On 28th November 2010, thirty seven participants from different atolls arrived to Bandos Island  Resort and Spa to spend three weeks in the Youth Leadership Program 2010, initiated by Democracy House with assistance from US Embassy and Bandos Island Resort and Spa.The main objective of YLP 2010 was to provide an opportunity for young people to think and express their views on matters of national interest and enhance their leadership skills while learning with their peers.

The thirty seven participants of the program were selected on a competitive basis; they were identified as outgoing and outspoken young people in their communities. The participants of the program were accommodated in “Atholhu Vehi”, an accommodation facility in the Bandos Island Resort and Spa designed to conduct similar trainings.

An  inauguration ceremony was held to welcome the participants of the  Youth Leadership Program 2010 o and was honored by the former speaker of the parliament, Mr, Ahmed Zahir. In the Inauguration ceremony, the managing director of Bandos Island Resort and Spa, in his speech, highlighted that, special importance will always be given to educate and train Maldivian youth, to establish real democracy and create potential young leaders for positive change in the society. He called upon youth to be courageous in their fight against the rights of the people they represent.

The trainings of YLP 2010 were designed to engage the participants in a  series of civic education sessions and field visits to different institutions. Sessions on “Leadership” . were conducted by a number of experienced facilitators. During these sessions participants were encouraged to think aloud and express their views through exercises such as group works and role plays.

Facilitators from the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives ,  Elections Commission of the Maldives and Anti-Corruption Commission of the Maldives visited the camp of YLP 2010 to deliver information sessions from their respective fields.

Participants of the program visited the Criminal court, High Court and Supreme Court of the Maldives to learn about the Judicial System. In one of their visits, they met with the Chief of Justice.

In order to familiarize them with the work in the corporate sector, the participants completed a day tour to Thilafushi Island known as an Industrial Zone of Maldives.  A tour in Bandos Island Resort and spa was also organized for the participants.

The participants of the program also visited the UN building. This visit briefed them about the work of UN in Maldives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and interact with the senior representatives of UN.

The Chief Commissioner of Maldives Police Service welcomed the young parliamentarians as they visited the Command Centre of Maldives Police Service. They attended information sessions on their forensic capacity and technological infrastructure. They also visited the detention centre in Dhoonidhoo island.

The participants were also invited to stay in the training base of the Maldives National Defense Force in Girifushi Island with the Army. During this stay, participants got the chance to experience some of the physical trainings and exercises. They spent very exciting and enjoyable  two days in a different atmosphere, yet learning a lot about team building, leadership and patriotism.

When most of the field visits and civic education sessions were conducted during the day,  Parliamentary Education sessions were also conducted during the evenings .Experienced facilitators from the previous Youth Parliament Initiatives  visited the camp, every evening to guide and coach the participants on parliamentary procedures and educate them participants on how to take part in informed debate.

The participants of the program visited the People’s Majilis for an observation session while a parliament session was in progress.In one of the visits, The participants were also invited to meet the Speaker of the Parliament.

A brainstorming session among the participants were facilitated  to identify the major issues faced by youth today and it was concluded that Drug Abuse is  becoming and increasingly intense and a severe concern in our society. Hence, Drugs Bill was chosen to be discussed for the mock parliament session.Stakeholders from different institutions were organized to address the issue from different perspectives.  Parliamentarians, Custom Officers, NGO’s were invited to conduct information sessionsThe participants tirelessly gathered information and structured their speeches for the recording date of the Mock Parliament Session.

When the Youth Leadership Program 2010 was taking place, it co-incided with the visit of of two legislators from the US State of Oregon. State Senator Jackie Dingfelder and State Representative Ben Cannon visited the camp of YLP 2010 to meet the youth parliamentarians and conduct a question and answer session.

The Secretary General of the CommonWealth Local Government Forum Mr. Carl Wright also visited the camp of YLP 2010. He conducted an information session on the importance of implementing the local governance principles in the country.

To divert their attention from the hectic schedule of the program, leisure activities were organized. This helped in strengthening the strong bond and team spirit that was present amongst the participants. It  provided for a fun and enjoyable  atmosphere of learning with their peer.

Finally on 17th December 2010, a mock parliament session was recorded with the participants speaking out on the issue of drug abuse in the country and raising their concerns, at the same time, demonstrating how parliamentarians engage in debate. The session was recorded by the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation and aired on 22nd December 2010, known as the Constitution Day of Maldives.

A closing ceremony was hosted on 18th December 2010 to bid a farewell to the participants of the program honored by the Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports, Uz, Hassan Latheef. A documentary based on the three weeks of the Youth Leadership Program 2010 was viewed in the closing ceremony to give a snapshot of the whole Youth Leadership Program 2010 for the invitees. The participants of the program also presented a “goodbye and a thank you” song to the organizers of YLP2010.

Farewell Song