The National Youth Parliament

Vision statement: Building a better Gambia with active and effective youth participation

There are so many youth organizations in the Gambia that, it is increasingly becoming a complex matter when it comes to distinguishing between them. But through genuine focus, some have been able to win a place for themselves as they have made so much impact that they have become household names in the society. Among these is the formidable National Youth Parliament (NYP).

Much has been said about it but, like many others, a little is known about it, in terms of its formation and limit of operations.

As part of our promise to bringing you information on organizations that matter to you, in today's edition, the organization in the spotlight is this reputable National Youth Parliament. Whether you know it or not, you are been represented by this organization at some level.

On March 7 this year, the NYP celebrated its 6th birthday in style and fashion. The venue was the National Assembly ground, and at hand to grace that memorable occasion were members of the Gambian legislature as well as some secretaries of state, under the auspices of the Honorable Speaker of the house, Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay. Bellow, we explore the organizations history of formation. Please, read on!

Like many others, the National Youth Parliament of the Gambia is a legally registered national youth organization, operating with the recognition of the umbrella body of all legally constituted youth organizations in this country, the National Youth Council, which is itself a creation of the 2000 National Youth Council Act.

Having been registered as a Charitable Organization under the 1955 companies act at the Attorney general's chambers in Banjul, the NYP operates as representative advocacy network of young people. It was actually established in 2002 as a project on Adolescent youth reproductive health and right by RAID, the Gambia (a local NGO), funded by UNFPA.

The NYP is composed of seven regional youth parliaments as well as district youth parliaments in Lower River Region, Central River Region, North Bank Region and Upper River Region. Each regional youth parliament has 30 members who serve as representatives from their respective districts youth parliaments and community based organizations in each region.

It now operates an administrative secretariat which is run by the national executive council as the coordinating body of the parliament. And this includes the Speaker, the administrative secretary, and the clerk.

The general assembly which is the highest decision-making body of the parliament, meets every six months, whilst the central body that monitors and supports the national executive council meets in every three months.

The NYP aims at inculcating responsible citizenship in young people and enables their effective and positive participation in national development. With a mission statement: Building a better Gambia with active and effective youth participation, the parliament works towards a host of objectives; among them

* To inculcate responsible citizenship in the minds of young people and enable them develop positive behaviors.

* To encourage and promote the participation of young people in addressing socio-economic, political and social problems.

Membership is achieved through the fulfillment of a number of criteria, among them; members shall:

* be a literate, who can read and write with a degree of English proficiency to enable him/her to take part in proceedings of the national youth parliament and report back to the people represented.

* be a role model or shall not be in trouble with the laws of the land.

* be a representative of a group, community or district.

The NYP also serves as a link between the youths and policy makers; legislators; civil society organizations and the general public at large.

It promotes awareness of young people in all sectors of society, create a forum for young people to discuss their opinions and make their voices heard, and also scrutinize all policies affecting youths and give possible recommendations to the authorities, among others.

If you want to know more about the parliament, you are free to contact them on the following address:

National Youth Parliament

Jimpex Complex

Jimpex Road

Kanifing Industrial Area

P. O. Box 480

Banjul

Telephone: 9925521,9738005,9984719,9937631

E-mail: naypg@yahoo.com or youthparliament@gmail.com