Youth Empowerment Programmes
Why the youth?
According to the United Nations, the youth comprises 16 percent of the world’s population. Although there are no accurate census data, Nigeria has a high population growth rate at 2.4%, which is sustained by high fertility at about 5.2 children per woman compared with 3.6 in Ghana and 3.3 in Kenya. Most of these births are unplanned, unwanted and burdensome to the mothers. In many cases, most of these unwanted pregnancies are from unmarried adolescents and young people. The consequences are huge in terms of unsafe abortion, poor maternal and health outcomes. Nigeria has the largest population of youth in the world and a median age of 18.1 years. About 70% of the population is under 30, and 42% is under the age of 15. The overall quality of life for the population is of concern. There are high levels of poverty, unemployment and insecurity – of food, lives and property. Nearly 12% of the world population in extreme poverty lives in Nigeria, as measured by a poverty threshold at US$1.90 a day.
What is Youth empowerment all about?
Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. We do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes. The youth is important when it comes to shaping and developing the society we live in. They have the ability to determine the future, not only of a community and a nation; they can also shape the future of the world at large.
The youth has this role of making the change that needs to be done in order to have a better community. If something is working for a certain outcome, there is a high dependence on youth for its maintenance. Simply put, they are in charge of making changes that matter and maintaining cultures that positively impact our communities. The youth is the backbone of the nation and the youth is indeed our future.
With these being said, the youth need to be empowered in order to play their role in the development of the society. Youth empowerment is one of the things that a community should look into in order to engage and involve the youth, especially in making decisions for the future.
Why is Youth Empowerment Important?
At Morgan Charitable Foundation, empowering the youth is paramount to us because we need to give them the push they need in order to take control of their future. We need to equip them with the right tools in order to make better decisions for their future. Another reason is that this will help them cultivate their skills and discover their potential that will be beneficial to their personal and professional development. If they were able to unleash their best qualities, they have better chances of a better future.
Be it in the form of better judgment and wisdom when it comes to making decisions for their personal lives or by having a stellar career that not only helps them financially but also allows them to be an asset to the economy; youth empowerment also helps them better understand their roles and duties to the society. Through this, long-term effects of youth empowerment may lead to better perception of the youth sector towards education, poverty alleviation, even crime reduction and decrease in juvenile delinquency.
Youth empowerment movement
Youth empowerment is often addressed as a gateway to intergenerational equity, civic engagement and democracy building. Activities may focus on youth-led media, youth rights, youth councils, youth activism, youth involvement in community decision-making.
Types or dimensions of empowerment
Psychological empowerment
This enhances individual’s consciousness, belief in self-efficacy, awareness and knowledge of problems and solutions and of how individuals can address problems that harm their quality of life. This dimension aims to create self-confidence and give youth the skills to acquire knowledge.
Community empowerment
Here we focus on enhancing the community through leadership development, improving communication, and creating a network of support to mobilise the community to address concerns.
Organisational empowerment
This aims to create a base of resources for a community, including voluntary organisations, unions and associations that aim to protect, promote and advocate for the powerless.
Economic empowerment
Here we teach entrepreneurial skills, how to take ownership of their gifts/talents and how to have income security and financial independence.
Social empowerment
Here we teach social inclusion and literacy as well as helping kids find the resources to be proactive in their communities by improving their self worth.
Cultural
Initiatives geared towards empowerment aimed to recreate cultural practices and redefine cultural rules and norms for youth.
Through these dimensions of empowerment, Morgan Charitable Foundation initiative projects work on empowering youth in one or more aspects of their lives.