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ADNews-Monrovia: The Youth Humanitarian Movement (YHM), in partnership with ActionAid Liberia (AAL), successfully concluded a two-day training workshop aimed at strengthening youth engagement in humanitarian services. The training, held from April 7–8, brought together over 24 participants from across Monrovia and its environs under the Strategic Partnership Agreement II (SPA-II) program.
The initiative focused on equipping young people with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively apply the Young Humanitarian Handbook and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Youth Guidelines. These tools are designed to enhance youth leadership in disaster response, emergency preparedness, and community resilience.
Speaking at the training, Ms. Mariah James, Team Leader of YHM, emphasized the importance of empowering youth to take the lead in humanitarian response. “Those trained are young people from different organizations who are focused on humanitarian services. They are now frontliners ready to respond to crises such as fire outbreaks, floods, and the effects of climate change,” she said.
She noted that the movement is active in three counties—Montserrado, Gbarpolu, and Bong—and that the training targeted members from two communities within Montserrado County. “Over these two days, we are learning to use the Young Humanitarian Handbook, a tool developed to guide young people in providing humanitarian services and responding to crises. After this, we will become more visible in our communities to implement what we’ve learned,” James explained.
According to her, YHM is one of Liberia’s leading youth-led movements, known for building the capacity of young people to address societal challenges.
James called on all young Liberians interested in climate and disaster management to join the movement, encouraging them to be part of the solution in keeping communities safe. She also praised ActionAid Liberia for its unwavering support and commitment to youth development and empowerment.
Delivering a special remark, Norwu K. Harris, Program Coordinator for Youth and Climate Justice Focal Point at ActionAid Liberia, reaffirmed reaffirmed their commitment to building youth capacity across nationwide.
“We’ve been supporting YHM for the past three years on key youth-led humanitarian initiatives, including policy dialogues, disaster response leadership, and inclusion in disaster management,” Harris said.
She highlighted the recent international rollout of the Young Humanitarian Handbook in Nepal, where a YHM leader was supported to participate and returned with advanced knowledge of the handbook’s use. “Now she is passing that knowledge on to youth organizations in Liberia, enabling them to roll it out in their own communities,” Harris stated.
She also revealed that ActionAid has been working with YHM to develop standard operating procedures for disaster response and resilience-building to ensure communities are better prepared for future crises.
“Our goal is to see young people, especially youth and women—who are often first responders during crises—leading humanitarian actions. That’s where our focus lies,” Harris added.
This initiative began with YHM’s international participation in the global launch of the Young Humanitarian Handbook on March 8, 2024, supported by ActionAid International through its Global Platform. Following the global launch, the national training program in Liberia was designed to localize the tools and guidelines and build capacity among grassroots youth leaders.
Through training, capacity building, and post-training support, the Youth Humanitarian Movement is positioning young Liberians at the forefront of humanitarian response, turning knowledge into action and shaping a more resilient future for their communities.
The initiative aligns with the goals of the Strategic Partnership Agreement II, funded by ActionAid Denmark through its DANIDA fund. The program is dedicated to fostering a just, feminist, green, and resilient society by empowering youth-led humanitarian efforts.
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