notion of opportunity is to recognize the “first times” (…) If your smartphone does not help you earn money, it is because you yourself are not smart in your head “. She therefore invited young people to seek out information to be up to date with the different offers and, above all, to know how to apply.