Innovative approach needed to bolster youth empowerment

Youth empowerment has long been a challenging feat for many governments and societies. Whereas they form the largest segment of our population, they remain in the periphery of community affairs and development programmes.

Leaders have ascended into office on the back of youth support and vigour. Often, they promise outlandish solutions to youth problems, but predictably fail to deliver when time comes. This has created a vicious cycle of use-and-dump, culminating in youth delinquency, hopelessness, political hooliganism and money politics. These youths, on realising that most promises are vague and fake, resort to demanding money in exchange for votes – and this heralds a big quagmire where politicians are bled dry during elections.

SOCIETAL ILLS

There is no doubt that most promises made to the youth are borne out of noble intentions. After all, they form a formidable backbone of our vibrant society. What to do with the youth remains the problem.

Villages and towns are dotted with youths who have given up on life. They lay the blame squarely on the county and national governments. They wait, with diminishing hope, for office jobs and evanescent riches. When no jobs are found, they sink into despair and bitterness. They disappear into drug abuse, robbery and other forms of societal ills, from which they must face punishment, further worsening the situation.

For any government, the Holy Grail remains what best approach to use to empower the youth. Empowerment is a social action that can occur at individual, family or community levels. Social scientists have proposed an empowerment continuum ladder, with atomistic individual development (focus on changing the individual) and political empowerment (focus on changing the community).

Finding a balance between individual and community empowerment is critical and determines the success of any youth empowerment programme.

WHITE-COLLAR JOBS

The success of any youth empowerment programme is hinged on the principles of a welcoming and safe environment where youths feel safe and valued, meaningful participation and engagement which combats rolelessness and fosters belongingness. 

Devolution must start being seen in light of youth empowerment, but innovative approaches must be sought. One, county governments are unlikely to create enough jobs for the youths. Secondly, the mindset of many youths is fixated on white-collar jobs, with open disdain for agriculture, vocational training and entrepreneurship. Thirdly, most affected youths suffer from breakdown in self-discipline, brought about by despondency.

These challenges call for structured approach to youth empowerment. Youth emancipation ought to start with mindset change – a change of perception about their circumstances. This should be the first tier in the structure of youth empowerment. Exuberance and positivity are rare but much needed ingredients among the young population in our country. Many have a perception that somebody took away their opportunities.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The second strategy is discipline. In an environment where graduates are not guaranteed employment, patience and resilience are needful. It takes discipline to start a venture and see it through turbulence and ultimate success.

Thirdly, our youths need an enabling and encouraging climate for growth. They need small resources to start their own ventures, government subsidisation of charges for operating businesses and education on financial literacy and business development.

Leveraging on technology is an opportunity missed by many. Instead, people spend time on social media platforms, complaining and posting information, while gobbling data bundles.

The author is a medical doctor and chair of Meru Youth Service Steering Committee