| dc.description.abstract | Youth initiatives represent an essential action within the community. It is aimed at empowering the youths to get involved in current issues. In allowing youths to get involved in a joint project, they offer concrete and lively involvement, through which youths come to an agreement on objectives and achieve results together. They also offer the opportunity for youths to try their hand at taking responsibility, negotiating between themselves and their surroundings, planning and promotion. By means of Youth Initiatives, youths have the chance to become actors in their own life and torch bearers for the future.
It provides a platform for suggesting solutions and improvements at a local level through the creation of projects or tools and arouses the interest of other youths. Moreover, this action constitutes a remarkable means for providing experience in responsibility, autonomy and involvement for the benefit of a common interest. However, for sometime gap have existed where the youth lack formalized forums to initiate and develop their own programmes in Kenya despite the rampant poverty. This has precipitated the emergence of illegal groups that pose a threat to security.
In Central Province, such groups like Mungiki have found their way in the community and especially among the youths. While the youths themselves have the potential to reach youth within their social contexts, at the same time to reach vulnerable and other marginalized youth, and to create a more enabling environment to support and sustain themselves. A gap remains, though, in terms of systematic analysis and evaluation of the influence of formal youth initiatives relating to youth empowerment in Central Province, Kenya. It is for this reason, that the research investigated on the influence youth initiatives to youth empowerment in Kikuyu Division, Kikuyu District, Central Province, Kenya.
To realize the purpose of the study, a survey design was adopted. Simple random sampling was used to select the youth groups as well as inclusion and exclusive criteria for identifying the members. The sample population for this study was 100 members of youth groups and 20 officials giving a total of 120 respondents. This was drawn from the registered youth groups within the Kikuyu Division. Primary data was collected by use of two sets questionnaires, one for the members and the other for the officials. The questionnaires contained both open ended and structured questions. The statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data processing and analysis.
The study revealed that majority of the youths became empowered through the youth initiated programmes. The initiatives allowed them to make independent decisions, participate in community based activities and lead their own groups. These in turn empowered them more. In conclusion therefore, the study found that the youth initiated programmes have empowered the youths in Kikuyu Division, Kikuyu district, Central Province, Kenya. The study recommends that the youths should be encouraged to form youth groups where they can initiate programmes that will empower them. They should also plan their own objectives and make decisions to implement them in their youth groups. They should manage their own groups and be self reliant. | en_US |
