AFRONICARAGUAN YOUTH II REGIONAL

ENCOUNTER

“Nicaragua Caribbean Coast

Afrodescendant Youth
- challenges and opportunities in a new
century”

Conference
“Youth political and social participation; challenges
and opportunities”

October 1, 2009

Francisco
“I`m sick and tired, of being sick
and tired”

Fannie Lou Hamer, at the National Democrat

Convention. 1968, U.S.
“Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• Youth (young people) is defined
as a sector of the population
whose ages range between 18
and 30 years. This definition is
vague and does not
contemplate the following
aspects:
– Needs and hopes of the sector
of the population
– Their diversity and identity
– It does not view young people
as citizens, instead it views
them as a numerical data.
“Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• Along with this definition that is very
common in our society, there are some
elements that are usually associated to
youth; among these the most outstanding
are:
– Youth: a transition period
– Youth: a period of problems and difficulties
– Youth: active citizen
– Youth: active in development processes

• It is in the last two approaches what it

means to be young, where we can find a
more fair approach and based on rights,
promoting inclusion and facilitating the
deconstruction of social relations that
discriminate and exclude young people,
their remaining development opportunities
and personal fulfillment (opportunities for
pursuit of happiness).
“Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• In particular, we would discuss /
analyze these definitions of what it
means to be young, affect our
development and in particular,
forms and spaces in which we
participate, whether political or
social spaces.

• To this end, we assume that

participation in a right, linked to
the civil and political human
rights, so in principle the
participation of youth should be
viewed as the guarantee and the
exercise of a human right for
youths.
 “Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
•opportunities”
Furthermore, we present two types of
participation:
 
1. Political participation: Political
participation is viewed as the compromise
individual and group has towards the
political processes, and is defined as: “all
those activities done by citizens with the
objective of intervening in the assigning of
public officials or influencing the formation
of state policies.

2. Social participation: is recognized as

collective actions done by associations and
networks motivated by an objective that
does not pertain directly to the state.
(spirit, mission, philosophy, ideology etc.)
Examples of this participation are the
associations that promote social solidarity
(out or within their communities),
characterized by informal organizations
with and horizontal relationship among
their associates.
“Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• These forms of participation in
the youth express themselves in
different contexts, society and
ethnic groups, but in the case of
Nicaragua, and especially the
Caribbean coast, is important to
consider that:
– The youth participate less than
adults
– Are constituted as most people on
the Caribbean coast
– Participate in political parties less
than adults
– Are more calls for voluntary social
action on issues of environmental
protection and they feel more
identified with religious youth
groups, because they listen them.
•
“Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• In the autonomous regime particular context we find:
1. That Young people do not know the history of the
autonomy, the history of the Caribbean Coast, and
therefore, their autonomic rights and opportunities for
municipal participation.
2. Of those that know how to participate in municipal
affairs, only 5% has participated more than once.
3. They have a negative perception of the authorities of the
Regional Council and Regional Government. They
consider that they are corrupted and do not comply with
their functions.
4. They consider that the Autonomous Regime does not
comply with their interests and needs as young people.
5. They consider that autonomy is an ideal written on paper
that has not yet materialized.
 “Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• Based on these expressions
of youth (afrodescentant,
miskitos and mestizos),
there is need to formulate
some questions for joint
reflection:
– Is their any interest for young
afrodescendants to participate in
public political spaces? (Regional
Government, Regional Council,
Municipality, Communal Directive
Board)
– What are the obstacles we face?
 “Youth political and social
participation; challenges and
opportunities”
 If, even with the obstacles,
there is still interest, what
do we intend to achieve
with our participation?

 Can we contribute to the

development of the
Region, the municipality or
the community if we are
involved and participate in
development processes?
Are we willing to fight for
our rights and ensure they
are complied?

 Can we contribute to the

fulfillment of the
Autonomous Regime? Are
we interested in doing so?
 participation; challenges and
opportunities”
• In a particular way we can see opportunities and
challenges for youth in social and political
participation:
o We need to participate much more in the different
regional, municipal and communal space.
o We (youth) need be consider as citizens; regional
development and autonomic regime protagonist.
o Open real space to promote the development of youth.
o Participate to:
Destroy al stereotype around youth.
Demands our rights.
Consider youth as protagonist actors for regional development
and autonomic regime strengthening.
Try to enable our development as young people, and create
conditions for social development.
 "I like people that vibrates, that we should
not push, do not have to tell you to do the
thing, but who knows what to do, and then do
it"

Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan poet