Youth House must be utilised, urges Nyeku

EDWARD BULE
Correspondent | Wednesday August 25, 2010 00:00

At an inauguration ceremony attended by a delegation from Belgium, Nyeku said the Youth House will be 'the focal point of all youth activities in the city.' He explained that, the office, which started operating in July 2009, under the auspices of the City of Francistown Council, is 'meant to accommodate and articulate the needs of our youth.' The facility houses a computer room you can associate yourself with, Nyeku challenged.

'Our initiative to develop the youth in the city of Francistown has captured the attention of the city of Genk in Belgium. Hence, we have in our midst a delegation from Genk and this emphasizes the fact that Francistown and Genk are inseparable,' he declared.

He further explained that the cities of Francistown and Genk have a twinning arrangement that started six years ago.Also present was the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Thato Raphaka, who hailed the initiative by the Francistown City Council in building the Youth House.

The PS added that, because, as government, they cannot fully deliver the needs and expectations of the people, they encourage local authorities like councils to explore and build partnerships with likeminded stakeholders and partners to augment and compliment efforts by the government.

An example is twinning arrangements with other cities. 'Whatever form they may be, the driving belief is that these collaborative efforts will serve to provide a forum for networking, bench marking, technological exchange and sharing, alleviation of financial limitations and generally to serve as a vehicle through which people can come together for the common goal of enhancement of the quality of life for other folks,' said the PS.

Raphaka hailed the twinning arrangement between Francistown and Genk for having matured into a partnership that has brought immense benefit to the city of Francistown. He said the relationship between the two cities will bring the people of Botswana and those of Belgium close. Raphaka continued, 'We may be separated by oceans; we may be separated by continents or geographical features; but let us all remember that we are all humans with a common desire for the other's well being. Therefore we should assist each other during times such as these where one truly needs the other.'

The PS expressed gratitude to the Belgians for their act of generosity in providing assistance to the people of Francistown especially the youth. Besides complementing government efforts to empower the people, the PS said the support from Belgium will help in the promotion of social order in the sense that the youth will be kept off the streets as they will have something to do with the skills acquired from courses offered at the youth house.

The town's youth attended the function and also witnessed the unveiling of the Youth House Logo. Some of them were awarded certificates as they successfully completed their computer courses.