By. Y. UMUHUZA MUGISHA, JadeTimes News
YOUNG EMPOWERMENT: THE KEY TO SUSTAINABILITY
Empowerment of young people is not a goal; it is a precondition for a prosperous and sustainable future. Today, the youth are tomorrow's leaders, innovators, changemakers; however, for them to stand up to their respective potentials, then given at least the proper tools, opportunities, and support." Against this backdrop, the series of deliberations will be focused on the importance of youth empowerment and the various ways through which youth empowerment could be accomplished.
1. Youth Empowerment: Young people form the largest percentage of populations in poorer and developing regions of the world. A case in point is Africa, where over 60% of the population is under the age of 25 years. But that's one huge demographic chunk that should be singled out as youth: The problem is that the same thing that is a challenge can also be considered an opportunity. The need for careful and serious investments in youth is based on the fact that, while on the one hand, it may call for grave economic stagnation if this is not done, on the other hand, the power of engagement goes a long way in bringing out innovation, economic growth, and social progress. Youth empowerment is facilitated by a number of reasons.
Among them:
Economic Development: Enabling the youth to endow, they act to lift economies through business start-ups and job creations with a resultant consumption effect that ripples into savings and investments in education and skill development for more productive labor forces.Social stability: Empowering the youth greatly deters their involvement in crime and makes them less attractive to radicalization. Empowers them with the energy to be involved in civic affairs and provokes, literally, democracy and social cohesion.
Innovations and Advances: Most technological and social innovations are, in essence, rooted in young people. A society has the benefit of utilizing the dynamism and ideas of a given group by empowering it, so this group can work to find solutions and advance in a given society.
2. Key Strategies of Youth EmpowermentYouth Empowerment is a multi-pronged affair with their needs and challenges. Here are some of the primary and main strategies for attaining Youth Empowerment
Education and Skills Empowerment: Access to good quality education is the bedrock of empowerment among the youth. Governments and organizations should make investment in an education system that will instill imperative skills and knowledge among the young people living in the 21st century. This should be operationalized not only with regard to basic education but also on the terms of vocational trainings, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship programs.
Access to job opportunities: Among all the problems in the youth sector, a common challenge is unemployment. This, however, has to be tackled by a collective effort in job creation and acquisition for the youth. This is made highly possible by policies for job creation, support to small and medium-sized enterprises, and investments in the industry that creates employment for a large proportion of young participation.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Imbibe in them the courage and support to start their own businesses and implement new, innovative ideas. Give such activities increased access to finance and mentorship programs; set up business incubators and accelerators.
Political Participation and Leadership: If the youth are to be empowered at all, then they need an avenue through which they can express their opinions in matters of decision-making. This can be done by reducing the thinking age, creating a youth advisory council, and encouraging young people to participate in public leadership. Political empowerment will ensure the issues affecting the youth are considered in policies and decisions.
Health and Well-being: No individual can be empowered unless he or she is whole and healthy. Youths need access to health services including mental, general, sexual, and reproductive health services and programs promoting good health habits.
-Social and Cultural Inclusion: It also means to challenge the social norms and stereotypes that breed limits to potential even amongst the youth. That has to deal explicitly with gender inequality, discrimination, and cultural barriers that bar young people from effective participation in activities across society
3. The Role of StakeholdersThis will call for concentrated effort by various stakeholders, namely governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and most importantly the youth.
Governments: Quite generally, the governments have a very cardinal role in policy and frameworks to support empowerment programs. Further, they invest in educational and employment opportunities, as well as ensuring that there is a space for the voices of young people in matters of national interest.
NGOs and Civil Society: These represent a group of organizations and stakeholders championing the course of the youth. Most of the time, they are at the front, offering much-needed service like education, skill training, and sometimes even advocacy on rights of the youth.
Private Sector: To this aspect, the private sector can assist in generating employment opportunities for youth as they transit into adulthood; offers for internships and apprentices for respectful work experience, and supporting youth-managed start-ups. The private sector can bring its sphere of influence down to education and skills development via active partnerships with schools and universities.
Youth Themselves: Youth Themselves should not be the target of empowerment but the active subject out of it. They have to be the one to spearhead an initiative to seek and engage in opportunities within the utility of their respective communities and steps on advocacy.
Youth Empowerment poses a role in creating a sustainable and wealthy future. This would encompass an integrated approach to their needs and challenges vis-à-vis education, labor, health, and political participation. Youth empowerment is one way of maximizing investments made to enable the next generation to be contributors to economic growth, successes in society, and innovation. Now, it is time for action, and the responsibility lies on us: government, businesses, organizations, and the very young people of these nations, to build a world where every single person has his or her dream of success realized.
