Governance, Accountability, and Leadership
As good governance and leadership are hallmarks of sustained peace and development, Youth Crime Watch of Liberia takes particularly the practices and ethics that support and promote good governance and leadership. Through our programs, we buttress national government, and international partners’ efforts to promote excellent leadership beginning with youth, women, and men, setting the fundamental basis for good leadership and governance.
Impact
- With funding from the Swedish Embassy through the Carter Center, Youth Crime Watch of Liberia hosted a one-day national stakeholders’ dialogue with youth and students in Montserrado County surrounding youth access to justice. Scores of inspiring young leaders from different institutions like the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University Criminal Justice Department, the Federation of Liberian Youth, etc.
With funding support from the Peace Building Fund through UNDP, Youth Crime Watch of Liberia implements the Peaceful Electoral Environment and Community Security Project in 5 Counties namely: Gbarpolu, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, and Rivercess Counties.
The project seeks to strengthen the capacity of the joint security, community watch forum, representatives of political parties, and local authorities. The project had Youth Crime Watch of Liberia partnering with the Peace Building Office, the National Election Commissions, the independent National Human Rights Commission, the Liberian National Police, the Ministry of Justice, etc. The project targets over 1,500 direct and indirect beneficiaries from the joint security, community watch forum, representatives of political parties, and local authorities.
Co-Programs
iCare
HOW WE DO IT
We support young change makers who see themselves as key players in creating the change they aspire to see in their communities. iCare and all of its programs and activities come directly from our youth. Our youth come to us and we provide them with the training they need to identify and create the changes needed to accomplish their vision.
We provide trainings on Leadership, group process, change theory, strategy, resource development, sustainability, entrepreneurship and anything we can do to help these youth create positive change in their communities. Primarily, our youth engage in five types of activities:
Programming Change
Volunteers work together to identify challenging but achievable projects that will help change their communities.
Community Services projects
Engages volunteers to work together in addressing those issues they identified affecting them and their community.
Advocacy and Awareness
Allows volunteers to promote the change by lobbying with stakeholders and educating their communities on major social issues affecting them; (example, rape, sexual and gender based violence, drugs and crimes etc.)
Peer Group Development
Allows volunteers to build the capacities of each other through sharing of skills and peer support mechanisms, (example camps, open forum discussions) and other peer mentoring activities.
Entrepreneurship
We believe that through small community development projects our volunteers have the opportunity to create stable economies and jobs though the creation of small community businesses that are dedicated to the development of the community. These businesses are used to not only provide jobs but also to provide the necessary funds needed for development: fixing roads, trash receptacle, tools, cleaning supplies, etc. All businesses are governed by iCare Clubs and all profit is put towards community development. Our team of ICARE volunteers recently spent a Saturday filling-in potholes and making a dangerous intersection much safer for community members! iCARE is our dedicated team of youth volunteers who work with us to identify pressing issues in their communities and then plan and execute solutions to those same issues.