February 2, 2012
The Executive Director of Youth Action International Dr. Kimmie Weeks has announced that his organization has opened two new offices in rural Liberia. Weeks says Youth Action International has opened offices in Bong and Margibi Counties in addition to its ongoing activities in Grand Bassa and Bomi.
The new offices being opened will provide skills trainiAng and microloans to hundreds of young people in those areas. Weeks says each of the offices will directly impact 600 young Liberians in its first year. Funded by Chevron, the Burt Family Foundation, Manifest Foundation and the Alabaster Fund Youth Action International’s new initiative are a part of the organizations scale up plan. According to Kimmie Weeks, the organization intends to open additional offices and larger scale projects in Grand Gedeh, Nimba, and Lofa by the end of 2012. In addition, Youth Action International has tripled its programs in Monrovia and is opening sub offices in heavily populated communities to provide training and opportunities for young people.
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February 1, 2012
The Executive Director of Youth Actin International Dr. Kimmie L. Weeks has told over 600 students at Ricks Institute that there is a strong need for them to begin to work extra hard at being successful rather than waiting for their long term careers to start. Weeks says Liberian youth should strive to create positive national and international legacies long before they have reached age 35.
Giving a brief story of his own challenges he encountered in life as a young man,
Kimmie Weeks told students that it they were never too young or old to impact the world. “I started my first organization when I was fourteen here in Liberia and I had to struggle for it to run. They used to call us NGO in a file because we did not have an office space to work and kept all of our papers in on faded file. But we kept on working and my vision continues to grow,” Weeks recalled.
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November 6, 2011
Youth Action International’s country office in Liberia has begun the process of recruiting more than 3,500 young men and women to benefit from the organizations largest training and economic empowerment initiative called the Liberian Youth Empowerment Program. At least half of the places have already been filled by young people from the poorest communities in Liberia’s capital Monrovia. The remaining 1,750 spots will benefit the youths in two rural counties where Youth Action International will be setting up programs for the first time.
Through the program, Youth Action International will open three new Centers for Women’s Empowerment. Each center will train several hundred women in vocational training, life skills. The women will also benefit from YAI’s specially designed empowerment curriculum that includes counseling, workshops on small business enterprise, marketing, adult literacy and month long apprenticeships. At the end of each program, the women will be formed into cooperatives and will receive micro-credit loans to start new businesses.
Other young people will benefit from a component of the initiative which will work with youth in the poorest communities to develop community cooperatives and village savings schemes that will help community youth either start new businesses or improve on existing economic sustainability initiatives. Taking advantage of this expansion to rural Liberia, YAI will also offer its workshops on
entrepreneurship, village savings loan schemes and small business enterprise to hundreds of other community members.
The new program is funded by several of YAI’s committed partners including the Alabaster Foundation, The Burt Family Foundation, and the Manifest Foundation with a generous commitment from Chevron.
September 23, 2011
YAI and 24 other organizations have just been selected from amongst thousands of others to form part of an online competition. The Competition is called the American Giving Award and is being hosted by Chase Bank. As you recall, YAI won $20,000 in the Chase voting competition last year.
This year, the charity with the most votes will receive a $1 million grant, the runner up will receive $500,000, the 3rd place charity will receive $250,000,
and the 4th and 5th place charities will each receive $125,000 grants.
There are only 25 organizations selected so we have a good chance to win, but it won’t be easy. That’s why we need a number of dedicated volunteers who can help us spread the word and get votes once the competition begins.
To sign up for this cause, visit: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e4wtv5hwgsxj5um8/start and fill up the online volunteer form.
September 13, 2011
September 13, 2011
Youth Action International (YAI) in collaboration with the US Embassy in Monrovia today announced a major new initiative geared at promoting non-violence amongst youth during and after Liberia’s upcoming general and presidential elections. The program, which is called the 2011 Electoral Violence Prevention Initiative will include various youth peace forums, community engagement programs, and will disseminate messages of peace and non-violence using the mass media.
Formally announcing the initiative, YAI’s Executive Director Dr. Kimmie L. Weeks said the project was timely and would play an essential role in facilitating discussions and promoting actions for peace amongst young people. He observed: “Liberia’s population is predominantly young people; therefore, any chance of preserving peace in this country is in the hands of youth. This is why we have tailored this entire program to target the younger generation.”
Dr. Weeks outlined that the media portion of the project has already begun rolling out and will be followed by a major Youth Peace Forum in Monrovia and various community engagement campaigns. “The whole idea is to reach out to the youth wherever they are: in their communities, on air, online, and off air,” Weeks said.
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July 17, 2011
Fifty students in Grand Bassa County, Liberia have graduated from YAI’s computer training program. Launched two years ago the computer training program provides basic and advanced computer courses to young people in rural Liberia.
Youth Action International designed this program for youths in Grand Bassa because the county had no higher education institutions and young people finishing high school found it difficult to obtain jobs with mining companies due to their lack of computer skills.
In addition to the computer courses, students received professional and career development training to help them succeed in their jobs.
July 17, 2011
Youth Action International’s Center for Women’s Empowerment in Sierra Leone and Liberia have graduated 175 women from its Center for Women’s Empowerment. The graduates were trained in one of eight areas: tailoring, jewelry making, Interior decorating, pastry, cake decorating, fabric production, country cloth weaving, and cosmetology. In addition to receiving vocational training, each of the young women participated in various life skulls workshops and workshops on small business enterprises.
Funded by the Youth Employment Network (YEN), the International Labor Organization (ILO), World Ventures and the Alabaster Foundation, The Center for Women’s Empowerment is a program designed to provide skills training, life skills and microloans, to young women from the poorest communities in Monrovia, Liberia and Freetown, Sierra Leone.
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July 17, 2011
World acclaimed Liberian activist Kimmie Weeks has received an honorary Doctorate Degree from one of America’s prestigious schools. Amherst College conferred the degree on the newly named Dr. Weeks at the school’s commencement ceremony held in Amherst, Massachusetts on Sunday, May 22nd. Other honorees at the ceremony included France’s current Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Christine Lagarde and Former Chairman of America’s Federal Reserve Bank Paul Volcker.
Dr. Kimmie Weeks received the degree: Doctor of Humane Letters (Litterarum Humanarum Doctor; D.H.L.; or L.H.D). In a letter to Weeks, the school said it was honoring him “…not merely for impressive humanitarian achievements, but also especially for believing in the transformative power of education and activism across borders.” Although usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study and passing of examinations are waived, Amherst College confers honorary degrees and extends all rights and privileges as a substantive degree.
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March 2, 2011
The Liberian Senate has overwhelmingly passed into Law the African Youth Charter. The African Youth Charter is an international treaty that sets out a roadmap for the sustainable development for youth across the continent and especially Liberia. Liberia now joins a host of African countries to sign and ratify the charter. The Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), the Liberian National Student Union (LINSU) and Youth Action International (YAI) were key groups lobbying for the passage of the African Youth Charter.
Mr. Kimmie Weeks, Executive Director of Youth Action International called the ratification of the African Youth Charter a major victory for youths across Liberia. Speaking on the lawn of the Legislature, Kimmie Weeks said: “this is a historic day for the youths of Liberia. I am extremely happy that we have Senators who prioritize youth and today they have proven this commitment.” Kimmie Weeks praised Senators who actively supported the bill including: Senator Jewel Taylor, Senator Geraldine Doe, Senator Blamo Nelson, Senator Roland Karn, Senator Lahai Lasanna, Senator John Ballout, Senator Nathanial Innis, and Senator Joseph Nagbe.
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Posted by Kimmie, 2/1/12
Congratulations to Amanda Hurlbut, a 12th grade student, who since 2009, has led Kids with Sole, in coordination with YAI to send 3000 pairs of sneakers to children in Liberia.
Posted by Kimmie, 11/6/11
It is a year since I began my internship at Youth Action International and what I thought would be an easy task is very difficult. I do not know where to start in talking about my experiences over the last one year. To save myself from overworking my young brain trying to think about my experiences, I will use this medium to extend my gratitude to Kimmie and the Youth Action International family for affording me the opportunity to grow and develop in a more responsible leader.
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Posted by Kimmie, 10/6/09
I’ve been thinking about what to write since I came back from Liberia. I am from Spain and English is my fourth language – I also speak Spanish, Italian, and Catalan. So as you can imagine, it took me forever to put all my thoughts in order in English.
My name is Esther Rodriguez-Brown. My husband, Michael, and I are the founders of The Embracing Project, a non profit organization we created to educate inner city youth about the similarities between genocide and gang activity. One purpose of this journey is to expose inner city youth to the experiences of children soldiers in different parts of the world and then to create a pen-pal relationship between both groups.
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Posted by Lauren, 10/6/08
Every year, Kimmie Weeks embarks on a nationwide speaking tour to motivate young people to become pioneers of change. To date, thousands of students have heard his message and many of them have gone on to start their own humanitarian organizations or have joined other change-making programs.
Contact Natsumi Ajiki: natsumi @ peaceforkids.org
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Posted by Cody, 10/4/08
“What have I gotten myself into?”
This is a question that has come up many times on my journey to Africa.
I suppose to clarify, and so as not to sound like a cynic, I should explain a little bit about myself. I’ve been a photographer for two and a half years now. When I first picked up a camera the only thought that went through my head was “Awesome, now I have a big chunk of metal, plastic and glass that will allow me to take clearer photos and I’ll soon be rich and famous as a result of having this camera!”
This was not the case as I am neither rich, nor famous (side from my own delusions of grandeur.) Anyways all of that is beside the point. If someone had told me the day that I picked up that camera that it would eventually lead me to post war West Africa, I would have laughed in their faces. Not because traveling to West Africa is a crazy idea, but simply because I did not see myself ever getting past the stage of “hobbyist” photography.
And yet, here I sit, in Sierra Leone, thousands of miles from home (6168 miles approximately) volunteering as the photographer for Youth Action International.
Now in regards to Africa, particularly Sierra Leone and Liberia, I don’t think that anything could have really prepared me for what I would experience here. This is including Kimmie’s ‘worst case scenario’ description of Liberia.
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Posted by Lauren, 9/23/08
I wish I had been more diligent about documenting my experiences and reactions in Liberia, but I seemed to always put off the act of writing. I always told myself I was too tired or busy, but the truth is that I had a very difficult time reflecting on the barrage of experiences at the time. Throughout my time in Africa, I realized that I did not once shed a tear. It was only once I was on the plane from Accra to New York, on my way back to my privileged and comfortable life, that I was able to absorb the memories and the pictures that I was taking with me. As I looked through the pictures I had taken on my camera, I cried for a half an hour straight. I cried thinking about the hopeful faces on the small children at Temas Orphanage that I was leaving. I cried for young people of Grand Bassa County who do not have the opportunity to go to school. I cried because I realized that my life would be changed forever and I cried because I felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
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Posted by memory, 5/9/08
A cross-section of observers, traditional and religious leaders, local and international media stormed Ri-Kwangba last week to witness the historical moment were Joseph Kony, the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) leader was supposed to sign the final peace agreement. The rest of the world held its breath to witness the day that northern Uganda would finally get to normalcy after 20 years of conflict between the Government of Uganda and the LRA rebels.
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Posted by memory, 4/29/08
“Aren’t you nervous?” my dear friend carefully asked me when I told her that I’d be visiting Uganda. That’s how my parents reacted at first. I told myself it is not because Uganda is part of Africa that they are worried for my travel. Traveling to new places is always uncertain to some extent. However, I couldn’t deny that part of me was more worried than usual. What would I see? How would I feel? What should I expect? Am I mature enough? Above all, the question was ‘why would I want to go visit Africa’? I cannot tell Uganda story leaving out the influence of Kimmie and Youth Action International. I actually met Kimmie at Northfield Mount Hermon High School where Kimmie graduated from.
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Posted by memory, 4/19/08
The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), an Acholi-based opposition group led by Joseph Kony has been fighting first against president Museveni’s government, and currently against other Acholi peoples. The Acholi are an ethnic group who live in Northern Uganda. Though Kony, leader of the LRA reportedly believes he has been chosen by God to overthrow president Museveni and establish a government based on the Ten Commandments, and a purified Acholi race, the LRA has yet to explain its goals or put forth any sort of political agenda.
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Posted by Abigail, 9/3/07
I wasn’t promised an African sunset. When Kimmie Weeks invited me on a humanitarian mission through post-conflict countries, what came to mind were the stunning landscape pictures my friends had brought back from the ranch in Kenya. It was how I had envisioned this beautiful continent. Streaks of red and orange, firing up the night sky of deep blue and purple: a kaleidoscope of color. Instead, I found another kind of sunset. I found the African people wasting away, dying brutal, horrific deaths at the hands of war, disease, and poverty. I found the sun setting on their lives. Not fading into the night with brilliant lights, but being shredded into a nonexistence wracked with pain and suffering. Continue reading
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