Applications for the 2025 Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Programme under the US Embassy is now open.
It aims to transform young people into leaders.
Namibians aged 21-27 are urged to apply by 2 July 2024.
The CEE programme is designed to enable civil society leaders to harness the power of networks, relationships, and information for the public good, specifically on issues related to civic dialogue and peacebuilding, open and participatory government, women and gender, environmental sustainability, and youth engagement. Alumni Eslien Tsuses said she has developed a passion for solving African problems, hence the need to apply for CEE, which aligns well with her goals.
“I didn’t know how to play a role in the civil society sector, and that’s why I decided to apply for this programme. I was going to volunteer and learn how to manage organisations through this CEE programme,” she said during a webinar hosted by the embassy last week.
Passionate about people and helping them discover their potential, especially young Namibians, Tsuses has an honours degree in public management.
She said: “Namibian youth need to be skilled and exposed. One of the challenges that I had was the lack of exposure, especially when you are living in a small, populated place like Namibia. One thing that I have brought back with me is to genuinely implement because that is one of the things I lacked.”
The founder of RuralRise, which focuses on the untapped potential within rural communities, says she was enlightened by the projects she came across that were fruitful in other countries and fully-functional.
“If you are a young person with a special project close to your heart and it’s unique to you, then I believe the CEE programme is the one for that. It helps you connect to other hundreds of changemakers who have dreams, just like you. You will learn the challenges they encounter in their communities, and how best they get through blockages whether it’s politics, somebody or policies standing in your way,” stated the youth leader.
This is an opportunity for international collaborations,. If you are busy with a project that involves non-governmental organisations, you would want to engage people ethically, and this programme offers that sort of training and exposure.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na