12 August 2015 - As the future of the nation, youth must voice their concerns and act to better their communities, an official from the non-governmental organization Intersos said today in Juba.

“Community should listen to the voice of youth,” said Intersos Education Project Manager Candid Lobes, speaking at an event in the UNMISS Protection of Civilians (PoC) site to celebrate International Youth Day.

“If they (youth) learn to be peace builders, they can be peace ambassadors in the community,” Ms. Lobes told participants at the activity, organized by Intersos under the theme “Civic engagement”.

The Intersos manager said youth in the POCs should have access to education. “Education is the key for youth to contribute to the development of the country and to improve their life and their conditions.”

David Tang Jal, a PoC primary school head teacher, urged education officials working in POCs to build more schools and provide scholastic materials for school-going youth. He also encouraged IDPs to send their children to school, and youth to avoid criminal activities.

“They (youth) are the generation who consolidate what their forefathers had done,” said Mr. Jal. “Without youth there is no future.”

PoC youth Jaak Thin said young people in South Sudan must reconcile and forgive one another if total peace was to be attained. He appealed to the two warring parties to accept and sign a final peace deal on 17 August.

“We are tired of war,” he said. We want to go home and contribute to the development of our country.”

Another PoC youth, Rihnanna Nyandol Gatdiet, said the Day gave her hope and made her forgot difficulties she was facing in the POC.

“I know we are suffering in the POC,” Ms. Gatdiet said. “But this day has given me hope that, despite living as an IDP, one day things will be better and life will go back to normal.”

Gatdiet urged youth in the POC to cooperate and solve their differences through peaceful means. “We need peace among us. When fighting occurs we have to solve … (it) in a good way. War cannot solve problems.”

The Day aims to ensure engagement and participation of youth in achieving sustainable human development as well as opportunities for youth to engage politically, economically and socially.