| dc.description.abstract | BONGO PATRICK NAMISI (2008-MO91-10151)
Examining the Role of Youth Empowerment in Community Development in Koboko
District: A Case Study of Koboko Town Council
The ultimate resource of any community is its people and so are the youth who are a beacon of
hope for the future of any society. This study was based on examining the role of youth
empowerment in community development in Koboko town council, Koboko district. The
objectives were to: (1) determine the value of youth participation in decision making in schools,
local government and the community, (2) determine the role that schools and local governments
play with regard to programmes designed to enhance youth entrepreneurship development, and (3)
to establish the importance of youth involvement in voluntary activities in the community. Data
collection involved the use of both primary and secondary methods with instruments such as
questionnaires, interviews, focused group discussions, observation and documentary reviews. Data
was largely analysed qualitatively according to the study objectives and presented in themes while
quantifiable data obtained from the field is statistically presented using tables, percentages and
figures. The key findings reveal that youth participation in decision making is valued in the
schools, Local Government (LG) and community but the extent to which youth are actively
involved is invariably limited by the dominance of adults and also by unfavourable policies.
Students are not actively involved in the PTA and BOG except on rare occasions while in the
Town council, youth are represented by two youth councillors whose effectiveness is constrained
by many challenges. Enhancement of youth entrepreneurship development by schools is more
theoretical and many students who study entrepreneurship do so to pass examinations with
diminutive prospects at business as a future career. Youth as a category in Koboko Town Council
(KTC) have a minimal budget allocation subsumed under the community development department
which renders difficult the implementation of many planned youth activities including
entrepreneurship development while adult-youth business mentorship programmes in the
community are rare. Involvement of youth in voluntary activities was reported as important but
youth attitude toward volunteerism was found negative. Schools were found not to have deliberate
voluntary outreach programmes to engage students in community service. Whereas there is
progress being made in improving youth participation in decision making, enhancement of youth
entrepreneurship development and involvement in voluntary activities in the community is still
underdeveloped. This condition calls for more concerted efforts by schools, parents, communities,
LG, central government, the private sector and the youth themselves to tap into the potential of
young people. Youth unemployment, poverty and HIV/AIDS were found to be among the main
challenges facing the youth in KTC. Youth are vital resources; better policies can be designed to
nurture, involve, support, and inspire them to act in positive ways to make a difference in their
own lives and in the lives of others in the community. Such policies could help create opportunities
and possibilities for the youth to meaningfully participate in community development efforts now
and in the future.
Keywords: Community Development, Youth Empowerment, Koboko Town Council | en_US |
