Celebrating International Youth Day In Style

Monday, August 10, 2015 was one of my happiest moments at church. The rationale was all too proverbial except that for this time, my contentment was on a level at variance with any other in my Christian life. The youth ministry of my church- The Church of Pentecost had organized a praises and worship session on the theme “The joy of the LORD is my strength”– Nehemiah 8:10.

That albeit, today, August 12, the International Youth Day which was endorsed on December 17, 1999. And the theme this year’s celebration is“Youth Civic Engagement”.

What is Civic Engagement?

Civic engagement, not to be contradicted with political participation, is a means of working together to make a difference in the civil life of our communities and developing the combination of skills, knowledge, values and motivation in order to make a difference.

Forms of Civic Engagement

Chiefly, civic engagement is in two forms;

i. Individual Volunteerism: The hands on application of time and skills in the community itself. Taking action in community locations where there is an identified need, and working to include and utilize public resources in the process. This approach to civic engagement is especially helpful when students and community members take action together.

ii. Organizational Involvement; Community organization can offer a way to ‘try out’ civic engagement. To support an existing organization, civic engagement means getting involved, understanding their mission as it relates to your interests or academic discipline, and working with others to accomplish established goals.

Importance of Civic Engagement

A civic engagement has positive effects for individuals and the community as a whole. At the individual level, I’ve found out that civically engaged youth are able to meet personal and social challenges and to control their lives. They enjoy higher self-esteem and a more acute sense of their ability

At the community level, participation of the young people inculcates in them a sense of nationalism. Also, it augments the authenticity of the decision-making process conducted by leaders. This is particularly in education where young people are the most affected by decisions made by leaders.

Why the Youth Disengage In Civic Life

Most Ghanaian youth do not engage in civil activities for a number of reasons. We see other things more important and toe to those. Most of us think that some activities are not for us the youth. A number of them are listed below;

i. Technological Progress: The youth of today have taken interest in technological dynamism rather than societal dynamism. We always take delight in our Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter when it’s time for us to engage in a National Sanitation Day exercise. The rate at which technology is influencing us is alarming so that, a young man with just ₵1 would opt for purchasing bundle rather than saving it when he has to update hisWhatsapp.

ii. The age group factor: In Ghana, most of our elders do believe that we should be submissive and wait for the right time before they engage in civic activities. They always talk of experience when a member of the youth is offered a position. Recently, in the NPP Parliamentary primaries, a 22 year old student won the contest to contest on the party’s ticket in the Kwabre East Constituency.

Immediately after the declaration, series of attacks poured in ranging from her intelligence to her academic background. The elderly always think they are the best and belief we should always be submissive till we “grow up” before we can engage in civic activities.

Suggested Solutions to this Menace

I recommend four basic steps to correct civil disengagement on the part of the youth.

1. We should make civil literacy a core expectation of every student in thecountry.

2. The elderly should understand that they are not always the best

3. We should practice civil inquiry across all fields of study

4. We must encourage community-based work-study placements.

Conclusions

In a democracy, the existence of persons who care about their society’s affairs –political, social and economical – is healthy for the system to thrive. This is why it is important for society’s younger citizens to develop a sense of civic engagement which is not innate, but rather acquired.

Emmanuel Kyei Marfo

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