WHAT IF EVERY YOUTH STARTED A COMMUNITY INITIATIVE

 In a certain training, the Executive Director of Shine Leadership International proposed that every youth should start an initiative geared towards creating positive change in their communities. There is no community in the world that is not prone to problems. Even the United States which is the most advanced country in the world has challenges such as gun violence. Our education system is wired to make the students to look for jobs after university. That is why it is very common to find a student at university whose sole focus is to pass exams and hope to get a decent job. Unfortunately times have changed because we have over 30 universities which are producing over 300,000 graduates a year yet it is estimated that the economy produces about 70,000 jobs per year.

Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges that Uganda faces yet over 70% of the population is below 30 years of age. The other day on the news there was story of a group of youths who wanted to beat up staff of a sports betting company for failing to pay for their investment. This is an indicator of the predominant thoughts among some youths .They want instant gains.

To change this narrative, what if youths are empowered to form their own initiatives that address community concerns. This can enable them to develop leadership skills and to care for humanity. If Mother Teresa focused on money she would not have cared for the poor in Calcutta India. If Nelson Mandela was focused on money he would not have spent 27 years in prison. Today we have youths who want to compete with entrepreneurs who have existed for years. Most youths are focused on earning rather than learning. This explains why most of the government programmes have performed dismally. The youths in most cases think that this money is just a donation.

In a way of empowering youths of Uganda, efforts should be placed on enabling to create their own jobs and focus on making a positive difference in the lives of Ugandans. This can curb youth unemployment.

Phillip Kiryowa

Finance and Leadership Coach

+256752615916

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