"Empowering the Youth of Somalia to Shape the Future"
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About Minbar
Welcome to Minbar Initiative, a platform that seeks to build a better Somalia by empowering the country's youth to lead and transform the political landscape. Founded by a group of like-minded individuals who believe in challenging the status quo through active citizenry and civic engagement, our primary aim is to provide young people with the tools and resources they need to shape the future of Somalia.
At Minbar Initiative, we recognize the potential of young people to drive change in their communities and the wider society. We provide a platform for young people from diverse backgrounds to express themselves and be heard in national debates. We believe that the ideas and potential of all citizens should be utilized to deliver development and peace in Somalia.
Our Mission:
To build a platform that gives space to the youth of Somalia, whatever their background, to express themselves and influence the future of the country. To develop a generation of leaders who can transform the prospects of the country and unleash the huge potential of our people and land.
Our Vision:
A Somalia where the ideas and potential of all citizens are utilized to deliver development and peace.
Objectivies
To achieve this mission, we have four objectives:
- Neglected voices are heard in national debates, regardless of their background,
- Active citizens are able to shape public debates, discourse and influence policy decisions
- A new generation of leaders are equipped to lead the nation,
- A civic knowledge easily accessible across Somalia.
Since independence in 1960 Somalia has not delivered the civil and economic benefits that citizens have a right to. Successive generations of Somalia’s leaders have failed to develop an economy that spreads prosperity across the country or to find a political solution to resolving disputes. As a result, Somali people have some of the worst Human Development indicators in the world and are frequently displaced or killed by violent conflict.
Large sections of society are excluded from political and economic opportunities, be they from so called minority clans, women, disabled people, or young people. A small elite has controlled the political and economic destiny of the country and the rest of the nation have little to show for it.
About 70 percent of Somalia’s population is under 25 years old and have spent most of their lives in an unstable conflict environment. Rates of unemployment for the youth can be as high as 75 percent. At Minbar we see how these neglected youth suffer in today’s Somalia, and we believe it is our role as a civic organization to amplify their voices – for the befit of the youth and the nation.
Minbar wants to #ChallangetheStatesQuo because we know that within Somalia and among Somali people there are ideas and resources that can deliver the political and economic development that 60 years of failed leadership have missed.
We are driven by values of integrity, fairness, inclusivity, and democracy to work for a better future. We are driven to achieve our mission and will fight to uphold the highest ethical standards because only in this way can our vision of a Somalia where all have a voice, and all can share in opportunities be actualized.