The 2nd MANWU Youth Conference took place on the 16th and 17th of March 2016 at the Greiters Lodge in Windhoek. The conference was held under the theme “Engaging Youth in MANWU Structures”. The conference was attended by 40 delegates from the various MANWU regions and branches, several MANWU officials and two international guests. John Nakuta facilitated the proceedings.
The General Secretary, Justina Jonas delivered the welcoming and opening address. She highlighted and decried the low level of youth participation in the union structures and trade unionism in general in the country. She urged the delegates to come up with workable strategies to address this issue. She vowed to support resolutions to be adopted at the end of the conference aimed at strengthening the role of young workers in the union.
The coordinator of the MANWU Education Centre, Herbert Jauch gave a brief review of the 1st Youth Conference held in 2012. This was followed by a feedback session showcasing to what extend the resolutions have been implemented. This session was facilitated by the Tobias Iyambo, Head of MANWU Education Department. The lively debates which emanated from these presentations fed into an equally vibrant discussion on the challenges faced by the youth in MANWU.
The challenges identified were further refined in smaller working groups. Each group was given an identified challenge and tasked to answer the questions What, Why, How and by whom the given challenge were to be addressed.
The feedback from the various groups informed the resolution which ultimately was adopted by the conference. The conference ended with the election of MANWU Youth National Executive Committee as followed:
1. Chairperson Antonyo Machardo
2. Vice Chairperson: Kavertu Maria Jeremia
3. Secretary: Cde. Leonard Shilongo
4. Vice Secretary: Liezyl Stitali
5. Treasurer: Bonifatius Jonas
6. Vice Treasurer Jeaneth Namases
7. Additional member 1 Petrus Matheus
8. Additional member 2 Toivo Amagulu