The Centre for Social Transformation and Human Development (CHDST) in collaboration with the Nigeria Network and Campaign for Peace Education is organizing the first Independent Talking Across Generations on Education (iTAGe) event in Africa. This event is in partnership with UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP). The high profile-event will be held in Port Harcourt Nigeria on 4th September 2021 and is expected to draw participants from various parts of the country, with emphasis on youth engaging with senior policy makers on Deepening a Culture of Peace and Democracy through Education. Over the years, TAGe events have been held in India, USA, and Canada.
ABOUT MGIEP
The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), focuses on achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7 towards education to foster peaceful and sustainable societies by developing programmes and products that promote social and emotional learning, innovate digital pedagogies and empower the youth. In this, the Institute is guided by its vision of ‘transforming education for humanity’.
What is TAGe?
Talking Across Generations on Education (TAGe) is a youth-driven intergenerational dialogue on education. TAGe is premised on the centrality of the transformative nature of dialogue. The world is home to more than 1.8 billion young people. More often than not, these young people are pushed to the periphery of the policymaking process in the areas of education, peace, sustainability and global citizenship; they are not viewed as key stakeholders. MGIEP believes that any strategy aimed at the youth cannot be successful without their voice being heard by policymakers. Therefore, effective engagement of Nigerian youth should include incorporating perspectives from young people into each component of policymaking, education opportunities, program planning and other vital national/international decision-making avenues. This lies at the core of the Talking Across Generations on Education project.
The dialogue in Port Harcourt is to achieve these objectives by facilitating an unrestrained dialogue between young people interested in the field of education together with experienced and high-level senior decision makers for an intergenerational dialogue on education. Therefore, the main audience of the TAGe includes a representative mix of youth, youth organisations and senior decision makers.
ABOUT CHDST
The CHDST is a non-profit organization that have been in existence since 2005, it has been at the forefront of peace education and non-violence advocacy in Nigeria. CHDST, through its Protect Our Future Project, have trained hundreds of young persons in conflict resolution and transformation, democracy, and human rights. The not so young are not left out as the center, through its community outreach programmes, trains community leaders and stakeholders on traditional conflict transformation methods, an outcome of which has contributed to a wider adoption of Alternative Dispute Resolution methods in the benefitting communities.
The annual Protect Our Future Peace Camp event will hold from 2nd – 6th September 2021. This year programme is unique as it will incorporate the TAGe and ensure that the participants of both programmes benefit maximally as they exploit the opportunity to connect and build a mutually beneficial network towards advancing individual and collective goals.
Expected Structure, Target Audience and Event Timeline
TAGe seeks to facilitate unrestrained discussions between young people in the field education together with senior level decision makers for intergenerational dialogue on education. The first stage will target 1000 youths between the ages of 18 and 35. The event will kick off with son 19th July 2021 with social media campaigns and administration of online surveys. The survey can be found on https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdc2h30RFEoAG3O-ml4ONkHrHojBGQZpxgTP9x-jp_y0B6q2g/viewform?usp=sf_link
The online surveys, which will be accessible on various social media platforms, will seek to find out opinions of young people on educational transformation. The filling and collating of the surveys will end on August 18, 2021. The period of the survey will feature provocative online debates and submission focusing on the theme of the event. The best 18 young participants will be selected to participate in the online focus group discussion. From this number SIX young persons will be selected to participate in the fully funded trip to Port Harcourt for the live event with senior decision makers to be held on September 4, 2021.
Contact: Rev Dr Polycarp Henetu -0803335898 and Dr Colins Imoh colins@protectourfutureproject.org for more information