16/05/2017
Remembering the legacy of Somali Youth League (SYL)
On this day of 15 May 1943, 13 young men with big dreams came together in a club in Mogadishu to establish the Somali Youth League aka (SYL) in order to emancipate Somali nation from the yoke of colonialism and as a result went down on the golden pages of history as liberators, warriors and founding fathers of motherland.
In the eyes of many, What these 13 young heroes were dreaming of (a sovereign Somalia) was a fantasy as their resource remained meager, their education level low and their managerial skills almost non-existent, however, what many Somalis and other in west hardly realized was the strong conviction for self-determination and the unity among the freedom loving people of Somalia.
Building on the goodwill and yearning for freedom among Somalis ,these young men ,united only by common conviction of liberty and self-determination(unlike many Somalis today),galvanized people behind them and finally led Somalia to independence from Britain and Italy.
Now this day has become a day we only celebrate and remember the good old days when Somali youth were the leaders of the society. What we frequently hear today is organizations formed with the same name (SYL) to keep alive the psychological nationalistic fervor and unforgettable legacy left behind by the thirteen young heroes of SYL. We also often sing on 15 May celebrations the Somali Youth League era songs for tribute and societal uplifting.
All of these celebrations will only last a few days and will be forgotten until the next May arrives and the same routine celebrations are carried out. However, most of us forget about the challenges currently faced by our youth which I would like to enlighten three of them in the following lines:
The way forward:
I suggest the following as a step forward:
Tackling unemployment: as Somalia is moving ahead and prioritizing recovery, we must also look to the future and ensure that youth unemployment is also something we keep in our minds and think ways to resolve and gradually lower the high rate. Since the country is moving ahead; we need the Somali community to start investing the country, this will create more jobs in the private sector and will lower the high unemployment rate.
Civic education is the missing link of Somalia education system; private owned institutions should be adding their curriculum subjects that will teach the young adults history and geography of Somalia. This will make youth to believe in their country and become nationalists.
The authority in all levels needs to communicate, and set up forums for listening to the concerns and ideas of youth to stimulate change. Somali youth should be offered a voice in decision-making bodies to see an equitable country for all its populations. I especially encourage the voice of those local youth should be given priority instead of the diaspora. I have noticed even if the authority are about to listen the voice of the youth they take youth from diaspora as a sample.
Finally, Somalia's young population could be its greatest strength, but only if it tackles the challenges facing them. We may celebrate every year the anniversary of SYL formation and talk as well as give lectures about youth but all of these will never change our youth unless actions to support the youth to overcome all of the above stated and many other obstacles. Finding that youth’s unemployment is running up to twice or more than the adult rate and hearing youth’s disappointment, there is an issue that requires an action. It is time to change the future of our youth and to give opportunities to train youth more effectively and link them to work place and educate them to take roles of an active citizen.
Celebrations only will not help youth; as a result the authority in Somalia needs to have serious planning for youth and their future. I hope that we as a society, will stand together to advocate and encourage our youth, and help the authority to create coherent social policies as well as programs that cater for the needs of the youth and are beneficial to all of its citizens.