Thursday 28 July 2011

Instilling the culture of Tolerance among Youth in Sierra Leone


Since independence Sierra Leone drifted slowly from a culture of peace to that of violence that culminated into the eleven years senseless civil war. The medium of this culture of violence was politics. Political campaigns slowly increased in violence and degenerated to open armed conflicts where young people assumed a state of free for all warfare during which no one could be held accountable for their actions .Youths and Youth groups were put in the market for hire by the highest bidder. Decent people took the back seat and anarchy reigned unrestrained.

Youth and young people were made to be perpetrators as well as victims because young fought young and killed each other indiscriminately. Hard drugs and propaganda was used to mislead youths and lead them to commit the most atrocious criminal acts imaginable. The same youths were used during the war fueled by lack of social and economic possibilities and adult intolerance. The whole country went up in flames and thanks to God the flames have been put out but coals are still smoldering.

The presence of a propensity to or potential for violence even after the war is seen by the readiness of youth to resort to aggressive reaction for the smallest provocation. This has become even more obvious as the economic hardship continues to hit the nation. With unemployment hitting an all time high and young people being hardest hit by this development, it is only to be expected that they would be prone to violence. Political campaigns as before again appear to be the stage for violence that time is fast approaching.

Sierra Leone is fast approaching another electioneering period – elections will be held in 2012 for President, Members of Parliament, and the Local Councils.

Various political camps are already galvanizing into action – a situation we have seen before.  Each camp becomes so intolerant that very soon the situation would degenerate into all-out State Violence.  There is no consideration or respect for differing political views and this means the better placed camps would want to silence the other camps at all costs.

The Anti-Violence Movement sees the lack of political tolerance as the main problem.  In politics as in other areas of Civil Society, there should be provision for each Citizen to have freedom of expression of opinion without being unduly suppressed.  We can be friends and citizens without having the same political opinion.  We should be able to present our views to others without hurting them or them hurting us.
The issue of violence is yet to be addressed in Sierra Leone. Youths confront each other because of what we call micro-management by  politicians. Killing and robbery is common amongst youths in Sierra Leone.
The involvements of youths into violence is due to the aftermath of the senseless and brutal civil war.
Youths smuggle offensive weapons like knives, broken bottles, pistols, blades etc anywhere they go to threaten the consolidation  of peace in Sierra Leone. You can do smomething. get up and help us to fight the menace. You participation will be embrassed.

Monday 2 May 2011

Bernard Volunteering in the communities of Belfast UK.

Bernard  is a product of the British Council who got his experience through the British Council's continuous trainings and exposure that led to the formation of the Anti-Violence Movement.
In Belfast conditions were not favourable but was able to cope with issues of Racism. His mission in Belfast was successful because he was able to adapt to the community he was placed. The young people of Belfast who involved in gansterism and violence said they are into violence because they don't feel like they belong. The Anti-Violence Movement  played a remarkable role in the lives of youth in Belfast by giving hope and changing their mind set from being looking for opportunity to succeed to that of capacity building to become self reliance. Young peolpe were able to understand the need to volunteer and to become responsible citizens. The Movement met with several opportunities to help capacitate the youth in Africa.

Thursday 31 March 2011

The new face of Sierra Leonean youth.

Thousands of youth from the different gang groups in Sierra Leone awaiting Bernard's statement.
They were brought together to sign a communique for peace and that they will act as productive citizens. This was a major cause for concern in Sierra Leone to find a way to stop gangsterism in Sierra Leone. The Anti- Violence Movement Sierra Leone used alot of strategies in bringing about these nefarious groups together.  The Anti-Violence Movement did not only brought them together but trained and reintegrated them as peace ambassadors. They policed the inter-secondary schools matches in Sierra Leone that usually ends in chaos and lost of lives and properties and that led to the peaceful ending of the matches in a very long time in the history of Sierra Leone. These young people raised concern that their involvements to violence and gangsterism is due to several factors especially the neglegence of youth that have come in conflict with the law. The society do not accept them so easily and they need to interact in order to reintegrate to productive lives. Anti-Violence Movement is now embarking on launching of Anti-Violence Movement in neighbourhoods  involving youth from the ghettos. The organization because of its hard work, it has been offered an office space at the British Council in Sierra Leone headed by Bernard Conteh as the Director.
Contact: anti2003_violencesl@yahoo.com

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Young people as active contributors in governance.

We are very happy in Sierra Leone that young people are playing vital role in governance and development.
In the past the talents of young people are been suppressed due to selfishness and greed. The youth make the bulk of a country's population and are the future leaders. Government institutions are filled with young people as the highest employees which shows the future is bright for the generation yet unborn. Hon, Nuru Deen Sankoh-Yillah is one amongst those we are proud of as an active parliamentarian that engages and addresses the  needs of youth in his own little way financially and  morally.  He  is one young person we  see as role model in the lives of youth and  the communities in  Sierra Leone. He is a  hardworking, versatile, dedicated and smart young parliamentarian. The youth of Sierra Leone rely in people like him to ensure youth employment and engagement. Long live Honorable  Nuru Deen Sakoh-Yillah.

Anti-Violence Movement Sensitization Tour

The Anti-Violence Movement is currently embarking on sensitization tours in communities and schools in the capital of Sierra Leone (Freetown). The sensitization tour is meant to let young people know the need to eschew violence  at all cost said Bernard Conteh on his speech. The learning  institutions and communities  expresses  concerns that the involvement of students and youth to violence has many factors but one of them is the lack of knowledge to peace and conflict studies. The organization assures the production and distribution of a guidebook to conflict management to help young people with a resource that will help young people to manage conflict. Anti-Violence hope to have a continued program of the same nature to address the spate of violence in the country. The organization is operating in 40 secondary schools and 3 tertiary institutions nationwide. The organization wish to embark on massive sensitization nationwide to ensure peace and development.

Sunday 9 January 2011

The Historical Background of Anti-Violence Movement

The Anti-Violence Movement Sierra Leone was formed in the year 2003 at St. Edwards Senior Secondary School Freetown Sierra Leone by Bernard Conteh. It was formed to address the emergence of violence (in all it forms) and cultism in Sieera Leone. Bernard Conteh is the National Director of Anti-Violence Movement, a Young Peace activist, and a Global change maker. He is highly experienced in youth work. The organization is one of the leading organizations in Sierra Leone in peace building. Bernard has represented his organization and country in many African countries and Europe on conferences to change the mindset of youth globally and to know how to manage conflict. Bernard is the only civilian offered an office space within the Sierra Leone Police Headquarters to complement the efforts of the Sierra Leone Police in combating violence in Sierra Leone. Presently offered an office space at the British Council as a secretariate. He gives hope to the most vulnerable youths as active citizens in their various communities and act as peace ambassadors to ensure community cohesion for the prevention of conflict an violence. Our plan is to provide offender-friendly and community protective programmes that will make sure that the young offender is detraumatised, received with love and care and provided with job options from which he or she can choose.  They are then provided with appropriate training and helped to settle down into productive life.There are many more ideas in store for the youth of Sierra Leone. If you are an activist and a philanthropist you are welcome to join us to campaign.

The Recent spate of violence amongst gang groups.

The recent spate of violence amongst gang groups in sieera leone which led to the lost of lives and properties worth millions of leones was settled through the relentless effort of the Anti-Violence Movement and the Ministry
of Internal Affairs. The gang groups signed a communique to commit themselves to the people of Sierra Leone that they are ready for peace. The fight was between the Crips, Members of Blood, FTC and CCC. It all degenerated from gangstarism  and music stars in the country in sighting youth against each other. There is much more to do and if you are a philanthropist we will need your support to help us engage these youths than to disengage them which will lead to the threatening of peace in Sierra Leone. E-mail: anti2003_violencesl@yahoo.com