Within the framework of taking care of the set of thematic focus of Protection our Common Home, and its strategic plan. IYCS Africa organized a sub-regional training session of national leaders of West Africa YCS National movements with the theme: “Protecting our Common Home: Students in Africa taking Action” in Conakry, Guinea from the 4th – 10th December 2016. The training session aimed also at bringing an effective response as well as the commitment of the youth in the environment protection because searching for solutions must be accompanied by concrete actions to change mindsets and behaviors. Having the youth at the center of such response is one way of obtaining satisfactory results and ensuring actions undertaken will be continuous.
A total of 46 YCS national leaders from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo participated in the session.
The general objective of the session aimed at raising the awareness of the society on the necessity of having an Echo-citizen behavior through the implementation of the Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ as a moral and ethical guide to human action in order to contribute to environment protection.
The objectives aimed at the following results:
- Train 50 national leaders to lead a sub-regional and National campaigns on environment protection
- Planting 50 trees to contribute to the restoration of the natural landscape of Guinea
- Advocate through environmental march for decision makers to vote for and respect laws on environment protection
Tree Planting and Environment March
After diagnosing the situation that answered to stages SEE, JUDGE and ACT of our methodology; the action stage was marked by the reforestation done at the COYAH orphanage followed by the march and the submission of the memorandum to the ministry in charge of environment of the Republic of Guinea where we were received by the Environment Minister herself.
However, to ensure continuity of the action, all the National Movements (12 Countries) represented drafted plan of actions that they are going to implement in their respective Countries.

West Africa Sub Regional Training Session 2016