Youth Empowerment II – SS1 Civic Education Lesson Note (First Term)

Youth empowerment is the process of giving young people the skills, education, opportunities and support they need to become self-reliant and to contribute to national development.

• Purpose: it prepares young people to earn a living, lead others and help build the nation.

Behavioural objectives

1. State the importance and benefits of youth empowerment.
2. Explain how youth empowerment helps to reduce poverty and crime.
3. List the roles of government in providing employment opportunities for the youth.
4. Give examples of youth empowerment schemes and support provided by government.

What are the key terms in youth empowerment?

Key terms are the words students must know before they can discuss youth empowerment.

• Youth: young people who are able and ready to work, learn and take responsibility.
• Self-reliance: the ability to provide for yourself without depending on others for every need.
• Entrepreneurship: starting and running a business, for example a tailoring shop or a poultry farm.
• Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs): small and medium-sized businesses that employ a limited number of people.
• Soft loan: a loan given at a low interest rate or on easy repayment terms.
• Vocational school: a school that teaches practical trade skills such as carpentry, welding and fashion design.
• Capacity building: training that improves the knowledge and skills of people.
• Parastatal: an agency owned or controlled by the government, for example the National Directorate of Employment.
• Subsidy: money from the government that lowers the price of goods such as fertiliser and seeds.
• Incentive: a benefit offered to encourage people to take up an activity.

Why do young people need empowerment?

Young people need empowerment because skills and opportunities help them to become useful, independent citizens.

• Unemployment: many school leavers and graduates cannot find paid jobs.
• Dependence: without skills, young people depend on parents and relatives for support.
• Idleness: youth with nothing to do can be drawn into crime and other social vices.
• Wasted talent: skills and ideas are lost when young people get no training or support.

What are the importance and benefits of youth empowerment?

The benefits of youth empowerment fall into three groups: economic, social, and political and national.

Economic benefits

• Less poverty: it helps to reduce the rate of poverty in the society.
• Financial independence: it makes the youth financially independent.
• Self-employment: it leads to self-employment and industrialisation.
• More jobs: it leads to the creation of employment opportunities.
• Technology: it promotes technological development.

Social benefits

• Lower crime: it helps to reduce the crime rate.
• Better education: it raises the standard of education.
• Sense of purpose: it gives young people meaning in life, especially when they are given positions of responsibility.
• Community growth: it supports community development because skills and knowledge are passed on.

Political and national benefits

• Good governance: it supports good governance.
• Leadership and enterprise: it produces good leaders and entrepreneurs.
• Nation-building: it helps the process of nation-building and development.

How does youth empowerment reduce poverty and crime?

Youth empowerment reduces poverty by giving young people income, and reduces crime by giving them useful work and values.

What are the roles of government in providing employment opportunities for the youth?

The government provides employment opportunities for the youth in six main areas: institutions, education, money, agriculture, infrastructure and awareness.

Agencies and institutions

• Agencies: establish agencies, ministries and parastatals for youth empowerment.
• Strengthening: strengthen existing youth empowerment institutions.
• Vocational schools: establish vocational schools.

Education and skills

• Curriculum: include youth empowerment programmes and activities in the school curriculum at all levels.
• Capacity building: train youth in entrepreneurial and vocational skills.
• Investment in education: invest heavily in education so that youth become self-reliant instead of job seekers.
• Free education and scholarships: provide these to deserving youth.

Money and enterprise

• Soft loans: provide soft loans for youth to set up SMEs or industries.
• Start-up support: provide free start-up capital and equipment to youth in empowerment programmes, for example SURE-P and state-based schemes.
• Job support for graduates: help graduates of vocational and entrepreneurial programmes to find work.
• Financial market: develop a financial market that supports SMEs.
• Labour market: create a labour market that works better for the youth.

Agriculture

• Incentives: make agriculture attractive to the youth, for example through subsidies on inputs such as fertiliser and seeds.

Infrastructure and investment

• Infrastructure: build infrastructure that will employ many people, such as good roads, electricity and potable drinking water.
• Investment climate: promote a conducive atmosphere for investment.

Awareness and partnership

• Awareness: raise awareness of youth empowerment through seminars, workshops, symposia and lectures.
• Partnership: work with non-governmental organisations and other advocacy groups on youth empowerment.

What are examples of youth empowerment schemes and support?

Examples of youth empowerment support include schemes, agencies, loans, scholarships and farm subsidies.

How can a young person benefit from empowerment programmes?

A young person benefits by learning a skill, finding the right support and using it to earn a living.

1. Learn a trade or skill at a vocational school or training programme.
2. Find out which government agency or scheme offers support.
3. Apply for training, a soft loan or start-up equipment.
4. Start a small business, for example tailoring, welding or poultry farming.
5. Employ other young people as the business grows.

Evaluation

1. State five importance or benefits of youth empowerment.
2. How does youth empowerment help to reduce crime and poverty?
3. List five ways in which the government can provide employment opportunities for the youth.
4. Give two examples of support the government can give to make agriculture attractive to the youth.
5. Describe how the government can use education to make the youth self-reliant.

Assignment

Explain four ways in which youth empowerment helps in nation-building and development.