YOUTH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
We Need the Youths to determine the 202020 vision or the
society will be a failed one......
-Iyere Ernest Ahamioje 2009
It Gives Me the Greatest Pleasure to be part of this year
Youth Day Online Celebration under the platform of Generation Okowa Worldwide
Foundation. This Foundation has recognized the essence and importance of
tomorrow’s leaders in Today World. It is a great pleasure that Our Loving and
Caring Governor has made out time for the youths of today to shape their
tomorrows world. God Bless the Good work of H.E in Person of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.
The Oxford Dictionary defines Youth as "A time of life
when a person is young, especially the time before a child becomes an
adult". This Definition defines us all, Our Fathers, Grandfathers and Great
Grand Fathers once passed through this stage.
In 1999, The United nations General assembly under it
resolution 54/120 Endorsed the recommendation made by the world conference of
ministers responsible for Youths to declare every August 12th the
International Youth Day (www.un.org/en/events/youthday/).
The theme of this Year Youth Day is “YOUTH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT”.
Civic engagement involves “working to make a difference in
the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge,
skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the
quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political
processes” (Erlich, 2000).
One question that comes to my mind is how can we engage the
Nigerian youth in Civic Engagement?
Preparing all youth for a successful transition to adulthood
is both a key responsibility and an important investment for policymakers.
Creating opportunities for young people to grow into thriving adults will
increase the well-being of the next generation, and ultimately translate into
savings for taxpayers.
When young people become disconnected, policymakers in every
state are forced to deal with a range of costly consequences that both threaten
individual futures and result in soaring public expenditures. Youth without
opportunities or a connection to their communities may engage in negative
behaviors including substance abuse, delinquency, risky sexual behavior and
dropping out of high school. Alternatively, young people with a clear sense of
identity, a positive sense of self-worth and opportunities to achieve are
likely to be successful.
In Nigeria today, Youths are not typically conceived of as
productive and constructive social actors, but rather as potential sources of
political disruption, delinquency and criminality. Yet, pre-independence social
and political movements were often led by young people who defined themselves
as 'youth' to provide dynamic support to the leadership of the freedom and
independence movements or in opposition to their elders who were supposedly
content to be cronies of the colonial regimes. Some political parties were
explicitly organized around youth. (Ahamioje, 2009).
Whilst youth has become a global issue, the situation of
youth in Nigeria- characterized by embarrassingly high levels of unemployment
and underemployment, exodus to other continents, involvement in violent
political and social conflicts, etc. - is critical and requires strategic
regional and National action.
Nigerian Youths needs re-orientation as a matter of urgency,
the past ideals of amassing wealth through looting public funds and other vices
must be seen as an evil of the past. We must become content as long as we have
shelter, clothing, food, education and health care. Enough of unnecessary
greed!
It will be biased of me to condemn the acts of our Youth
generation without proffering solutions and see how today’s youth can be civic
Engaged.
It is Important for our leaders , Now not to deprive our
Youths and Encourage Youth Programs that
will promote Youth Civic Engagement vis a vis Youth Initiatives programs that
will enlighten the youth. Such programs like;
ü
Promoting Youth Voters Registration
ü
Establishing Opportunity for Youth Participation
in Politics where by a youth advisory council should be created to ensure that
the voices of the youths are heard.
ü
Promote Diverse Forms of Youth Service because
those youths that participate in a diverse service activities are more likely
to become engaged in the community and are more likely to develop a long
lasting sense of civic responsibility. This can be informing of Skilled and
gain experience, while giving back to their communities. This gives a
government the opportunity to provide for out of classroom learning.
ü
Promoting Policies to support Youth Engagement
On a final Note, I want to stress that Successful Youth
Engagement Strategies requires that most youth have great and meaningful
opportunities to work with each other within their communities thereby
developing themselves and their ability to become an agent of change.
Activities like discussion, Youth Empowerment, Women’s right, Public
Enlightenment campaigns, Encouraging Sports, skilled and unskilled acquisition.
The Knowledge that We as Youths gets from our surroundings helps to transform
our Communities.
God Bless Our Youths, The Tomorrow Leaders, God Bless all
the Youths Around the world, God bless Our Great State Delta State and finally
God Bless Nigeria!!!
Thanks
Dr Ernest I Ahamioje(Phd, ABD)
Nigeria Youth Ambassador to the United Nations,
C.E.O of Positive Nigeria Inc,USA
Executive
Director/Head of International Operations, Generation Okowa (USA, Canada, Et
al).
References
1. Ahamioje,
E.I(2009).THE AFRICA CHALLENGE:A Message to the President addressed to the
Nigerian Youths at the UNITED NATIONS
2. Erlich,
T. (2000). Civic responsibility and higher education. Westport, CT: Oryx Press
-
3. Flanagan,
C., and Levine, P (2010). Civic Engagement and the Transition to Adulthood. The
Future of Children.
4. National
Conference of State Legislatures (2006). Legis brief: Engaging Young People in
Legislatures.
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