This presentation focuses on youth empowerment. It highlights the role of governments/political leaders, community leaders, and the youth in ensuring their active engagement in nation-building. It was prepared and presented to the Emerging Public Leaders Fellowship Program in Ghana but relevant to any youth group across the world.
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Presentation to EPL Fellows on Youth Empowerment 1.pptx
1. PEPPER SOUP
There Will No Longer Be
Future Leaders
Presentation By: Prosper Abuanor and
Dedo Doku
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change
the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
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70% of sub-Saharan Population is
under 30;
60% are under age 25
Representing about 743 million of the 1.061 billion
people in this region.
Meanwhile, most African leaders are 55 years or
older.
At the Parliamentary level, only 14% of members
are under 40 years old, which, sadly, reflects the
global average.
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Ghana
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The Ghanaian Context
Successive governments in Ghana have focused on
economic empowerment as the key to youth
development.
Youth focused initiatives are not implemented within
any clear framework in spite of the existence of a
National Youth Policy document.
Recent political economy assessments identify youth
unemployment and underemployment as some of the
main threats to the stability of the Ghanaian state yet
youth plight and neglect have been continuously
politicized.
An Oxfam study on Youth Development Intervention
found serious weaknesses in both policy and
programming of these interventions. It denies the
Ghanaian collective of the distinctive energy,
resourcefulness and courage of the youth. This does
not only harm today's youth; it ultimately undermines
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Source: UNDP Youth Strategy Document
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Sub-optimal
and non-
empowering
education and
skills
development
income
poverty and
unavailability
of jobs
(particularly
skilled ones)
lack of voice
and inclusion
in the national
development
agenda;
lack of
accurate
information on
healthy living
and sexual
and
reproductive
health
The Case for Youth in
Ghana
frequent abuse (verbal,
physical, sexual and
psychological
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Source: (Oxfam) Youth development Interventions in Ghana: Policy and
practice
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There is a dire need to
encourage community youth
leadership through political
and economic inclusion,
especially of marginalized
groups.
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history
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YOUTH EMPOWERMENT – an attitudinal, cultural and
structural process where the youth gain control over
the factors that shape their lives.
It is the process by which youth increase their skills,
assets and attributes and build capacities to gain
access or make their voice heard.
It is a means of encouraging youths to do great
things for themselves and also to make great impact
in their society.
The concept is to give young people a responsibility
at an early stage in life. Efforts need to be put in
place to make young people capable of both
following and leading.
Life time Vaccine
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More often than not, we find ourselves in a position where
those advocating for youth empowerment undermine their own
message by their actions and rhetoric – and that’s what we
conspicuously find in political leaders and government policy and
interventions
“Great changes in the destiny of
mankind can be effected only in
the minds of little children.” —
Sir Herbert Read
Be aware, raise your voice, take action.
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through capacity development of young people and
youth organizations, including youth caucuses in
government, parliament or other representative
bodies;
through outreach, advocacy and mainstreaming of
youth issues in all spheres of development planning;
through thought leadership, global policy
debates and networks, that include the
voices of marginalized youth, and build on
improved data and policies
03 through support to national policy, more effective
strategies to protect youth from exploitation and
neglect, and support their informed and active
participation in all spheres of society
APPROACH TO YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT
INFLUENC
E –
SUSTAIN –
ENGAGE –
SUPPORT –
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Popular education- engaging young people in education towards the
struggle for a just, equitable and democratic society demands alternative
approaches to learning and teaching.
Adultism Awareness — Make a conscious effort to create
awareness on adult bias throughout society. Led by youth or
adults, anti-adultism recognizes the societal addiction many
people have to adults that leads to discrimination against
children and youth.
Youth Mainstreaming — Government or civil societies should
implement public policy strategy that acknowledges the roles youth
can play and the issues affecting them across various sectors.
A deliberate initiative to involve young people in the
formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national
Approach
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Socialize government to appoint deputy Ministers under 35
Appointment of critical ministries pertaining to
youth/technology under 40: youth & sport;
communications; environment, science & technology;
education; health; gender, children & social welfare;
aviation; special development initiatives...in the footsteps of
countries such as Angola, Botswana, Namibia
Constituencies with a large proportion of youth, should be
encouraged to vote an MP under 40
Revisit our national youth policy – to at all times ensure
youth involvement.
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Approach
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Let us abolish the term ‘youth leadership’. A
leader is not characterized by his age. We all
here are not aspiring leaders, not emerging
leaders, leaders here and now.
Outside the government and civil society
organizations creating Youth empowering
programs, the youths should see it as a duty to
personally develop themselves, because at the
end of the day the best thing you can bring to
any environment is YOU.
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Everyone is affected by ignorance and everyone can
benefit from learning and doing more to support
diversity.
Q&A
