Youths constitute a major human capital base that drives socio-cultural, economic and political development. Their intellectual abilities coupled with their productive acumen when properly harnessed stimulate social progress. The key objective, therefore, is to empower young people so as to enhance their full participation as equal and valuable partners especially in shaping their respective society. The idea of youths as being passive is not entirely true as youths are often deserted in public affairs of the country and their respective communities. However, in as much as the country is aiming at promoting public participation and develop a sustainable ecosystem towards vision 2030, there are numerous avenues where support can be rendered. Such avenues can work well in keeping their idle hand off drugs, hooliganism, theft and alcoholism.
Education and Skills Training
Through education young people are exposed to various ideas including entrepreneurial skills training. Well equipped youths should reach adulthood having acquired basic practical skills as well as academic prowess to pursue employment of their choice. In the case of Zimbabwe, there is a growing need to encourage youths to be creators of job opportunities rather than constantly seeking out employment. Hence there is need to provide a pre-vocational foundation for vocational training, and the design of courses content that reflects the importance of integrating educational and societal values(Osei,2004). This is in line with the general norm where most youths pursue higher education to gain opportunities to study valuable skills that lead to various sectors of the economy. What is then needed is a robust approach such as the newly initiated education 5.0 package under the new curriculum.
Encourage Youth Entrepreneurship
Youth Entrepreneurships provides a solution to Zimbabwe’s youth unemployment problem. Entrepreneurship is viewed as an option for generating sustainable livelihoods where employment opportunities are limited (Lisk, 2013). With their ability to adapt to changes and innovate, young people have the potential to drive tech-entrepreneurship growth. Youth Entrepreneurship therefore has a direct effect on employment if the same are encouraged to build sustainable entrepreneurship venture that will hire other young people.
Promote Technical Skills
Technical skills are those needed for a task or process to be completed in making a product or providing a service in any given industry. Youths experience greater challenges in the formal labor market due to their lower level of work relevant technical skills (Elder 2014). Young people need to understand value chains and the respective technical skills which they should acquire in order to exploit the various opportunities they find exciting to them. One young business woman reveals that, she started a catering business from the knowledge she gained through her exposure in various catering jobs she worked at. Being employed early on allowed her to acquire ideas which she used in try out for new recipes and products. Her success was also coupled with her acquired education in marketing and bookkeeping.
Youth Organizations As Agents For Change
Youth led organizations is also another avenue which should be supported because it contributes to the development of civic leadership skills among young people. Youth advocates stand in to demand immediate action to address urgent challenges. It is the Ministry of Youth’s duty to develop an implementation plan which should ensure that youth led organizations are supported. This implementation plan should involve the identification of stakeholders from various ministries, development agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in youth development. These should be encouraged to consider youth perspectives in their various areas of work and ensure that they engage the respective young person’s thus pushing the youth development agenda.
Policy Implementation
Youths can play a significant role in policy implementation at national and local government level. This is on condition that the same youths are provided with the necessary skills and opportunities required. In a sense youths can be viewed as incentives for development and contributors to peace and security which is so much needed in most communities. When policies are clearly articulated to youths and the same are made to understand how government policies affect their personal experiences chances are high that they will begin asking questions. The very fact of asking questions will accord them the power to act and mobilize others to bring in fresh perspectives to issues in question.
Young people can also be partners in communicating to their peers and communities concerning policies at local levels. But to have such a crop of youths requires that empowerment programs be rolled out which will equip students with the right knowledge of their rights as well as leadership skills. Lisbon has it that, ‘Reviewing the situation of youths and their needs and incorporating young people’s own assessment of priorities through their participation in a consultative process and ensuring that young women and men actively contribute to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of national and youth policies, programs and action plans’.
Africa prides itself in having a youthful population but this population lacks the means to exercise and live to its full potential. It thus becomes the duty of government and all responsible authorities to come up with measures that equip this youthful population to live up to its dreams.
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