Dozens of Mauritanian youth group leaders are in Nouakchott this week for a United Nations programme on how to lead their peers and become better communicators.
The four-day event, which wraps up Friday (July 25th), covers issues of concern to adolescents, such as juvenile delinquency, and sexual and reproductive health.
“Training and protecting young people from bad practices and crime are among the president’s priorities,” said Dr. Bih Ould Abdel Kader, an advisor to the youth and sports ministry.
According to Mauritanian NGO “SOS Peer Educators”, people communicate better when they have things in common, such as age. Since 2003, with the support of various partners, the NGO has opened several youth education centres.
The organisation has helped raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and other issues related to sexual health. Programmes from the NGO have also promoted human rights and good governance.
Young people agree that training courses of this kind are helpful.
Khalil Ould Mohamed, a student at the Faculty of Medicine, tells Magharebia: “Young people need to be monitored closely to prevent them from getting involved in crime and illegal activities.”
“They need to have a favourable environment in which to study and receive good-quality training,” he adds.
Marieme Toure, who is in her final year at school, notes that young people are not given enough guidance. “This explains all the excesses that you see. Crime affects many young people nowadays, especially in big cities such as Nouakchott,” she says.
“This is why we need more programmes like this one to steer young people towards the right path and enable them to be useful to society,” she tells Magharebia.
Nouakchott University student Ali Ould Tourad blames the lack of guidance and education for many of the issues he sees among his peers.
“Young people are not well trained, and this is what causes problems. Many young people fail at school and are left to their own devices,” he says.
“These young people need good support so that they can be integrated into society,” the student adds. “The government cannot solve this problem all by itself, so NGOs must step in.”
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