Youth Empowerment Programs Research Articles

Entangled Amid Misaligned Seams: Limitations to Technology-Mediated Care for Repairing Infrastructural Breakdowns in a Youth Empowerment Program

The COVID-19 pandemic broke down the human infrastructure of many community-based programs, disrupting in-person care services for low-resourced families. Yet, minimal work has explored how actors repair these breakdowns and how other infrastructures may interfere with repairs in such contexts. Interviewing adolescents and adults affiliated with a youth empowerment program, we used the pandemic to examine how a human infrastructure that previously facilitated a sense of community broke down and how members attempted to repair this infrastructure. While organized activities, resources, and interpersonal interactions aligned to facilitate in-person care that established a sense of community, incorporating information and communication technologies to align a sociotechnical infrastructure during social restrictions could not overcome multiple constraints imposed by other infrastructures that limited this sense of community. We discuss limitations to care and aligning together multiple disjointed infrastructures, calling for CSCW researchers to critically consider asset-based design as a methodology that might help sustain a community's well-being.

Inclusion and Integration of Youth Needs in Youth Empowerment Programmes: A Mixed-Method Study of Nairobi and Trans Nzoia Counties

Inclusion and Integration of Youth Needs in Youth Empowerment Programmes: A Mixed-Method Study of Nairobi and Trans Nzoia Counties

Pemberdayaan Pemuda Berbasis Masjid Di Desa Waru Jaya, Parung , Bogor, Jawa Barat

The Youth of the Mosque is an important organization for Muslims in Indonesia, playing a role in prospering the mosque through various religious, educational, and skill-building activities. In Waru Jaya Village, the PPID organization, together with IRMAS and IRMUS, in collaboration with Karang Taruna, runs various youth empowerment programs. These activities include regular training, weekly recitations, and annual events such as Tabligh Akbar and Sanlat. Despite facing various challenges, such as limited funding and lack of participation, strategic steps have been taken to address them, such as expanding donor relations and increasing youth involvement. Evaluations show success in the implementation of routine and social activities, although some programs were not implemented due to external obstacles. In conclusion, mosque-based youth empowerment in Waru Jaya Village has successfully increased skills and social involvement, although improvements in funding and participation are needed.

The Tihei Rangatahi Research Programme: tailoring a community-based youth empowerment programme for rangatahi Māori

Empowering Indigenous youth in their communities and within their own social-cultural contexts is an essential approach to developing their capacity as community advocators. We adapted an established youth empowerment programme for use among 51 Indigenous New Zealand youth. The key learnings of the programme reported: (a) youth highly rated their understanding and confidence across various social-health contexts based on the programmes’ stance of developing the youths’ knowledge and social change in understanding their own health and well-being as community catalysts; and (b) incorporating Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand) worldview to their understandings of mental wellness was important because it enabled youth to understand mental health issues in a culturally relevant and safe way, this was positively compounded by having a strong identity as Māori. This study adds to a small body of literature on the use of empowerment programmes for improving the health and well-being of Indigenous youth.

PEMBERDAYAAN PEMUDA MAJELIS AL BAROYA SEBAGAI KADER PECINTA SHOLAWAT

In this millennial era, the role of the younger generation is very important in driving change that improves the quality of a nation. One of the religious activities that is popular nowadays and has the potential to empower youth is the Sholawat Assembly. This research uses a community service method with a qualitative descriptive approach, involving participation from all parties to jointly identify and handle existing problems. This research focuses on empowering the youth of the Al Baroya Council in instilling a love of prayer. The research location was carried out at the Nurul Anwar Mosque, Pohsangit Kidul. Data collection methods involve consultation, direct observation, and data analysis. The main aim of this research is to revive the enthusiasm of youth and local communities in prayer and religious activities. Based on the results of interviews and research observations, it appears that evaluation and analysis are a strong basis for developing youth empowerment programs in the future. Empowering the youth of the Al Baroya Council as a generation of prayer lovers is an important step in strengthening religious identity in society. Through empowerment, the youth of the Al Baroya Council are actively involved in religious activities aimed at increasing solidarity, togetherness and spirituality.

Co-production and the Use of Constituency Development Funds (CDFs) in Poverty Alleviation: A Case of Selected Constituencies in Zambia

Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is the generic name for a policy tool that dedicates public money to benefit specific political subdivisions through allocations and/or spending decisions influenced by their representatives in the national parliament (Centre for International Development 2009: 8-9). Dissimilar to large national development projects, CDF-financed projects are essentially community based and driven with the major aim of bringing facilities and services closer to people for purposes of improving their social economic living conditions, especially reducing poverty. In the 2022 Zambia National Budget, CDF saw an unprecedented increase in the size of funding and scope of its mandate. For the year 2023, CDF was increased from K25.7 million (USD 1,070,833) to K28.3 million (USD 1,179,167) per constituency while being expanded to include additional components such as youth, disabled and women empowerment programs as well as secondary school bursaries that will now be locally administered. It is in this regard that the authors undertook a study to assess the impact of CDFs on poverty alleviation in 12 constituencies selected namely, Kankoyo, Moomba, Bweengwa, Mpika, Rufunsa, Monze, Chawama, Mufulira, Kaoma, Kantanshi, Mbala and Solwezi. Data was collected from men, youth and the disabled from the said constituencies. Due to the nature of data collected, mixed methodology research was used. Qualitative data was analysed with the aid of ATLAS.ti while quantitative data was analysed using SPSS Version 30. Key findings are that the general public is aware of the existence of the CDFs and that it is a government empowerment programme especially for funding education and skills acquisition through school bursaries and skills development components, community projects and empowerment loans. However, empirical evidence on the ground point to challenges of the CDFs through political patronage, nepotism, the abdication of key decision making to the politician (Member of parliament) who has massive influence as he/she has power to arbitrary hand-pick 6 members out of 12 to the main CDF committee responsible for administration of CDF funds.

Impact of Youth Empowerment Programmes in Low-Income Settings: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Evidence

The impact and sustainability of youth empowerment programmes is highly contentious in a context marked by significant levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Youth empowerment programmes play a role in supporting low-income youth. This article presents a systematic review of six studies that were conducted between 2008 and 2013 in poor, urban, semi-rural and rural communities in South Africa. The main goal of the article is to describe how young people have been impacted by participating in youth empowerment programmes in their communities. Themes on key development indicators, results-based transformation, and sustainable youth empowerment programmes, summarise the main factors that influence how youth empowerment programmes are perceived. The systematic review of the literature results provides a basis for further research into youth empowerment programmes.

‘Dancing the fine line’: developing critical agency with transgressive social pedagogy?

We explore bell hooks’s perspectives on transgressive learning and discuss the potential for a social pedagogical practice by changing its scope and material context through the concept of the common third. We apply hooks’s points on student–educator mutuality and the necessity of dynamically repositioning educator–student relationships. We explore how research findings from different educational contexts can relate to the tension between an individual qualification on society’s terms and the development of critical agency. We begin with recent research on youth experiences of transitioning through the Danish lower to upper secondary school system, and unfold analytical findings from the research on pedagogical practices in a youth empowerment programme situated within the American food justice movement. Similarities and differences between the radically different contexts are put into perspective by applying hooks’s understanding of transgressive learning, as well as scholarly discussions of pitfalls in the performance of emancipatory education as dialogic and classroom-based. Transgressive potentials depend on the dynamic organisation of a pedagogical framework around a common third with material, embodied and social dimensions. We suggest a conceptualisation of a transgressive social pedagogy that gradually develops critical agency. The common-third activity enables a kind of mutuality that transforms educators’ power positions and opens new ways for youths to develop their agency. We wish to contribute to a rethinking of the common third as a social pedagogical core concept of relevance for Denmark’s education system.

‘Pushing forward’: resilience of youth from alternative care in Croatia

ABSTRACT Children and youth living in alternative care represent a vulnerable group in need primarily because of the lack of parental care and placement in some form of alternative care. Before living in alternative care, they usually experience several risks, including living in economic hardship and poverty, being victims of abuse and neglect, facing parents’ or their mental health problems, and experiencing other stressful or traumatic experiences. Still, some youth show positive outcomes in the face of these adversities, demonstrating resilience. The aim of this research was to gain insight into the youth resilience factors promoting a successful transition to an independent life after living in alternative care in Croatia. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with eight young people who had experience living in alternative care and showed successful adaptation to an independent life. Thematic analysis resulted in the three themes of positive outcomes: the variety of experiences from care, life successes, and development of life perspective, and four resilience factors from the youth perspective: resources from the in-care life, self-concept, personal characteristics, and social support. The importance of developing youth empowerment programmes and better social support services for youth from alternative care is recommended.

Democratic Measures for Curbing Electoral Violence in Kanyama Constituency of Lusaka District, Zambia

In Kanyama Constituency of Lusaka District Zambia, physical violence especially during the election cycles of 2011, 2016 and 2021 may appear to have escalated. If violence and tyranny are allowed to take root in any democratic state, it may deprive the people of the capacity to resist bad governance because of the pervasive atmosphere of terror, fear and insecurity. Based on the foregoing context, this article explored Democratic measures that can be used to curb electoral violence in Kanyama Constituency of Lusaka District, Zambia. The article employed qualitative approach with a case study design. Twenty eight (28) participants were recruited for this research and they provided Primary data. The main findings of this research were that good political culture in the electoral process, enhancing civic and voter education, fair application of the law, formation and enhancing of youth empowerment programmes, responsive leadership both at party and national levels are the key democratic measures that can be used to curb electoral violence. Equally, having independent government institutions that are mandated to conduct elections is key as their operations may not be ill influenced by external forces. The article recommends that Political parties and constituencies should treat election period as an opportunity to elect credible leaders through democratic means than a possibility to intimidate those with divergent views.

Role of Government Credits Scheme in Supporting Women Entrepreneurs in India: an Empirical Study

Increasingly, women worldwide are starting and running profitable companies because of advancements in educational fields, employment prospects, and economic opportunities. This will transform the standing of women in those cultures and have a positive impact on the financial systems of nations where enterprises are run by women. Nowadays, we have reached a stronger place where the inclusion of women in business is growing rapidly, and there are initiatives underway on a global and national scale to increase community representation in manufacturing enterprises. This is primarily due to a shift in mind - set, a shift away from a traditional mind frame in culture to one that is more contemporary, the courage and risktaking skills of women, the encouragement and collaboration of the community, modifications and mediation in government actions, and the provision of numerous youth empowerment programs to women entrepreneurs. When the new century gets underway, it seems that this will be the age of the businessman in principle and of the female entrepreneur. The study considered 313 women from rural and urban areas of the country to explore different factors that determine the features of government credit schemes in supporting women entrepreneurs in India. It concludes that all factors such as affordability and support, concessions and subsidies, accessibility and loan repayment, and interest on preferences for government credit schemes.

Indigenous Man-Power Training and Apprenticeship as A Strategy for Youth Empowerment in Oyo State, South West, Nigeria

Apprenticeship, an acceptable man-power training method meant to impact quality training needs to address the problems of economic development seems to have been neglected in Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to examine the relevance of indigenous man-power training (MPT) and apprenticeship to development, factors responsible for decline in indigenous MPT and career opportunities for youth engaging in apprenticeship in Nigeria. This study was guided by human capital theory and conducted through qualitative techniques. Forty-four (44) In-depth interviews were used to elicit narratives from individuals, masters and apprentices of different trades in Oyo state. Two sessions of focus group discussion was also used to elicit information from citizens, community leaders and stakeholders. Purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of four local governments and individuals while snowball sampling technique was used for the selection of masters and apprentices. The data was content analyzed. The narratives indicated that indigenous MPT and apprenticeship provides source of income, employment opportunities, it develops the economy the economy and reduces dependency ratio. The factors responsible for decline in indigenous MPT among the youth are lack of sponsorship, inadequate fund, corruption and lack of government policies. Poor treatment of apprentice, low incentives and unattractiveness of apprenticeship on the part of the masters and laziness and inability to combine formal education with apprenticeship training on the part of apprentice are all responsible for the decline. It was discovered that indigenous MPT will lead to advancement in career quickly, youths who acquire numerous skills can turn it to wealth creation and they can become employers of labour too. Emerging from pragmatic and policy implementation of the result, it is evident that apprenticeship is a sustainable technique for youth employment which if appropriately executed can be a guide to youth empowerment programme of the government in Nigeria.

Youth Empowerment Programmes Through Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition for Self-Reliance in Ondo State, Nigeria: An Appraisal

Purpose: The study appraised youth empowerment programmes through entrepreneurial skills acquisition for self-reliance in Ondo State, Nigeria. Theoretical framework: The conceptual framework was developed based on an extensive literature review to establish the relationship between youth empowerment, entrepreneurial skills acquisition and self-reliance. This framework serves as a guiding structure for the study, determining the way out of the virulent, devastating, torturing, and continuous menace of poverty and unemployment bedeviling the youths of Nigeria and proffer lasting solution through entrepreneurial skills acquisition for self-reliance. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted empirical research approach. Data was gathered from four hundred and fifty participants drawn from six Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Centres in three Local Government Areas of Ondo State. The collection of data was by the means of a questionnaire that was structured and well-validated titled Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition for Job Creation Questionnaire. Descriptive and inductive statistics were used for the data analysis. Findings: The outcome revealed that many jobless school leavers and graduates in Ondo State were completely ignorant of training opportunities provided by Ondo State Government due to inadequate publicity of the programmes. The Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Programmes were not sufficiently funded; most of the Centre buildings were dilapidated and poorly maintained; while the resource persons at the Centres were grossly inadequate and poorly motivated. The acquired entrepreneurial skills have been helping the recipients to set up small-scale business enterprises for self-employment and reliance. Research, Practical and Social implications: The study contributes immensely and shows that it is no more contestable that in Nigeria today, the acquirement of appropriate entrepreneurial skills will greatly assist the jobless school leavers and tertiary educational institutions graduates in ameliorating the problem of unemployment and poverty and also lessen the several crimes and social vices commonly committed by most youths of Nigeria. The Nigerian youths who have acquired entrepreneurial skills will undoubtedly decide properly on the business enterprise to embark upon and how to seek initial financial assistance to put it in progress. Originality/Value: The conceptual framework of the study, its empirical research approach, incomparable modality, and practical recommendations contribute to the existing body of knowledge on youth empowerment programmes through entrepreneurial skills acquisition which champions the reduction of unemployment and poverty in Nigeria. It as well providing valuable direction for stakeholders in building a supportive creativity in the educational system.

Outcomes of a Design Thinking Program on Social Workers: An Evaluation Study

Purpose: This study explored the outcomes of a youth empowerment program guided by design thinking on social workers’ innovations in youth service. Method: Forty-seven practitioners joined this program with two stages: the capacity-building stage and the implementation stage. A pretest-intermediate test-posttest design survey was used to explore practitioners’ changes. Results: Significant differences were found in creative self-efficacy and innovative behavior, with the posttest mean scores of these indicators being higher than those of the pretest. Additionally, the results indicated significant differences in youth-practitioner partnerships and inter-professional learning. The posttest mean score of youth-practitioner partnerships was higher than those of the pretest and intermediate test, while the posttest and intermediate test mean scores of interprofessional learning were higher than that of the pretest. Conclusion: The findings suggest that participants need both opportunities to learn about design thinking through capacity-building and to integrate what they have learned during project implementation.

Pembinaan dan Pembentukan Ikatan Remaja Masjid Dalam Upaya Memajukan Kualitas Remaja di Kampung Gunung Bakti

Adolescents are a vulnerable age group who are prone to engaging in negative behaviors, such as promiscuity. Therefore, it is necessary to provide guidance and empowerment to adolescents to develop their potential and noble character in accordance with the values of the Qur'an and Sunnah. One of the platforms for providing guidance is through the mosque youth, which focuses on mosque activities, Islamic knowledge, education, youth, and skills. The aim of empowering and establishing the mosque youth is to explore the potential of adolescents to realize noble character according to the Qur'an and Sunnah. Through leadership and organizational training, youth are invited to develop themselves and implement programs that have been designed, such as the Muttaqien Learning House. It is hoped that these programs can improve the quality of learning outside of school and become a platform for personal development and youth interest. The empowerment method used is Participatory Action Research (PAR), which involves adolescents in the decision-making process and implementation of guidance programs. Youth are encouraged to actively participate in leadership and organizational training, as well as designing programs that meet their needs. Through this method, adolescents are expected to become agents of change who are empowered and actively involved in advancing the surrounding environment. The results of the mosque youth empowerment program are the establishment of the Muttaqien Learning House, which improves the quality of learning outside of school. This program is expected to benefit the community, especially students in Gunung Bakti. In addition, mosque youth have also been trained to develop their skills and potential and become leaders who can lead mosque and social activities in the surrounding environment. It is hoped that this guidance and empowerment program for mosque youth will continue and have a significant positive impact on the community.
 Keywords: Coaching, youth, mosque

Youth Bulge as a Peacebuilding Opportunity for Africa: The Case of Zimbabwe’s Youth Empowerment Programmes

This study seeks to investigate the impact of youth empowerment programmes on the peace process in Zimbabwe. Demographers have revealed that the youth population in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing to become what is termed the youth bulge. This demographic phenomenon combined with elusive formal wage employment in many African countries has often resulted in youth becoming a de-stabilising force. As a solution to youth unemployment and vulnerability, Zimbabwe adopted youth development and empowerment programmes. The efforts have, however, suffered from a myriad of challenges including lack of political will, political interference and marginalisation of the youth in decision making. This is an empirical mixed-methods study that relied on primary and secondary data that was gathered through quantitative and qualitative means. The study presents comprehensive perspectives on how youth empowerment can be a mitigating measure against youth propensity to violence. The study argues that without proper and genuine youth development and empowerment, peace will continue to be elusive in Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa.

Youth Empowerment: A Means To Reduce Unemployment In Nigeria

The rate of unemployment in Nigeria is becoming a source of worry for the government and society at large. Youth empowerment is an enterprise that helps to re-engineer the potentials and energies for peace and stability in order to decrease the rate of poverty, unemployment, and criminality. The aim of empowerment programmes is to provide education, employment assistance, health, housing referrals, and support services for citizens who are in disadvantaged positions due to incarceration, poverty, homelessness, HIV/AIDS infection, and/or involvement in the criminal justice system. This review paper was undertaken to keep us informed of the overview of youth empowerment from inception of democratic rule, approaches geared towards reduction of unemployment, problems encountered in youth empowerment programs from successive government and suggest possible strategies of empowering the youth in Nigeria.

Technical Report on Harmful Impact of Illegal Bunkering of Crude Oil on the People and Environment of the Igbomatoru Community, Bayelsa, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Nigeria is blessed with crude oil in an abundance, which makes it one of the largest oil producers in Africa. Illegal crude oil bunkering is a regular activity in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. The trend of illegal bunkering of crude oil activities in the Niger Delta has turned out to be a key concern to the people, government, and the international body. This makes it deem fit to carry out an assessment of the continued negative impact of vandalism, crude oil theft, and illegal bunkering of oil production activities in the Igbomatoru community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (SILGA), Bayelsa, Niger Delta area. This report critically examines the negative impact of vandalism and crude oil theft, negative impacts of illegal bunkering of crude oil activities in the community, and finding lasting possible solution to the problem of illegal bunkering of crude oil in the Igbomotoru community. Based on the investigation, some recommendations have been made, including that the government should promote a kick-start of cellular refinery programme to close the refining gap with strong local participation, provide legitimate employment opportunities, make better use of surveillance techniques, youth empowerment programmes should be carried out through vocational training, government should clean-up the degraded sites, government should give free education for the youths and children in the community, and government ought to promptly arrest and prosecute offenders of crude oil theft.

Empirical Review of Entrepreneurial Youth Empowerment Initiatives in South-Western Nigeria

Youth empowerment prepares candidates for new venture initiation by transferring knowledge and developing relevant skills that improve the self-efficacy and effectiveness of the potential entrepreneur. Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition is a relevant vehicle for economic development contributing to youth employment worldwide. Over a 50-year period, the Federal, State Government and Private Institutions have established many initiatives with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship. Examples of these Federal youth empowerment initiatives are N-power, Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin), Youth Empowering People (YEP), Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), African Youth Empowerment Nigeria (AYEN), TraderMoni, Youth Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria (YISAN) and Presidential Youth Entrepreneurship Support (P-YES). The entrepreneurial components of the youth empowerment programmes of the state government are merely underplayed. Youth empowerment coordinators have not been able to engage empowerment beneficiaries to create and connect entrepreneurial components into an interactive and sustainable business start-up. The study adopts empirical study explored the entrepreneurial youth empowerment initiatives of youths to become self-employed after their initiatives from various empowerment schemes. Qualitative research is concerned with gaining an in-depth understanding of human issues. Findings show that business opportunity recognition influences business sustainability of small-scale businesses. This implies that impact of identifying business opportunities, entrepreneurial knowledge, spotting a particular business industry, transforming business ideas into reality and empowerment initiatives structures influence business sustainability of youth empowerment candidates. The study concludes that entrepreneurial empowerment initiatives have to prepare candidates for new venture opportunities by transferring knowledge and developing relevant skills. The study recommended that state government and private organizations (empowerment organizers) need to create an environment where youth empowerment beneficiaries can identify business opportunities. This will improve the performance by improving business sustainability.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN-IN-AGRICULTURE AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME AMONG IRISH POTATO FARMERS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

The study focused on the role of irish potato farmers of the women-in-agriculture and youth empowerment (waye) programme in Plateau State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling method was employed to select 256 respondents. Primary data were collected through the use of questionnaires and were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean farming experience was 10 and 16 years for participating and non-participating farmers while mean farm size for participating farmers and non- participating farmers was 1.4 and 0.5 ha. The result of the findings reveals that 55% and 47% of the participating farmers and non-participating farmers had secondary school education, which constituted the largest number of educational qualifications attained in the study area. Factors influencing the level of participation of irish potato farmers in (waye) programme in Plateau State are, marital status (3.72, P<0.01), sex (2.25, P<0.05), years of irish potatoes production (9.85, P<0.01), household size (10.92, P< 0.01), awareness of WAYEP (4.93, P<0.01), a unit increase in these factors will subsequently influence the level of participation of irish potato farmers in (WAYEP) programme. The mean crops output of WAYE programme participants (537,807.1kg) was significantly higher than non-participants (165,571.43kg). The difference in the mean crops output levels was largely attributed to participation in WAYE programme. The calculated Z-test value (14.74) for crops output and income (22.93) was significant at 1%. It was therefore recommended that WAYE programme be extended to other farming communities in Plateau State, so as to accelerate the poverty alleviation among women farmers in the State.