At YPARD, we are proud to look back at the successes and exciting initiatives of the network. 2018 was a strategic year at YPARD that saw a lot of changes to the networks strategic orientation with particular reference to the strategic planning meeting. These top achievements include;
We welcomed 14 new team members to the YPARD team including twelve new country representatives and two communications focal points. Additionally, national teams- Netherlands, RDC, Nepal, Nigeria and Peru increasingly organized YPARD Cafés or other gatherings to discuss key national issues that are in the interest of YPARD.
A successful strategic planning meeting held in the YPARD Europe coordination unit. With the YPARD business plan 2014-2018 coming to a close, in the spring of 2018, YPARD held a strategic planning workshop in Prague to chart a path forward for the network in the coming years. The 3 days discussions culminated in a draft which as refined to the current strategic plan which constitutes new vision and mission and values.
Signing of the MOU between YIL and GLF in 2018 with the aim of working towards the mutual agenda of strengthening the activities of young people in the landscape sectors.
Successful development of the mentoring toolkit as part of a GFAR Collective Action funded by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR) and the European Union. The toolkit is a how-to guide that synthesizes a decade of learnings and resources from hundreds of agriculture and forestry mentoring programs implemented by Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), the International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) and African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).
Discussions on youth involvement, empowerment strategies and activities. In 2018, the network input played a crucial role in elaborating stronger stakeholder strategies for youth in the sector including those in the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, South African National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (DAFF) just to cite a few.
Promoting agriculture among the youth through visits to the schools and universities across the world with the aim of sharing the information on YPARD and youth in agriculture and showcase of YPARD activities in different mediums. Additionally, YPARD members and representatives took part in various celebration days aiming at promoting YPARD and its activities.
Youth sitting in management roles with the aim of inclusion of young people in managerial and decision making bodies, new organisations representation in 2018 include the UN Youth Advisory Board, National Technical Committee for the Development and Implementation Plan of S3A in Ghana among others.
Meaningful youth inclusion in global policy debates through ensuring deliberate YPARD members participation to key events both at the global Regional and national levels. In 2018 these included, Committee on World Food Security (CFS) 45, Global Landscapes Forum 2018 and the 9th BCFN International Forum on Food and Nutrition.
As we look ahead, we are excited about new initiatives upcoming at YPARD. For example, we are revising the YPARD governance structure as well as diversifying the reach of the network for places where we havent reached yet.
All of these events show the strength and importance of the network of partners and committed members. We are very grateful for the network members dedication to the mission of YPARD and look forward to new partnerships in 2019.
Onwards and upwards.......