We did it again! TYEE GO GREEN! SWAP

WE DID IT AGAIN! TYEE GO GREEN! SWAP our home, our future, our responsibility. 
by Olive Mafi, GO GREEN! Coordinator.

With another successful SWAP Event and over 40 youth participants, volunteers and staff, we strive for consistency and sustainability. During the preparation for our SWAP Event we came across an eye-opening moment with our GO GREEN! Volunteers.

One of our volunteers, male, 31 years of age from Nukuhetulu is currently a “Setuata” (Church caretaker) in his church and is desperate to find work and willing to do whatever it takes to support his family at this time of struggle.  He shares on how TYEE GO GREEN! became his refuge from all the personal challenges that his currently going through.  With this experience, it is clear who we are to the youth and what we stand for. To our young people, TYEE GO GREEN! is dubbed as ESSENTIAL SERVICES. The backbone they run to in times of struggle, confusion and when they are in desperate need of support. 

We pride ourselves in our ability to make a difference in the world and although we are a self-funded youth NGO, we still managed to become that strong support system to our young people. 

One of the many highlights from this SWAP Event is our debate. “Should the youth be more involved to a point they are able to lead climate change-related initiatives in Tonga”.  Although some of the youth shared that some issues facing the youth nowadays are lack of commitment and goal setting. One of the countering opinions to this point is, “...we say many times that the youth are the root causes of social problems, but that’s only some of us, the rest of us are actually committed and hard workers” 

From November 2019 to August 2020 we have catered for more than 200 youth participants and probably reduced clothing wastes by a significant percentage given the amount of clothes we SWAP each fortnightly event.  We obtain more than 100 pieces of unwanted clothing each event times 7 SWAP events since November and that is how many clothing wastes that could have potentially affected our environment if not for the consistency and determination of TYEE GO GREEN! SWAP. 

Given that the work we do positively impacts the country in general, although our contribution may not make up 1% of the country’s global contribution to climate change, but we remain committed and we believe we are making such a big difference and thus, it’s only fit, that initiatives such as these get the recognition and support it deserves to continue to cater for the many unemployed youths out there but most importantly, to securing a healthy, clean, green environment.

TYEE GO GREEN! our home, our future, our responsibility.