Last month, we graduated 54 young people in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, after completing training in the Youth Accelerators – a youth development program, implemented under the USAID Coragem project in partnership with community radios.
“The Youth Accelerator (AJ) has made me a more conscious about the problems in my community,” says Esperança Rui, a Youth Accelerator member from Ehale Community Radio in Nacala-a-Velha. Understand and think of solutions to the problems of their community, understand themselves, their dreams, fears, and potential, practice technical skills related to Radiojournalism through the production of programs are part of the set of skills and activities of the Youth Accelerator training. In it, the young people are supported and guided by several professionals from community radio stations, the community and h2n. From the beginning, we assumed ourselves as responsible for the training of young people in the Youth Accelerators, says Fritz Agostinho, journalist and AJ facilitator at Watana Community Radio in Nacala-Porto. This program is implemented with the permission and support of the parents, guardians and caregivers of the youth who participate in them. “The Accelerator is an opportunity to empower for the future,” reiterates Laura Pedro, mother of Belmiro, from the Youth Accelerator of Monapo Community Radio, in Monapo, Nampula Province. In addition to training for the future, the Youth Accelerator allows community radio stations to have professionals prepared to produce programs, carry out community mobilization activities, and others. Some of the young people trained were integrated into community radio stations such as Ehale, Monapo, and Nacala-Porto, carrying out activities such as program production and co-facilitation of AJ classes.