Identidades in English No 4, December 2014 | Page 52
The Black Association for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (ASONEDH) supports
“Recambio Generacional” [Generational Renewal]; today, there are more than 200 young Afro-Descendant volunteers in ASHANTI PERU along the entire Peruvian coast. They devote their time to
planning and executing social and political actions on behalf of the Afro-Peruvian population.
A Three-Pronged Approach
• Training of Afro-Peruvian Youth:
They create spaces for educating and training young Afro-Peruvians - boosting their knowledge of
topics including identity, leadership, human rights, youth participation, and political involvement,
among others - so they can empower themselves and emerge as young, Afro-descendant leaders who
may bring about changes in local, national, and international public spaces.
• Urban Interventions:
They participate in urban interventions - fun activities in which the youth interact with the general
population - such as fairs, public events, and all manner of unfettered activities in plazas, parks, and
streets, in order to disseminate stories of Afro-Peruvian history, their contributions to the country, and
the work and problems of Afro-Peruvian youth, all of which are generally invisible.
• Political Involvement
They participate in important political spaces, where they create inter-institutional alliances and contribute to public policies for Afro-Peruvian youth, putting their principal demands on the public
agenda.
Achievements and Acknowledgments of ASHANTI PERU
Ashanti Peru has worked arduously in recent years to make a splash and be acknowledged nationally
and internationally.
• Creation of the 1st Afro-Descendant Youth Political Agenda
In April 2012, they held the “1st Metropolitan Meeting of Young Afro-Descendant Leaders: Participatory and Inclusive Democracy,” with more than 40 youth from Lima, Piura and Ica. The purpose
was to elaborate the first roadmap of public policies for Afro-Peruvian youth, which addressed four
main themes: Education, Health, Work and Participation. Participants discussed problems of AfroPeruvian youth in general and suggested solutions via political initiatives beneficial to Afro-Peruvians - and the youth in particular. Delegates demanded that their policies be implemented within the
“National Plan for Youth 2012-2021” which coincides with nation’s approaching bicentennial.
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