By Nelson Manneh
Kombo East Youth and Children Development Alliance (KEYCDA) over the weekend joined young people worldwide to commemorate International Youth Day.
The theme for the 2023 International Youth Day is “Green Skills for Youth Towards a Sustainable World”.
The world is embarking on a green transition. The shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis, but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population. Green skills are “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.”
These include technical knowledge and skills that enable the effective use of green technologies and processes in occupational settings, as well as transversal skills that draw on a range of knowledge, values, and attitudes to facilitate environmentally sustainable decisions in work and in life.
Mr. Lamin M.S Jammeh, KEYCDA Board Chairman, said the swing towards an ecologically sustainable and climate-friendly creation is critical not only for their lives but for generations yet unborn.
“We take this opportunity to celebrate the successes registered by the Young people of our District within their communities. As we celebrate this year’s youth day with the theme: Green Skills for Youth towards a sustainable world,’’ he said.
Due to their interdisciplinary nature, the KEYCDA Board said the essence of green skills is sometimes expressed, partly if not wholly, through other associated terms such as “skills for the future” and “skills for green jobs”.
“We renew our commitments as a young people’s organisation to support in mitigating the effects of climate change through our environment and climate change initiatives within Kombo East and beyond. To this effect, we are organizing a tree planting exercise and ‘set-setals’ across the District targeting public offices, schools, and community Forest,” he said.
Jammeh advises all young people from all walks of life to prioritize green skills for a safe environment and a favourable climate.
He said nurturing green skills would help in averting the serious effects of climate change. “Youth comprising a higher percentage of the population stands at a core of attaining sustainable development through promoting and enhancing green skills,” he added.
Jammeh stressed that green skills are relevant for people of all ages, adding that it has heightened importance for younger people, who can contribute to the green transition for longer period.
