National Union of Eritrean Youth & Students (NUEYS)

Experiences & Horizons

Eritran youth and student movements attempted at alerting the Eritrean youngester to identify their cause with their people's cause. Putting aside their personal preoccupation, youth were enlisted in the armed struggle and influenced it in its process. The NUEYS responsibly see to it that any nationalist youth initiative aimed at uplifting youth's role in the society is materialized. This is witnessed in the long struggle journey and today the union inspires youngsters to achieve the noble aspiration of their people to develop and prosper. The NUEYS is a platform open to any Erritren youngster ambitious to build a prosperous and democratic nation. Union membership is voluntary and demands awareness of enlightened loyalty and spontaneous desire to act and sacrifice for the implementation of integrity of action and intention within each individual member.


ACHIEVEMENTS

• During the period of protests for self determination in the forties, Eritreaan youth actively participated either as a member in the political parties or outside it. Youth defined political policies of forgery, containment and conspiracies plotted against the their people and legitimate rights and desires.
  

• Youth were the fountainhead of Eritrean Liberation Movement during the fifties and was equally instrumental in the famous Asmara demonstration of 1962.
  

• Youth and students took part in the 1958 demonstrations to express their resentment against colonizer's tyranny.
  

• Realizing the inefficacy of peaceful means, they were the first and most enthusiastic group to joining the inception of armed struggle.
  

• They had a leading role in the amendment occurrences that took place during the armed struggle period.
  

• Despite the inavailability of comprehensive national organizational framework for youth till 1987, the Eritrean student movement, waged the national liberation battle beside the rest of Eritrean people.
  

• Numerous Eritrean union branches in Sudan, the Middle East and Europe were active in the national struggle battle during the fifties and sixties.
  

• Youth inside Eritrea were beneficial in communicating information to the fighters and in taking part in the execution of operations through clandestine networks inside the cities.
  

• In discontinuing their academic pursuit to face the challenges of a confrontational battle, youth had and enormous impact on the revolution and its means.
  

• It is noticed that the Eritrean National Students Union was transformed into a youth platform to enable a wider sector of youth to take a part endeavors reconstruction and nation building.
  
  
  IMPORTANT MILESTONES
  

• The first conference of General Union of Eritrean Students was held in Damascus, Syria from the 31st of December 1968 to the 4th of January of 1969. Eritrean students in the Middle East and European countries participated in this conference.
  

• During 1971-75 Eritrean Student Unions' branches in the Middle East, Europe and North America individually held their conference.
  

• The first conference Eritrean student Union was held in the liberated "KEREN" during the 8th to the 11th of May 1978. It included members from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Europe and North America.
  

• The second conference of Eritrean Students Union was held in the Liberated area in "ARAG" in 1979.
  

• The third conference of the Eritrean students Union was held in the liberated area in "AMBERBEB" in 1981.
  

• The fourth conference of the Eritrean Students Union was held in the liberated areas in "ARAIREB" in 1981.
  

• The joint fifth conference of the Eritrean Student Union and the foundational areas conference of the NUEYS was held in the liberated in "HESHKIB" in 1987.
  

• The first NUEY conference, for the first time including a variety of youth, was held in the liberated areas in "Heshkib" in 1989.
  
  
  POLICIES
  

• The Union's policy is based on general principles that aims at uplifting scattered youth initiative into a coherent group movement. In order to further ensure activity and integrity, the Union continuously explores alternative organization forms. As these are guarantees for further flexibility and action it comprises the Union's marginal contribution in terms of policy and practice.
  

• NUEYS is an independent national democratic youth institution that embraces all Eritrean youth to orient them on their national identity, tradition and history. As such it prepare them to inherit the revolution's gains and utilize it in the nation's reconstruction.
  

• The Union aims at preparing youth to become a potential resisting force against whosoever opposes the freedom and unity of the Eritrean people. It also works to become a creative front to develop the national culture and fights backward and obsolete values. IT also tries to maintain and consolidate good relationships with all international youth organizations that fight for the world peace and justice.
  

• It promotes youth participation to enlighten and educate their people.
  

• Guarantees youth's right for employment and education and encourages them to fill their leisure time with fruitful activities.
  
  
  
  Immediate Goals:
  

• To consolidate the national unity and fraternity among its people, respect the people's tradition and values, and fight narrow mindedness, tribalism, and regionalism.
  

• Explore youth's inclinations and interest in arts, literatur and sports. Establish clubs, sport and cultural centers and promotes to develop youth aesthetic and moral vales.
  

• Promotes the execution of programs that demands active youth participation in national service and reconstruction endeavors.
  

• Explore organizational forms and structures that attracts youth initiatives and creativity.
  

• Achieve better relationships with the society and the family. This document was prepared for the Foundational Conference of Non-aligned Youth Union.
  
  
  
  To join or establish a NUEYS chapter in your region, write to:
  
  NUEYS
  P.O.Box 1042
  Asmara, Eritrea
  Phone: ++291-1-120488, Fax: 125981
  E-mail: nueys-pub@eol.com.er or nueys@egroups.com
  Homepage: http://www.denden.com/nueys/