USAID/OTI Liberia Success Story
January 2007
Giving Voice to Liberian Youth & Students
USAID/OTI's BRDG-Liberia program, or "Building Recovery and Reform through Democratic Governance," began in September 2006 in order support the political transition prompted by the free and fair election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa.
This new program approach will help further three specific political objectives:
- Assist the Government of Liberia and other key actors to improve capacity in such areas as effective planning, budgeting, communication and coordination with relevant counterparts;
- Assist the Government of Liberia and other key actors to mount effective political responses to high visibility issues;
- Support regional activities aimed at strengthening the Mano River Union.
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| A student from Cuttington University presents her arguments at the Public Debate on "Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Role: Mercy vs. Justice". |
The USAID Mission in Liberia as well as USAID's Africa Bureau and the office of Democracy and Governance are key players in the coordination of the BRDG program.
Emerging after 14 years of a highly factional civil war, university students in Liberia came of age during a tumultuous period with political institutions that ranged from weak, to highly corrupt, to simply non-existent. Preparing the country's next generation of leaders is one goal of BRDG-Liberia, which works with the Liberian government and civil society organizations to consolidate the dividends of peace and strengthen Liberia's development path.
Many young people in Liberia today lack the skills required to engage in political discussions in a peaceful and cooperative manner. Such encounters have often resulted in violent student protests with their classmates, university authorities, and national security forces. To address this compelling need, BRDG-Liberia awarded a small grant to the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) to organize a Debate Camp to teach students effective argumentation, critical thinking and analysis skills so that they can articulate their discourse in a sound, reasonable, and rational fashion. The Camp sought to be a first step in creating a forum in Liberian universities where political and social disagreements, discussions, and debates can occur with civility.
Participants from all six of Liberia's accredited universities participated in the Debate Camp, which was facilitated by experienced debate trainer Chime Asonye, a student at the University of Illinois. Following the Debate Camp, Mr. Asonye trained university leadership in debate coaching and judging to foster continued support and growth of this communication and problem-solving dialogue. The activity culminated in a public forum at the University of Liberia where students debated the merits of mercy versus justice for Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Future debate activities promise to engage more and more young people in discussion of the present issues that confront their lives and their country.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: John Gattorn, Program Manager, 202-712-4168, jgattorn@usaid.gov
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