YOUTH ARISE #YouthSpace #ActivateYourSelf
Never be too quick to blame the youth that they are doing 'nothing' to save themselves from economic turmoil. Until you step into the youth's 'world' especially in this era of COVID-19, you wouldn't know and understand what they might be going through to make both ends meet especially those who live in underprivileged communities.
I know many youth who would love to do something or anything but they find it tough or rather challenging not knowing where to start or what to do in a society where even the menial jobs are diminishing while the number of job seekers keeps on rising while everyone is ready to do anything to survive.
As a way to save and serve the youth let us not throw random ideas to the youth rather let us spare that precious time to walk the journey together with the youth in identifying the problem, seek solutions and build sustainable processes in the ever changing environment moving into the unpredictable future.
Youth in Kenya constitute 70% of the population and continue to face many challenges from lack of job opportunities which includes menial jobs, mental health, peer pressure, rejection, poverty, underpayment, frustration, lack of skills just to mention but a few.
Question, what would be the most effective approach in saving and serving the bulging youth population which can be a risk factor or opportunity for the national political, social and economic growth?
#MyTake As inspired by my work in implementing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 1: No poverty
- SDG 4: Quality education and lifelong learning
- SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth.
I’m thinking the following can help us address the youth agenda;
- Meaningful youth engagement as a way of designing sustainable programs for and by the youth.
- Mentor-ship and training, this will allow the youth to learn more outside the classroom and discover new ways to deal with their situation.
- Creative entrepreneurship training - tapping into our creative genius, skill set and mind set in developing solutions for the existing problems.
- Financial literacy program - help them understand the basics ( save and invest). Train the youth How to handle money as a vital life skill.
- Train the youth on how to grow their networks (social and professional networks) beyond their hood thereby ensuring quality and meaningful relationships.
- Targeted programming, dealing with different youth groups as per their needs and levels with the entire ecosystem.
- Sustainability of youth programs and projects from one regime to the next one.
- Support job creation ventures by the youths, create an enabling environment for youth to operate in any of their chosen fields for example in arts, farming, business etc.
- Support the blue collar sector where it is considered to be for failures and yet it is not. More awareness and championing of TVETs institutions.
- 360 degrees approach to soft skills / life skills training which includes presentation, problem solving, emotional intelligence, creativity, innovation, self drive, personal branding just but few.
As a youth advocate I would love to see young people live a more decent life through their careers, talents, skills and things they choose to do. It is very possible to realize the vision through observing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) even at our individual levels.
Feel free to get in touch with me for a master session with your youth groups on areas of creative entrepreneurship, personal branding, internet research, soft skills training, blogging, photography and many more. It starts with self learning to address the knowledge gap in the society which eventually transitions into a community of lifelong learners.
Good read;
"Tell me what are the prevailing sentiments that occupy the minds of your young men, and I will tell you what is to be the character of the next generation”. Edmund Burke (1729–97)
