Monrovia, Liberia- As the nation gears up for the 2023 elections, the Swedish Institute Alumni Network Liberia (SIANL) will introduce its First-Time Voters’ Initiative in Monrovia on Friday, December 2, 2022. The network’s First Time Voters’ Initiative runs until October 2023 and entails a number of symposiums, particularly for high school students, to educate young people of voting age about voting.
The program is aimed at young people between the ages of 17 and 22, who are anticipated to register and vote for the first time in the presidential and legislative elections to be held next year. It is anticipated that at least 100 young Liberians are expected to attend the ceremony on Friday at the Reunion Christian Academy in Paynesville. Days later, a second symposium is to be held at the Fountain Foundation School in Johnsonville.
The group noted that the symposium is to be held under the theme: “The Role of First-Time Voters – As Liberia Heads To The 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections,” each symposium will bring together students from various schools who will be educated on their roles, rights, and responsibilities as young voters.
The participants will serve as trainers for their peers when they return to their respective schools, introducing them to the fundamental electoral and democratic issues that will be covered throughout the symposiums.
The symposia will be facilitated by prominent members of the Liberian National Bar Association, the Swedish Embassy close to Monrovia, the Swedish Institute Alumni Network-Liberia, celebrities, and panelists.
The country’s post-war democracy will see its fourth election in 2023, and according to Sam Samie Sumo, president of SAINL, the network feels bound to play a key role in raising awareness and promoting participation.
“As educated people who understand and know the values of the democratic process, especially participation in election processes, it is our duty not just to participate, but to also prepare everyone to be a part and feel a part of the process, and that is the trajectory, the agenda, that we Swedish trained scholars in Liberia are pushing.“
A registered professional non-governmental and non-political organization, the SAINL is made up of Liberians who attended various Swedish universities while studying abroad and lived in and outside of Liberia. These individuals received the Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals (SISGP). Through sustainable development, the network seeks to advance the Sweden-Liberia connection.
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