Staff reporter
THE #BeFree movement officially launched its Key Learnings Report. It is intended to serve as an advocacy tool for young people by highlighting youth-related issues and providing recommendations on how to deal with these challenges as a society.
The #BeFree Movement was founded by the One Economy Foundation with the objective of identifying and addressing youth-related issues and the Key Learnings Report, which was compiled between January 2019 and October 2021, is one of the ways in which the movement intends to advance towards its objective.
The report highlights several recurring social issues that affect the youth. These issues, which are outlined in chapter two, range from school-related challenges to risky sexual activities to substance abuse issues. In addition to this, the report also provides strategic recommendations and pro-youth interventions that are aimed to address the needs of the youth on an individual, familial, communal, societal, regional, national and global level.
The One Economy Foundation also noted that many of the issues affecting the youth are often difficult to discuss. It is for this reason, the foundation stated, that the report aims to enhance communication between young people and adults by advocating for inter-generational dialogues.
“One of the major key findings during the #BeFree events, was the absolute need for youth to have adults listen to them. This need persisted in spite of, and especially when, difficult topics had to be discussed. It is, therefore, the expressed intention of this report that it chiefly provides insight into the ways forward regarding crucial intergenerational dialogues,” the foundation’s communication’s officer, Ileni Hitula, stated.
According to the One Economy foundation, the quantitative and qualitative data contained within the key learnings report serve as an effective advocacy tool. In addition, the foundation stated that the report’s findings are significant in assisting with the expansion of the #BeFree movement and its efforts to support young people in an effective, comprehensive and sustainable manner.
“The #BeFree Key Learnings Report revealed a pressing need for an integrated, protection system with adequate capacity and resources to prevent harm and respond to the needs of young people in a coordinated manner. We therefore intend to play a material role in strengthening services available to adolescents by developing a robust framework for sustainable interventions that effectively respond to the needs of adolescents and young adults,” Hituala added.
