The Sunday Mail
Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
YOUTHS who recently participated in a national training-of-trainers’ workshop to improve their awareness on electoral processes say the programme is comprehensive and provoked in them a sense of responsibility.
The training held in Kariba is part of a continental initiative spearheaded by the African Union’s African Governance Architecture (AGA), after realisation that youth participation in electoral processes on the continent was low.
This is despite the fact that youths constitute the majority of the continent’s populace, and play a crucial role in nation development.
Lack of awareness and understanding of the electoral and governance processes has been attributed as one of the contributory factors.
The workshops are being implemented by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and Shalestone Consultants who are experts in elections and governance.
Last week’s workshop, which was supported with funding from the Swiss Embassy through the Koffi Annan Foundation, was the second held at continental level after the inaugural one in The Gambia.
Locally, it was the third after two similar workshops in Harare and Bulawayo last month.
Participants were taken through a blueprint developed by AGA, made up of six modules.
The modules are: Youth access to political and electoral processes; Breaking barriers for youth participation; Youth participation in the electoral cycle; Leadership; Communication and engagement, and Advocacy and lobbying.
Participants were drawn from youth organisations, political parties, civil society, religious organisations and university students, with the aim to create a database of trainers who will in turn train their peers.
Former Child President of Zimbabwe, Tinaye Mbavari, said she was now confident of being an active participant in electoral and political processes because of the knowledge gained.
“So many of us didn’t know; we just thought elections meant registering to vote, voting and waiting for the announcement of results.
“But this programme has made me learn that there are so many things that are done when it comes to elections and now, I understand my place as a voter and as a candidate,” Mbavari said.
Representing the Centre for Disability and Development, Edith Mazvita Masango, said she was convinced of the crucial role people with disabilities play through involvement in electoral processes.
“We were given a chance to really understand what happens in the electoral and political processes so that we will be able to go out and train others about what takes place in the electoral processes,” said Masango.
The manual is designed with clear objectives, and steps on facilitating the modules with provision for practical exercises.
Executive director of Youth Decide Zimbabwe, Learnmore Munhangu said he realised after the training that Zimbabwe had a series of contested election results because people did not understand the electoral cycle.
“People do not understand even the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission as an institution. So, we were taught that elections are not a one-day event, but a cycle.
“It’s a continuous process, one coming after the other, now we understand,” he said.
From GirlUp Zimbabwe, Timukudzei Hungwe, said the knowledge gathered was crucial for young girls she worked with, so that they had accurate information about electoral processes at their disposal.
“One of the issues we learnt about are the existing barriers for young people to access the electoral and political systems.
“We were able to learn how to address these barriers and be involved in politics,” she added.
From Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Adrian Zarimba, posited that there was a need to cascade the message of youth engagement in the urban and rural areas to ensure no one was left behind.
“Youth participation in political processes is very crucial because youths are the future.
“Without them it’s difficult for a country to move forward. It shall come a time when we as youths should take the leading role. What is needed is to have the knowledge on how to do it,” he said.
After the training, participants should be able to articulate reasons youths must participate in political and electoral processes, name social, cultural, economic, political and other barriers to participation, and proffer alternative approaches.
They are also expected to articulate the importance of leadership, name the different types of leadership, and how each type impacts on youth participation.
ZEC director for research and development, Dr Antony Chikutsa, said based on the assessment they had done, there was significant improvement in knowledge levels.
“This program is achieving a lot, because before we start, we give them a pretest and then a post assessment test where we want to check the level of knowledge of participants.
“The modules are generic, developed by AGA and covering general aspects of youth participation.
“As a union, we feel we might need to train these young people on the electoral processes in Zimbabwe so that they become more conversant with the laws we use for electoral processes,” Dr Chikutsa said.
The initiative is in line with the African Youth Charter, which seeks to ensure youth empowerment and inclusion in matters of democracy and governance.
