As the human population keeps rising, society need to indulge youth empowerment programs more to reduce redundancy.
Without well planned efforts to empower the youths, such society will lack what it takes to meet her peoples needs. Youths find themselves in the middle of this situation almost all the time, as some are forced out of school because parents can’t afford to train them in schools anymore.
Society lacks enough organizations that can absorb these young people with either work or training opportunities. So many are left to fend for themselves with little or no knowledge, which results in low standards of living and a high rate of crime.
Youth empowerment is focused on creating a greater community change through the development of individual capacity, which creates platform to curb this menace.
There are different types of empowerment programs. All put together, they help to improve the living standard of any society. They are;
- Psychological
- Community
- Organizational
- Economic
- Social
- Cultural
Psychological Empowerment refers to empowerment that has to do with the mind. How the young individual thinks. Its main purpose is to enhance the consciousness, knowledge of problems and their solutions, and belief in self-efficacy; (Ability to produce the desired effect under any circumstances). Also, this kind of empowerment creates self-confidence, providing the young mind with the skills to acquire relevant knowledge.
Community Empowerment helps the youth develop leadership skills, improve communication, and create a network of support to address concerns of the society.
Organizational Empowerment helps the community create resources. This usually includes various voluntary organizations, unions, associations, etc. intending to promote, protect, defending the powerless in society.
Economic Empowerment teaches the youths entrepreneurship skills. How to take ownership of their assets, and how to have income security, etc.
Social Empowerment trains the youths on social literacy and self-confidence to change social relationships.
Cultural Empowerment mainly aims at re-creating cultural practices and redefines cultural rules and norms for youths.
Benefits of Youth Empowerment Programs
1. Reduces Youth Violence.
In African proverbs, it is said that the pride of the youth is in their strength. When there’s so much energy flowing without appropriate channeling, many people tend to use it wrongly.
An angry and hungry group of young people may indulge their youthfulness in drugs. Some may find it appropriate to stage riots. Others will see nothing wrong with vandalism, etc.
Youth empowerment takes these same members of the society off the streets and creates a program that can aid their development and growth in the right direction.
Youth empowerment programs reduce youth violence Share on X2. Creates Basic Education to Create a Strong Foundation for Their Future Career
The future of any society is in the education of its youths. No matter what may be obtainable now, if the youths are not well trained educationally to meet up with the demands of the future, the development of such a society is bleak.
Psychological and economic empowerment both have what it takes to prepare the younger generation in different careers to be able to proffer solutions to the problems of society.
Advanced or 3rd world nations today thrive on the power of knowledge they have acquired. The combination of great leaders and the educated elite the society will keep advancing in technology and living standards.
Any society can do the same if priority is given to empowering the young minds now to prepare for the future.
3. National Development
Every nation holds its development to the amount of relevant knowledge it has and has applied. If in every society in a nation, there is empowerment for youths whether psychologically, economically, or socially, its results will spread in the long run to bring National development.
A nation is made up of societies. Whatever is obtainable in the societies will be obvious in the nation. Priority should be given to youth empowerment in psychological and economic areas.
The ripple effects of training some persons in the highest levels of education who will in turn train others in the future to acquire the same skill will lead to massive national development.
Education at the highest level is very expensive, thus improving upon the current scholarship grant scheme is important. This will aid investment and the return on investment for the nation’s development.
Youth empowerment fosters national development Share on X4. Crime Reduction
The rate of crime keeps increasing with less youth empowerment programs. Youths have invented new ways to commit crimes. Stealing or cheating through the internet is one of the most troubling in the recent times. They go to whatever lengths necessary to improve their quality of life through internet fraud.
All of these short sighted endeavors keep damaging the well being of the society and filling the prison yards with bright minds ,whose enormous capacity if rightly harnessed can be used to bring peace and well being to society.
Youth empowerment is important for crime reduction. Busy hands and minds of the youths in positive productive ventures will automatically reduce crime considerably and increase societal development considerably.
Youth empowerment is important for crime reduction. Share on X5. Poverty Alleviation
When young people are empowered and trained it leads to economic growth since there will be significant increase in the creation of small and medium businesses popularly called SME’s.
A well established SME can employ a minimum of 5 – 10 people. And the numbers can keep increasing as these businesses expand. Poverty is not just a lack of money it is also a lack of productivity as well as a lack of initiative for new ideas that can generate wealth.
Providing funds to unempowered Youths isn’t going to solve the problem. If they aren’t thought to know how to create products, manage businesses, distribute products, and control the market. Here lies the need for adequate economic empowerment.
With a drive towards empowering the youths economically, more SME’s can be formed that will grow into large enterprises in the future, if well managed. And this all begins with youth empowerment programs.
6. New Innovation
The mind of an average is very creative. Scientists claim we only use 10% of the full functionality of our brains. Youth empowerment is a springboard on which the creative minds of youths can ride, to develop or create new ideas for wealth.
The basis for new inventions is to solve problems in new and easier ways. No group of people in the society can best thrive at this if the right platform is not created.
Education is the greatest of the springboards to the needed platform. Access to the right education programs for youths will produce withy inventions such that have not been heard anywhere in the world. After all, the same minds of the youths are trying so hard to create new wrong ways of acquiring wealth.
In conclusion, there is no limit to how and what can be achieved with adequate Youth Empowerment Programs in any Society.
The most outstanding advantage is, that it’ll create high quality living for the society. By improving social skills, academic achievement, individual efficacy, individual confidence, and individual behavior.
I recommend that governmental and private organizations look critically into working with Youth Empowerment Agencies. Especially those that have a good track record with empowering the youths to develop the Society. By funding their programs, such as training, scholarships, skills acquisition, etc.
Among such Empowerment Agencies is CEHDEER. We offer to vocationally train youths to be able to generate income for their selves.
We offer to vocationally train youths to be able to generate income for their selves. Share on X