Awareness and Advocacy (A&A)
The development of a community is a dynamic process involving all segments of the locality, including the often overlooked youth population. A key component to this process is establishing and maintaining channels of interaction and communication among community youth groups, leadership, other community grouping whose activities are more directed towards individualistic interest. By facilitating interactions and developing relationships, these diverse groups including formed youth groups begin to commonly understand their need and sense of responsibilities as to cooperating with other community stakeholders. Awareness creation and advocacy through activities such as community stakeholder meetings, drama groups, local festivals, community radio adverts and talks show establishes efficient relationships, interactions and a solid channel of communication and understanding in communities thereby, increase local adaptive capacities materialize and community can emerge. The success of an awareness and advocacy project is realized when there is full acceptance and recognition of youth involvement in community development. This will further spark collective actions and co-existence among community members, hence, effectively leveraging resources in the creation, articulation and implementation of efforts to support socioeconomic change.