‘‘ Ultimately , organizations and individuals highly committed to youth participation may want to proceed to a position of comanagement where youth are working with older adults , and are becoming development professionals or leading political actors themselves . This is a key aspect of the empowerment process at the core of youthled development , which always acknowledges the importance of local contexts and cultural values and practices .’’
is that in many organizations in Kenya , youth are given token voice and chance to participate in decision making .
Young people ’ s participation is about far more than gathering their views in surveys or listening to limited numbers of representatives . Formal consultation and dialogue is useful to the extent that it guides decisions ; and genuinely represents a body of opinion and experience . local contexts and cultural values and practices .
To be able to participate , young people need to be empowered . The process of participation and empowerment is not about actions simply prescribed by others . Rather , it cultivates opportunities for young people to develop skills and competencies in a climate of mutual respect and understanding ( DFID , 2010 ).
today ’ s youthful employee base .
Appropriate leadership for youth empowerment is required ; however , there has been little empirical analysis of the theoretical relationships among the key components that make up such youth participation in leadership strategy , including youth empowerment and youth innovation .
The primary concern for young people is that if empowerment and participation in labor market is not done on leaving school , the risk of becoming semi-detached from the labor market is imminent . It is demonstrable that young people who cannot offer an employer some form of skill or attribute will not succeed in the labor market ( McBride , Morrow & Ackah , 2003 ).
So the appeal is for the decision makers in many organizations and also government circles to continue giving the youth from 18 years old a chance to exercise leadership by mentoring and empowering them .
However , it should be part of a process whereby young people progress to greater rights and responsibilities ( citizenship ); from being the targets of outreach , to being actively engaged in the planning and implementation of development interventions and innovations .
Ultimately , organizations and individuals highly committed to youth participation may want to proceed to a position of comanagement where youth are working with older adults , and are becoming development professionals or leading political actors themselves . This is a key aspect of the empowerment process at the core of youthled development , which always acknowledges the importance of
The research examined provides strong arguments for the promotion of youth organizing and outlets for youth participation in organizational engagement . In the pursuit of these opportunities , it is important to consider cultural , racial and socio-economic backgrounds of youth as well as their collective histories .
By promoting youth engagement in society , individual youth as well as the community as a whole benefit and start the evolution toward a more inclusive and democratic society ( Goark , 2013 ).
Research has called for organizations to be more flexible , adaptive , entrepreneurial , and innovative in meeting the changing demands of
Joe Nyutu is a marketing and strategy consultant who teaches marketing on part-time basis at a local leading university and can be reached via : Nyutu1kj @ yahoo . com