YCW Anguilla
YCW Bangladesh
JCC Brazil
YCW Cameroon
YCW the Gambia
YCW Ghana
JCC Guinea
JCC Haiti
YCW Jamaica
YCW Liberia
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YCW Nigeria
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JCD Panama
TID Romania
YCW Rwanda
YRP Russia
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YCW Zambia
About Youth Crime Watch of Zambia
Youth Crime Watch of Zambia helps schools and communities in Zambia start and sustain their YCW programs. Services include:
- Background information about Youth Crime Watch
- YCW awareness presentations
- YCW implementation training for your site
- Technical assistance getting your site started
- Technical assistance once your site is up and running
News from Zambia
June 2008: YCWZ to work for children in the judicial system
- Report from YCWZ (PDF format): Youth Crime Watch Zambia redirect to join Zambia’s Judiciary Child Justice Forum
May 2008: YCWZ participates in Zambia's National Plan of Action.
- Report from YCWZ (PDF format): Youth Crime Watch Zambia Contributes and participates in the National Plan of Action Conference. 28-29 May 2008
April 2008: YCWZ new mailing address!
Please note that YCWZ has moved its offices and now has a new mailing address. It is:
Youth Crime Watch Zambia
POST.NET Box 446
P/Bag E10
Arcades, Lusaka
10101
ZambiaYCWZ's physical address is now: Plot 1337 off Chimpanga Road, Chelstone Green, Chelstone, Lusaka.
April 2008: YCWZ Participates in Televised Live Discussion on Child Abuse
April 8th 2008: Youth Crime Watch Zambia had an opportunity to feature on Zambia National Broadcasting Cooperation’s (ZNBC) open-line discussion program, Zero Tolerance to Child Abuse, sponsored by the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED). Invitation was extended to youth organizations registered with National Youth Development Council (NYDC). The Director of Programmes at NYDC recommended Youth Crime Watch Zambia and Girl Network as discussion participants due to their continued efforts at promoting the prevention of crimes against and protecting the rights of children.
The discussion focused on the importance of involving youth in the prevention of and reaction to child abuse. The participants were asked to elaborate on the forms of abuse that are affecting children in schools and communities here in Zambia. The most rampant forms of abuse that were identified included: sexual abuse, verbal abuse, child labor and child trafficking. Some of the possible solutions that were highlighted included the raising of awareness through campaigns and the work of various youth organizations, establishing anonymous crime reporting systems for youth and children, as well as making regular follow-ups on cases of abuse. Chiponde Selemani, an eleventh-grade student and member of the Youth Crime Watch core group at Leopards’ Hill Secondary School participated in the broadcast.
L to R: Doreen Mukanzo ZNBC Moderator; Zero Tolerance to Child Abuse; student Chiponde Selemani; Doreen and Mwangala Mukelabai CAMFED
L to R: Mwangala Mukelabai, Rabson Banda and Besa Mulaye; the whole group; Rabson Banda; the whole group
Besa Mulaye from Girl Network suggested that more awareness on child rights, prevention resources be publicized through media to give an opportunity to the children around the country to learn more on how they take a proactive role in combating child abuse. The program was a great platform for Youth Crime Watch Zambia and Banda thanked Mwangala Mukelabai the CAMA Coordinator at CAMFED, NYDC and ZNBC for having recognized YCW for the efforts and role it’s playing in the prevention of Crime, drugs and violence.
For more information about CAMFED visit www.camfed.org
April 2008: Kamanga Irish Aid Community Center gets Implementation Training
YCWZ conducted an implementation training in Youth Crime Watch techniques at the Kamanaga Irish Aid Community Center. The implementation training covers crime watching basics and introduces the structure of the program: the core group and extended core group, the nine basic components, and so forth. We wish the best of luck to this new site. YCWZ will support the site with advice and ideas.
March 2008: YCWZ Takes Part in National Youth Day Celebrations
March was a busy month for Youth Crime Watch of Zambia. Volunteer Samantha Dorn and YCWZ founder Rabson Banda were busy running training at schools as well as networking with other youth organizations and institutions to explore future partnerships. In the midst of all this activitiey, the National Youth Development council asked Rabson to give a speech for Youth Day, which is celebrated every year on March 12th.
What's more, Rabson stumbled upon a great opportunity for YCWZ while visiting MUVI TV studios, a privately owned TV station. He was there to discuss the possibility of participating in a future program when they asked if he would go on the local news that night and speak about the upcoming Youth Day. Rabson was caught a bit off guard, but rose to the occasion and that very night he appeared on the news and everyone said he did a great job.
When Youth Day arrived, YCWZ had been planning to join another organization for the march in town. Then a representative of the National Youth Development Council asked Youth Crime Watch members to carry the NYDC banner instead of marching with the other organization. Of course this was an honor and a great opportunity to interact with other youth. YCWZ members were subsequently approached by a reporter from The Post Newspaper, who spent some time with them asking about YCWZ. She further provided her contact info should the group ever want to contribute an article.
When YCWZ members returned from the march, "sweaty, disgusting, and completely devoid of energy," they stopped by Manda Hill Shopping Center where a friend was participating in a dance competition. It was interesting and inspiring to see that most of the youth were engaging in positive activities rather than getting into vices that are of no good.
All in all it was a fun, if exhausting, day.
March 2008: Followup Training at Leopard's Hill
YCWZ held a followup training at Leopard's Hill Secondary School on March 13 to give students the skills they need to implement the program at their school. Leopard's Hill plans to sign an agreement by the end of March, making their group official.
A YCW implementation training involves group work. Here groups at Leopard's Hill Secondary School create posters to present to the others.
March 2008: Rhodes Park Schools Pick a Core Group
Rhodes Park School hosted a Youth Crime Watch implementation training for their core group. It was decided that the school's anti-drug group could form the initial core group members of the site. A full-day implementation training at Rhodes Park School for the group followed. The youth crime watch team had a great time with the kids at the event, who were fantastic, and the advisor was enthusiastic. YCW at Rhodes Park has a very bright future as the participants were so much involved and went ahead to making an action plan for their activities. YCWZ and Rhodes park will be signing a site agreement soon. (Photos from the training below.)
YCWZ's Rabson Banda congratulated workshop participants and passed out certificates of completion.
YCWZ volunteer Samantha Dorn with the group at Rhodes Park School.
February 2008: YCWZ starts Implementation Trainings
Since the commencement of 2008 Youth Crime Watch Zambia is getting to be more popular. Schools and communities have not only shown interest but have started scheduling trainings and want the program. We are anticipating the establishment of many sites in the next few weeks
On February 2-3, 2008, YCWZ held an implementation training for all students at Leopards Hill Secondary School, a private school in the Ibex Hill suburb in Lusaka. School principal Mrs. J.S. Lungu welcomed the YCWZ trainers with open arms and encouraged attendance by all classes with the expectation that a core group would then form to start up the site. Mrs. Lungu's support will be a strong asset to the program at Leopards Hill.
The training itself was of great benefit not only to the students, but to school officials as well as it shed light on a number of campus problems that they had not really known about. Steps are already being taken to correct some of these problems. By and large, students had a wonderful time at the training and most were eager to be a part of the core and extended group. They asked excellent questions about best practices in prevention and wanted to know what other activities Youth Crime Watch might offer in the after school hours. We are confident that students and adults at Leopards Hill will take this opportunity to work together constructively to make their school a better and safer environment for learning.
January 2008: Fundraising efforts
YCWZ volunteers teamed up to put their own gifts to work raising funds to support the cause of youth-led crime prevention. Volunteer Samantha Dorn makes cookies with her American recipes and they are selling pretty fast. Rabson with his skill as a print technician designs and prints letterhead and business cards as well as invitations, wedding and party announcements and other stationery such as invoice books. Other volunteers took part in a group project, a car wash at Lusaka’s Down Town Shopping Mall on Kafue Road. Among YCWZ's future plans is a “trash-a-thon” where youth and adults collect pledges, not for walking a long distance, but for the number of trash bags they fill. This will not only enable YCWZ to raise awareness about the program but also help to make the community cleaner.
YCWZ volunteers.
Car wash downtown.
Samantha busy at the office.
November 2007: Training of trainers in Kafue
Youth Crime Watch Zambia had a training of trainers in Kafue to prepare a group of volunteers who have decided to set up a community site within Kafue estates. The group have displayed serious interest in developing the program in their respective communities. The session was led by Rabson Banda with U.S. volunteer Samantha Dorn, whose spirit of volunteerism was met with much enthusiasm. With Samantha's help, Youth Crime Watch Zambia has succeeded in attracting many young volunteers to the YCW cause.
Debriefing participants Misozi, Andy, Gertrude and Diana, all volunteers.
Rabson Banda runs through the basics of what makes a successful crime watch. Volunteer Samantha Dorn looks on.
Colins makes a point at the training.
Volunteers of the month for November 2007: Tonia Ngobola and Phyllis Kalele
YCWZ would like to commend Tonia N Ngobola and Phyllis C. Kalele for their tireless support to the program and being the best volunteers of the months of November 2007. The program is being welcomed with great interest from the youths of Lusaka and other towns in the country we anticipate 2008 as a year of great expansion.
Tonia and Phyllis at internet cafe.
October 2007: Youth Crime Watch Zambia joins government ministries and other non-profit organisations to promote good citizenship and governance
The Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) has initiated two projects entitled popularizing local government through schools and local government awards of Excellency (LGEA) with the support of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the year 2008. On 25 October 2007 and 1 November 2007 LGAZ organized interactive workshops with a view to design, implement and solicit participation for the two projects.
The workshops on the two projects involved the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH), Ministry of Education (MOE) Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), SNV and Youth Crime Watch Zambia. The event gave a platform for Youth Crime Watch Zambia to meet up with possible stake holders and partners. YCWZ had made a presentation on how youth can play a role in local government and most of all had a opportunity to reach out to the government especially with the Ministry of Education on the importance of youth involvement in making a difference in their community and schools. In fact the representative from ministry of education in the curriculum development center suggested that they could be able to adopt the materials to supplement civic education in the schools or maybe later have Youth Crime Watch as part of the curriculum for public schools. During these meeting with the popularizing local government through schools Youth Crime Watch was appointed to be in the task force of the steering committee of the project which is to be conducted through quizzes, debates and action projects. Youth Crime Watch has been considered mainly because of developing good citizenship in youth and the implementation of the action project component that was suggested to be a point of contribution to the success of the project. We feel in the future to be able to come up with a similar project were we are to introduce the YES forum in Zambia for the first time.
Samantha Dorn sharing a point with Gerald Hine, a consultant to German Technical. Ndlobvu of MS Zambia looks on.
Left to right: Mr. Mukelebai of SNV, Mr. Mbolela of LGAZ, and Mr. Chulu of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
The representative of the Ministry of Education takes notes as Rabson Banda makes a presentation of YCWZ.
Mr. Dan Longwe of LGAS making his presentation.
August 2007: YCWZ carries the Zambia flag at the United Nations
Youth Crime Watch members had the enormous opportunity to participate in International Youth Day event on the 12 August 2007. Organized by the Friendship Ambassador Foundation and the United Nations Department of Public Information, the 4th youth assembly at the United Nations gave an opportunity and a platform to discuss youth involvement in achieving millennium developmental goals in creating a new world guided by strong sets of ethics, values and equal human rights for all. The cornerstones of this world are love and compassion for fellow human beings. In this grand vision:
- Poverty and hunger no longer exist
- The human right of an education is provided to all
- Gender equality and the empowerment of women are a given
- All people, in all countries, receive the same quality health benefits: diseases are lessened and those suffering are treated with dignity and compassion
- Our home – mother earth – is genuinely cared for by all of her global citizens
- Together, we share a strong commitment to make a better life for all.
The youth participated in many workshops to learn more about running and starting up humanitarian initiatives and nonprofit organizations. Youth Crime Watch is all about making a difference in the schools and community as well as discovering leaders in the youth hence that assembly was of great benefit for YCW.
On the same trip Rabson met up with the leadership of Youth Crime Watch America in their offices in Washington, DC, and Miami, Florida, where he was presented the prestigious International Casey Award.
The conference focused on youth leadership.
YCWA's Marilyn Morris with YCWZ's Rabson Banda and YCWA Executive Director Terry Modglin.
Orulonke Oke, a YCWZ volunteer, poses with one of New York's finest.
Rabson Banda in New York City during a conference break.
YCWA headquarters in Miami, Florida: YCWA chairman and co-founder Jerry Rudoff presents Casey Award to Rabson Banda of YCWZ.
October 2007: YCW volunteer Samantha Dorn "helps out" in Zambia
If you want a really big lift about Youth Crime Watch, go to web.mac.com/samantha.dorn/ and you will find the web page of our own YCWA Youth Advisory Board Member, Samantha Dorn, detailing her YCW volunteer effort in Zambia over the next year or two. The idealism and energy of Samantha is what we’re all about. Please take time to look at her blog on her web page.
April 2007: Blue Financial Services supports Zambia's YCW program with an in-kind donation
YCWZ founder Rabson Banda accepts Blue Financial Services' donation
of office furniture from the hands of the company's
marketing manager Godfrey Ngula.
On April 17, Youth Crime Watch Zambia gratefully accepted its first in-kind donation from the private sector, a gift of ten chairs and two desks from Blue Financial Services. The gift will furnish YCWZ's offices in Lusaka. Blue Financial is an African company with offices in Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda and Cameroon. Godfrey Ngula, marketing manager for the company, said that they are very proud to be associated to with YCW's efforts in Zambia. And certainly their gift reveals that the corporation recognizes the importance of youth involvement in the prevention of crime, drug abuse and violence. These are problems that affect everyone. And youth can take up a proactive role in their prevention. Thanks to the management at Blue Financial Services for recognizing and supporting YCWZ's important work.
March 2007: YCW Zambia on the Air
Radio listeners in parts of Zambia this month were able to tune in crime prevention tips from YCWZ's Rabson Banda. He was twice a guest on the Police and You program and Zambia's Radio Two.
The two programs focused on public safety. Banda provided general information about Zambia's new Youth Crime Watch program, introducing the basic philosophy and tenets of the "Watch Out! Help Out!" model. He especially spoke about the central importance of youth involvement in stopping crime and violence and about the role of YCW in developing civic responsibility in young people.
He also gave concrete crime prevention tips for listeners: holiday safety (with Easter coming up), car theft, date rape, and ATM safety.
March 2007: (top left) Rabson Banda at Radio 2 studios, (top right) Shaking
hands with radio host Mathew Mwelwa, (bottom) on the air.
March 5-12, 2007: Youth Day Celebrations
Youth Crime Watch of Zambia teamed up with the Zambia Police Service school liason department and the Arcades Center management to comemorate Youth Week. The celebration culminated in the national Youth Day celebration, which falls on March 12 every year.
Photos from the event:
YCWZ members
(in YCWZ Watch Out! Help Out! t-shirts) pose for the camera at Youth Day celebrations.
YCWZ founder Rabson Banda at the Youth Day Celebration event.
January 2007: Cook for prevention!
YCW Zambia members have found creative paths to teaching the principles of crime prevention. In the photos below, a YCWZ member introduces safety concepts while teaching an undeniably positive skill... cooking!
January 2007: Zambia's program starts spreading the word
Youth Crime Watch of Zambia, the youngest member of the YCW international family has plunged into the ring. Photos below show members of YCWZ at work in the field to educate the community about the benefits of proactive crime prevention. Additional pictures are from YCWZ workshops introducing the program to schools. We commend our friends in Zambia on their great start!
