Addis Ababa City Administration Youth Centers
The major objective is:
· To prevent and protect the youth (15-29 years old) from harmful practices and grow creative talents by serving as education and recreation center.
There are about 500 clubs and 9000 members under the Youth Centers. These centers support and train youth in art and life skills.
Yoths join Clubs based on personal interest with a good opportunity to scale up to professional carrior. Most of the members are high school students and voluntary university students could also join.
Involving the youth in volunteering: they can support the youngest by teaching literacy, national exam preparation, or sports and arts (specially dance).
Competition of dance and theatre.
It gives services on: HIV counseling and testing, library, cafeteria, internet, gym, sport and recreation (indoor and outdoor games), life-skill training, peered training. In each youth center, different youth clubs like Drama, Music, Dance, Photography and Sports are also established. The centers provide hall rent service. The amount set for the youth is low (sports, internet, cafeteria…) or free (library, HIV, training). The Youth Clubs are focussing only on culture and have been accessed to the stage and screen.
It extends support to Professional organizations such as Destino Dance Company or Gamo Circus by providing a free access to the hall for rehearsal.
Literacy,
Enhanced participation of youths in cultural expressions and socio economic development of the country.
Increased social participation through volunteering.
Only the salary of the employee and the rental of the building is covered by the governamant (21 workers in each youth center), the rest depends on NGO support and rental of the venue. Income generating activities such as renting (hall, gym, cinema)
Voluntery participation of youths in the cultural expressions at the centre keeps growing.