Youths want to be included

Addressing delegates at a peace building workshop organised by an international Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Neighbours Global Connections at the Bulawayo City Council Chambers recently, youth empowerment officer, Khulisani Nkomazana, said young people were the future of the nation.

He said it was important for Government to create programmes that focused on youths, to empower them with skills and knowledge that would enable them to fully participate in developmental issues in their communities.

Nkomazana said this would be possible if an inclusive constitution was put in place, and he urged youths to actively take part in the current constitution making process.

Young people are the future of any nation. That culture should be built by instilling a feeling of belonging in youths through establishing programmes that target youths in communities. Youths have a greater role to play in the development of communities in many aspects like preservation of environment and education which can only be possible if they are involved in governance programmes. The starting point should be the constitution which must recognise and empower youths in the country, said Nkomazana.

He went on to say that the positive involvement of youths would give young people a sense of belonging and ownership to their communities thereby empowering them.

They should be included in community programmes so that they feel they are the owners of the community. This will in turn empower them to be self reliant and make own decisions while at the same time helping in conflict resolution and peace building, added Nkomazana.

Nkomazana castigated the government for failing to complement skills acquired by young people from learning institutions saying there should be a coordinated approach by government and other organisations in capacity building among young people.

Our education takes us to higher level but there are no opportunities for us to use those skills. There is need for vocational and life skills. Thus we call for a collaborated approach between government and the private sector in providing youths with skills through more capacity building workshops, Nkomazana said.

Neighbours Global Connection is a Switzerland based youth NGO which opened its first ever African branch here in Zimbabwe recently with plans to widen to other African countries. It aims at preserving peace and building capacity among communities around the world.