IN ANY country, young people represent the most vital and energetic element of the population.
Statistics indicate that developing nations with sizable youth populations might see significant development in all areas of their economies if they invest in young people.
There are many ways of investing in young people, and among the most dynamic is empowering youths with finances to enable them to venture into various entrepreneurial undertakings.
An empowered youth recognises their capabilities, self-determination and worth. They feel comfortable trying new things.
They have the confidence to take risks and are aware that failure is a step toward progress, not a sign to give up. They do not use the opinions of others as their guideposts in life.
They stand up for their values, and they know they have built a foundation of self-empowerment to rely on in times of struggle, or when they are feeling lost and need to recalibrate.
At the core of youth empowerment is the belief that young people are capable of doing incredible things.
When young people have exposure to inspiring ideas and opportunities and the tools to build their confidence, they can take on anything and everything.
Fortunately, our government is not oblivious of the importance of empowering young people because it knows how immense youths’ contribution to national development is.
Against this backdrop, 23,000 youths across the country are earmarked to benefit from the national youth empowerment scheme.
Through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, Government will give free grants to young people who will be identified in all the districts to enable them to engage and boost their businesses.
The ministry will give out grants of between K500 and K5,000 to vulnerable youths and groups of young people.
“We are aware that there are young people out there who may not have the capacity to raise not even a K1. We are also aware that we may have young people who have no capacity to form a co-operative because they may need some money.
“We are targeting 200 to 300 vulnerable youths per district and we are targeting 23,000 youths this year who will benefit from the national youth empowerment scheme. These are grants that should not be paid back,” Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu told the media yesterday.
We commend Government for coming up with this kind of scheme through which identified vulnerable young people and groups of youths will get free grants to enable them to engage in business undertakings.
This is an important programme because it will help create multiple jobs for youths and keep them busy.
An old maxim states that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. When young people are not doing anything, they tend to think of engaging in evil activities which ruin their lives.
But with the free grants, youths who will benefit will be kept busy with businesses, grow the businesses, employ fellow young people, and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
Nothing of greatness can ever be achieved by any country without attaching importance to their youth populations.
The youth are an amazing thing because they are not only the hope of our future, but they are the actual strength of our nation as well.
Source : Daily-mail
