FORMATION DES JEUNES EN LEADERSHIP ET ENTREPRENEURIAT; YOUTH LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

How long can we rely on oil as an energy source? What are the dangers of natural gas? How much does it cost to import energy? These are the kinds of questions that youth in Benin are asking themselves and their community.

Benin relies mostly on energy imports from other countries and only produces 18% of its national energy requirement. To avoid exhausting its natural resources, renewable energy is a potential game changer for the future of Benin. 

 One of Youth Service Africa Benin's goals is to organize activities that allow people to take collective action when addressing environmental issues and participate in becoming a responsible member of the community. 

Last year Youth Service Africa Benin implemented a project in which young people learned how to use cow dung to produce biogas for their community. As a team the young people investigated environment challenges in their community, while learning skills they can potentially use in a future career. This is service-learning! 

As a 2015 GYSD Community Partner, Youth Service Africa believes that GYSD will be a great opportunity for the organization to focus on awareness, mobilization and education. Specifically, the organization will host an education and awareness campaign on STDs, HIV, malaria and malnutrition. These are important issues that affect many young people in Benin. Their GYSD activities will also include conference debates in several colleges and public venues focused on the importance and benefits of youth volunteerism. Through these activities, Youth Service Africa Benin hopes to recruit, inspire, and organize youth who want to be responsible members of their community.