Throughout our neighborhoods, our villages, our diasporas, young people are innovating, undertaking projects, and getting involved.

They take responsibility. They provide concrete solutions to people's problems. They create wealth and jobs. They transform their communities. While society debates what "young people" should do, they take action. And, with little, they achieve a great deal.

It's worth remembering: 60% of the Senegalese population is under 25. This demographic vitality is a great strength for our country, provided that these young people are listened to, involved, and valued. Yet, all too often, their potential remains ignored. Decisions are made for them, without them. Celebrated in speeches, young people are not invited when it comes time to make decisions. Their organizations are treated like children, rarely considered full partners.

This marginalization is not only unjust, it is ineffective. That is why we, youth organizations in Senegal, are calling for a National Youth Convention: a historic space for dialogue, negotiation, and co-creation, bringing together all the young people of the country, the State and its institutions, religious and traditional authorities, the private sector, academia, civil society, technical and financial partners, and international organizations. A Convention rooted in local communities. Because the future of the country is not decided solely in Dakar, and every locality, every voice, counts. This Convention will lay the foundations for a new pact between youth and the nation, based on the systematic inclusion of young people in all policies and bodies that concern them. It will pave the way for ambitious structural reforms: an education that fosters citizenship, innovation, and employment; an economy that offers real opportunities for integration and entrepreneurship throughout Senegal; a governance that gives full place to the civic participation of young people; a society that values culture, sport, community involvement and initiative.

Organizing this Convention is no longer an option; it is a national imperative. It is the starting point for a Senegal that truly believes in its youth. Our generation will not be one of regrets. We have the energy and the will to build a country that leaves no one behind. We therefore solemnly call upon the State and all the nation's vital forces to join us: let us organize this National Youth Convention together and show that young people are not the problem, but the solution.

For more information, please contact:

Simon Maro - Press Officer at the Senegal Youth Consortium smaro@consortiumjeunessesenegal.org / Tel: +221 77 184 70 84

List of the 136 signatory organizations