{"id":39959,"date":"2026-08-27T18:43:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T16:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=39959"},"modified":"2026-08-28T08:39:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T06:39:34","slug":"senegal-red-cross-youth-mobilize-against-violence-in-velingara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=39959","title":{"rendered":"Senegal: Red Cross youth mobilize against violence in V\u00e9lingara"},"content":{"rendered":"
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. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION .<\/p>\n

An article in Le Quotidien<\/a><\/p>\n

On August 17, nearly a hundred young volunteers from Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau gathered for the 19th edition of the Red Cross International Twinning Camp. Under the theme “United Youth, Violence Banished,” these first responders are engaging in training sessions, civic actions, and cultural exchange to promote peace in a sub-region facing rising levels of antisocial behavior.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

V\u00e9lingara served as the capital of peace and solidarity for the day. Faced with a resurgence of brawls involving bladed weapons, tensions surrounding distorted traditions like the *Kankourang*, and political incivility, the Red Cross chose to respond through civic engagement. The Departmental Prefect presided over the official opening ceremony on August 17, joined by patrons, numerous guests, and around a hundred young volunteers aged 2 to 35. <\/p>\n

Coming from Dakar, Ziguinchor, S\u00e9dhiou, and Kolda\u2014as well as neighboring countries like The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau\u2014these young people transformed V\u00e9lingara into a hub of integration.<\/p>\n

In his address, the Prefect highlighted the significance of the event: “V\u00e9lingara is a living symbol of grassroots sub-regional integration. Through this twinning initiative, the town reaffirms its vocation as a land of refuge, peace, and solidarity.” “Our states share administrative borders, but our peoples share a common history, shared cultures, and identical challenges\u2014such as managing migration flows or climate crises.”<\/p>\n

(article continued in right column)<\/p>\n

(Click here for the original article in French<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question for this article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

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Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?<\/a> <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

A mix of first aid, environmental action, and leadership training<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the ground, the volunteers were kept busy. The packed program combined health awareness, civic engagement, and personal development: HIV\/AIDS screening sessions and a community cleanup day (*set-setal*) at the Sinthiang Houlata neighborhood market; courtesy visits to families living near the camp to promote a culture of peace; the construction of eco-friendly benches for the host school; and public first-aid simulations accompanied by leadership workshops designed to hone young people’s public speaking skills. The event also featured an integration day\u2014complete with the playing of national and Red Cross anthems\u2014as well as sports competitions and cultural evenings showcasing regional diversity.<\/p>\n

Civic engagement versus the disengagement of elected officials<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the event was a resounding success in human terms, the organizers had to overcome significant logistical hurdles. Crossing the Gambian border proved complicated due to the lack of parental consent forms for several minors.<\/p>\n

However, the local Red Cross leaders\u2019 deepest regret concerns the lack of support from policymakers. Not a single mayor in the area responded favorably to requests for financial or material assistance. The supervisors lamented this lack of gratitude\u2014albeit diplomatically\u2014noting that these same local authorities frequently rely on volunteer first responders for their own events without ever providing funding.<\/p>\n

Despite these obstacles, the camp stands out as an essential strategic tool. By standardizing intervention methods and establishing cross-border relief networks, these young people demonstrate that solidarity remains the best defense against the slide into violence.<\/p>\n

– – – – – –<\/p>\n

If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on (name of article)” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . An article in Le Quotidien On August 17, nearly a hundred young volunteers from Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau gathered for the 19th edition of the Red Cross International Twinning Camp. Under the theme “United Youth, Violence Banished,” these first responders are engaging in training sessions, civic actions, and cultural exchange … Continue reading Senegal: Red Cross youth mobilize against violence in V\u00e9lingara<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,19],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-39959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-africa","category-democracy","tag-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39959"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39966,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39959\/revisions\/39966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}