[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Internship at the Centre LSD, Abuja

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD)
is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation established under
Nigerian laws to build strategic leadership for sustainable development
in Africa.

The vision of Centre LSD is an African society where there is dynamic,
strategic and visionary leadership committed to sustainable development.

The Centre's mission is to work with forces of positive change to
transform society through appropriate leadership, strategy and development
approaches.

The centre is guided by the values of transparency and accountability,
integrity, transformative change, feminism,diversity,dignity of the human
person and Pan-Africanism.

In line with the Centre's Internship Policy and desire to create an
opportunity for young people to learn development theory and practice,
we invite applications for the position of Intern(s)in Centre LSD.

The internship period is for the period of one year. Interns will be
paid a token allowance. Every Intern will follow the performance
management system of the Centre LSD.

Person Specification:

Education: Minimum of Bachelors degree

Experience:
- Not more than two years after NYSC
- Ability to use computer is absolutely necessary

Skills and Abilities
- Willingness to learn
- Ability to work long hours and under stress.

All interested candidates should send Application letters, Capability
statement and CV to lizben04@yahoo.com to reach her on or before
5th June,2010. Applications from women are particularly welcome.

Interviews will be conducted on or before 15th June, 2010. Only
shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 5/26/2010 02:18:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: IFS research grant for young scientists

IFS is a NGO (non-governmental organisation) founded in 1972. Funding comes from governmental and non-governmental sources, as well as national and international organisations. The annual budget is approximately USD 5 million. IFS has 135 Affiliated Organisations in 86 countries, of which three-quarters are in developing countries and one-quarter in industrial countries. IFS has an international Board of Trustees. The IFS Secretariat is located in Stockholm, Sweden.

Who is eligible to apply?

An eligible candidate for an IFS Research grant is

* a citizen of a developing country
* a scientist with at least a Master's or equivalent degree/research experience
* under 40 years of age and at the beginning of research career
* attached to a university, national research institution or a research-oriented NGO in a developing country

What kind of projects qualify?

To qualify for IFS funding, research projects must be

* related to the sustainable utilisation, conservation or management of the biological or water resource base
* conducted in a developing country
* of a high scientific standard
* feasible
* relevant for the country/region

for more information, click here

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 5/24/2010 01:37:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] CIPE 2010 youth essay contest

The Center for International Private Enterprise invites young people to share their ideas on how to create opportunities for youth to strengthen democracy and the private sector in their own countries.

Who can participate:
Students and young professionals aged 18-30.

Contest Deadline:
June 18, 2010

Winners Announced:
Fall 2010

Essay Length:
2,000 - 3,000 words

Categories
Please limit each essay to one category. Individuals may submit up to one essay for each category. The following are the topics, along with brief descriptions and suggested questions. Feel free to answer these and/or any of your own about each topic that you'd like to address.

* Democracy that delivers. Recent surveys show that people in all corners of the world generally prefer democracy to any other political system, yet they are frequently dissatisfied with how democracy works in their own country. One of the major reasons is the fact that people don't realize the promised benefits of democracies, which are often plagued by corruption, exclusion, cronyism, and other social and economic ills. Successful essays in this category will examine citizen expectations of democracies, and how democracies can go about meeting those expectations.

Optional questions to consider: Are you satisfied with how democracy works in your country? What is a democratic government's responsibility to its people? Is it purely a question of rights or is there something more to it? What do people expect democracy to deliver in your country? How can democracy lead to higher living standards and what are the linkages between democratic and economic freedom on your country?

* Entrepreneurship and society. The concept of social entrepreneurship is gaining visibility around the world, as individuals continue to explore ways in which private enterprise can address social problems in their countries. This visibility is bringing to the forefront the question of social benefits attained from all entrepreneurs, not just those included in the social entrepreneurship category. Successful essays in this category will examine the role of entrepreneurship in creating prosperous societies and addressing key developmental challenges and how that role can be best realized.

Optional questions to consider: What role should entrepreneurs play in society? Is their role purely profit-seeking or do they contribute in other ways? What prevents entrepreneurs from contributing more to society? What can be done to address such obstacles?

* Women and participation. Despite some recent progress, women remain excluded from political and economic participation around the world. Oftentimes, it is the combination of cultural and legal and regulatory barriers that prevents women from equal participation on both economic and political arenas. Successful essays in this category will examine barriers to women's participation in society and develop linkages between political, social, and economic empowerment.

Optional questions to consider: What does empowerment mean for women? How can economic empowerment for women lead to their political empowerment? How can women better organize to voice their needs and help level the playing field for women in business? How can women's participation strengthen economic policy for them and for all people? Are there examples of associations or other local organizations of women in your country that are working to put women's business issues on the political agenda?

for more information, click here

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 5/24/2010 01:03:00 AM

The Curious Capitalist , at TIME.com

Like, really good Financial Commentary.

[youth development in Nigeria] Apply: Young Women Knowledge and Leadership In...

The Young Women's Knowledge and Leadership Institute (YOWLI) is one of the 3 Flagship programs of AWOMI. The other flagship programs are the African Women Economic Education and Empowerment Fund (WEFU) and the Accountability Tracking Program (ACT). YOWLI was set up to enable young women and men of African descent to widen their leadership horizons, enhance their knowledge base and actively engage in monitoring and fighting for social justice. YOWLI is a space that supports innovative ideas that challenge anti human rights strategies and propel organizing for social transformation.
This memorable event brings together every other year, during a one month training event in Senegal, young women and gender sensitive young men from Africa and its Diaspora. These young people are selected on the basis of their recognized Leadership in their communities. YOWLI participants include groups that are often excluded in international gatherings. There are representatives that are able to engage in informed discussions on different issues that hinder the growth and development of young Africans today. They include the physically challenged, those living with HIV, Human Rights activists, and young people from rural settings and informal urban settlements and those youth coming from armed conflict zones. After each YOWLI conference, one or two YOWLI graduates among those displaying the strongest leadership capacity is selected by AWOMI to join the Dakar office to contribute in the planning and organization the next YOWLI. In order to keep the momentum and support youth movement building, AWOMI supports post YOWLI activities in terms of research, information sharing, outreach and networking. AWOMI also supports YOWLI graduates in their employment search, school application and career development. Several YOWLI graduates have joined AWOMI as intern or staff members.
AWOMI hereby invites applications for the 3rd edition YOWLI to be held for 3 weeks, Dec 2010 to Jan 2011 in Senegal.


To download the application form, cliek here

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 5/17/2010 01:02:00 AM

[youth development in Nigeria] Global Interactive Forum of the World Youth Co...

The Committee of the World Youth Conference 2010 welcomes the members of youth NGOs, academic institutions, and agencies and programs of the UN, and invites them to send their request for participating in the activities of the Global Interactive Forum. This space will take place from August 23th to 27th 2010.

One of the main components of the World Youth Conference 2010 is the Global Interactive Forum, which is created as a space of reunion and dialogue, so as to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and thoughts on diagnoses and needs of young people, as well as on policies, strategies and programs on youth and development. This forum will gather together young people and public in general, youth NGOs, civil society organizations that deal with youth subjects, government and academic institutions, media, public and private foundations, agencies and programs of the UN System and international organisms.

The Global Interactive Forum will be composed of three spaces to be developed simultaneously:

Informative Fair: It will be carried out with the purpose of gathering together youth NGOs, academic institutions and agencies and programmes of the UN so that they promote their objectives, proposals, and the information on each one of them. We call for the participant institutions to exchange points of view in this space.

Sustainable Commerce Fair: Here, the organizations will be able to create conscience on what they search for in youth subjects, through the selling of their products at a production cost.
Parallel Activities

Round Tables: Dialogue spaces around a subject in which the participants exchange their ideas.

Thematic Conferences: public dissertations on one of the 11 Thematic Axes of the WYC 2010.

Youth Dialogues: Meetings where the participants can discuss about interesting subjects with an auditorium that can intervene in the discussion.

Workshops: In these we will look for a dynamic participation through the construction of abilities and participative learning.

Others: If the activity that you wish to carry out is not included, please specify it here. Subject to consideration.

The requirements to participate in the Global Interactive Forum are the following:

I. To focus on youth subjects and/or to be integrated by youngsters.

II. Every activity must be related with any of the 11 Thematic Axes established as the conceptual framework of the WYC Mexico 2010, looking for equilibrium among them.

III. The application will solely be web-based through the website www.youth2010.org

IV. If you apply for more than one activity you will have to fill an application form per activity.

V. The application forms must be filled entirely, since incomplete forms will not be taken into account in the final program. No double application forms will be taken into account.

VI. The application forms shall be filled in one of the three official languages of the Conference: Spanish, English and French. Application forms in other languages will not be taken into account.

VII. Precedence will be given to the presentation of proposals carried out by two or more groups, agencies or organizations.

VIII. The person responsible for the activity shall be over 18 years old and under 35 years old to the date of registration of the activity.

The criteria of gender equality among the representatives (men and women) will be guaranteed.

Please take into account the following dates:

April 23th 2010: Call opening.

May 23th 2010: Call closure.

May 24-31 2010: Evaluation of application forms.

June 1-15 2010: Sending of notifications (selected and rejected activities)

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Posted By rotimi to youth development in Nigeria at 5/14/2010 01:50:00 AM

Now we're talking. Nigeria's minimum wage doubled.

Source: ThisDayOnline
A new pay package for Nigerian civil servants will be operational in three months, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, has said. When operational, the least paid worker would go home with N18,000 at the end of every month as against the N7,500 minimum wage that presently obtains.

Jonathan while addressing workers on the occasion of the May Day celebration, pleaded with the civil servants to shelve their planned five-day warning strike scheduled to commence tomorrow, and assured them that the issues in dispute would be resolved within the next three months.
He also disclosed that he had directed the Minister of Labour, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, to ensure that negotiations with the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council achieves the desired results within the next three months.
“This important assignment of which I understand you are respectfully represented in the committee is nearing conclusion. The National Committee on Parameters for Wages in the public segment is also working assiduously to ensure that we have a mechanism that will make for adjustment on workers’ remuneration gradual.

“I sincerely plead with the civil service unions to negotiate with the government because of the warning strike they have presented to us. I believe very sincerely that Nigeria and indeed the rest of the society must develop to a point that workers will not negotiate for salary increase,” he said.
Jonathan said this year’s Workers Day celebrations coincide with the Golden Jubilee of the nation’s independence.
He gave the assurance that the federal government was working assiduously to address issues of employment generation, Niger Delta crisis, electoral reform, power supply and other necessities for national development.
“For me I promise honest service. I will give all my heart and mobilise every available talent of Nigerians wherever they are to meet the expectations of our people. As we are going into an election year, the issue of credible of election is top on my agenda to national liberation.

"I have taken the challenge of an inadequate power supply, peace and rapid development of Niger Delta, food security as well as overall security of all Nigerians and promoting credible elections as priorities in the concluding months of this administration," Jonathan said.
Jonathan also told the rally of thousands of workers that his government would give Nigerians free, fair and credible elections in 2011, compared with previous polls that were judged to be largely flawed by local and international observers, including the United Nations and the United States.
He also promised to improve security in the restive, oil-rich Niger Delta that has in the past three years been the theatre of kidnappings and attacks.

Jonathan expressed government's resolve to provide a conducive environment for the workforce.
He said his presence at the occasion was a demonstration of the administration's belief that to build a strong democracy, there must be a virile labour movement.
According to the Acting President, no nation can develop beyond what the collective efforts of its working population can present. "The rate and size of a country's development is dependent on the size of its economy and therefore the need for an expanded economy for the good of our people", Jonathan said.
He said there was an on-going effort by government to create a new Nigeria anchored on social justice, industrial peace and harmony, due process and the rule of law and thus called for a collective effort to achieve a solid and prosperous nation.

Jonathan promised to provide honest service on his part as government works towards ensuring transparency and accountability in the conduct of its business.
President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Omar Abdulwaheed in his speech said the negotiation over the National Minimum Wage has dragged for several months. He said they were earlier hoping that the issue would have been concluded and that the government would announce it to the workers on May Day (yesterday) based on the agreement reached.
“In the same vein, we have followed the negotiations on relativity in the public service and the apparent lack of progress in the process. The distortion occasioned by the consolidated salary structure in the public service is not only unjust but against the principles of equity and social justice,” he said.

He pointed out that the tripartite committee had completed its work. “Your Excellency, the ball is now in the court of the executive arm to fast track the promulgation of the committee recommendations into a New National Minimum Wage Law. Nigerian workers will not accept any further delay on this matter,” he said.
President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Peter Esele, expressed disappointment that the civil servants were offered only a 10 per cent salary increment while the Police and other services got between 60 and 100 per cent.
He also called for sincere efforts to address the various problems of the country which have all contributed to hinder the country’s growth.

“TUC will support any action taken by the Association of Senior Civil Servants to address this injustice as we will not accept anything less than N18, 000 as minimum wage payable to Nigerian workers.”
The theme for this year's celebration is '50 years of Nationhood and the Working Class: Challenges of Good Governance, Unity and Credible Elections'.

Comments:
- The unions most recently demanded a minimum wage of =N=43,000. The minimum wage of =N=18,000 is a step in the right direction. It will make a real difference in the lives of many Nigerians, especially those employed in the government.
- NYSC allowance must be increased, from under =N=10,000 per month. The excuse given for keeping it at that unlivable low had been that it was "pegged" to the minimum wage. Now, there'll be an automatic increase, unless someone is not doing his/her job (and that someone should then be sacked.)
- Obviously, the pay awarded by the government to some people is at levels too high for services rendered. Time to review the excessive pay and "allowances."
- While the Prez is doing the right thing on many fronts, "eye on the ballz" - 1. Electoral Reform. 2. Electric Power. These two must be delivered as well as other priorities within the next few months.