Youth and empowerment

trueBy Anthony Kuka Cherotich

In order to gain youth empowerment, there should be intergenerational equity, civic engagement and democracy building through attitudinal, structural and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people including youth and adults.

This will ensure that the future prosperity of nation is secured/guaranteed because these are the people that are, and will take care of many offices and functions in the country; it will also help reduce the poverty standard of any nation. Crime reduction shall also be greatly benefited by the country as empowered youth are not vulnerable to community offences and may note advantages to the country and the continent as a whole.

You should, therefore, focus on substance (real things) rather than form (appearance)
As elections approach, it is time for Ugandans to critically scrutinise both current leaders and aspiring leaders alike to ensure their choices come elections are well informed. But the largest bulk of the electorate are youths whom mostly are unemployed, many poor and thus vulnerable to manipulation during the electioneering process.

Individuals, groups, parties etc shall approach youths with the purpose of recruiting them into their ranks with usually promises of jobs, money, better life and so many other exciting opportunities, which tends to delude youth from objective thinking and consequently rational decisions.

I, therefore, urge the youths to focus on substance rather than from, scrutinise all aspirants and identify with those capable of mobilising them to create wealth for ourselves, kick out poverty, ignorance and thus help us to become self reliant (empowerment).
 
As youth, we should form progressive groups, associations etc aimed at properly shaping our lives spiritually, economically and ideologically.

These groups should encourage youths or members to pursue profitable ventures. Pursue profitable farming, education and entrepreneurship with much zeal and hate vice (corruption, idleness, cheap talk, intrigue, alcoholism, theft etc).

The writer is NRM Youth leader for Kapchorwa district and an entrepreneur