Make Vision Successful

Based on a request from youths for the removal of ‘old folks’ members of the national visioning committee from the ‘high table or forefront’ of the just concluded vision 2030 conference in Gbarnga, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, replaced them with youth leaders, and mandated them (youths) to take the lead in ensuring the success of the national visioning process. Some youths at the conference raised concerns in grumbling that the national visioning conference was dominated by people too ‘old’ for the aspiration document that is aimed at “addressing issues that would affect them (youths) after 18 years.’’ “Most of these people seated on the high table would either be dead by or before 2030, or would be very old; so we the young people need to be in the forefront of the engineering process of this aspiration document,” one of the youths grumbled. But, President Sirleaf, probably hinted by one of her officials about the seeming dissatisfaction amongst the youths, invited them to take over the ‘high table’ or podium before she could commence her closing remarks at the program. She urged them to take the lead in making the national visioning process a ‘’success story’’ in the country. After taking over the high table, animated youths took over the podium and chanted slogans and battle cries that were greeted by smiles from hundreds of delegates who jam-packed the administrative building in Gbarnga Tuesday night.