Youth Corner caught up with one of the youth activists, a member of the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) and a law student, Naboth De Celestino, who aims to do everything in his power to assist mostly law students to understand the law of the country.
Besides being part of the University of Namibia Law Students Council (ULSC), De Celestino has been serving as a public relations officer from 2017, and in 2018, he joined Nanso as secretary for political and international affairs.
“Within the law society, my duty was to ensure that society gets the necessary sponsorships from the legal fraternities and corporates willing to sponsor the council. Our goal was to merely bring the practical aspects of the legal fraternity to law students,” explained the activist, who is also part of the institution’s law review, which is responsible for publishing law journals.
Last year, De Celestino was an African Pathfinder Leaders Initiative (APLI), a youth development organisation that develops, empowers and mobilises changemakers, innovators and young leaders across Namibia.
“APLI trains young professionals that are willing to bring changes in their community, something I have always wanted to do. Where I am from, there are certain people that are passionate about debates and public speaking but lack the skills, which pushed me to start an association where we host debate competitions and workshops for learners and students to talk about things affecting their environments,” explained APLI alumni.
Being a student himself, De Celestino took up a challenge to assist students who are struggling mostly with registration fees. He said, “I receive a huge number of students who are mostly struggling with finances and we help them get study loans or refer them to the Student Representative Councils of their institutions”.
De Celestino says he wants to create a better environment for all students and be the voice of the voiceless.
“I just serve as an adviser to all young people out there so that they understand the true meaning of a united front and what we can achieve together. As young people, we should always be there for one another, help each other for the better and make Namibia great again,” he concluded.