1. Introduction and Background
On attaining independence in 1963, the inaugural Kenya government identified poverty illiteracy, disease and unemployment as the most debilitating of challenges facing the country. Almost five decades later, despite numerous policy efforts, these challenges continue to enslave many Kenyans. The situation is even more debilitating when one is a youth. According to the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey , approximately 67 per cent of the unemployed in the country are youth.
A number of policy interventions have been originated since independence to address the growing employment problem in Kenya, and with that, make an attempt at bettering the lot of the Kenyan youth. The earliest among these were the Kenyanization policies adopted at independence in which it was envisaged that young Kenyans would quickly take over duties and responsibilities from departing colonial staffers. Other policy measures included promotion of growth and development of the informal and jua kali sector in the 1990’s.
Upon ascending into power in 2003, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government formulated a five-year development strategy dubbed the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation, 2003-2007. This was meant to stimulate creation of employment and other income earning opportunities.
In recent years, Kenya has made a valiant attempt at responding to and addressing the lot of the youth in the country. This has involved significant steps such as developing programmes and policies that are cognizant of and alert to the concerns of the youth. The most significant of these was the creation in 2005, of a fully fledged government ministry, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MOYAS), dedic...
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...al disillusionment among the youth has often manifested in crime and drug abuse in the society. This is reinforced by discussions with youth which suggest that substance abuse is on the increase. Evidence also indicates that the age of frequent drug usage is decreasing, with a national survey of alcohol and drug use among young people aged 10 to 24 years by NACADA claiming that the most common substances used by young people were alcohol, tobacco, marijuana (bhang/cannabis sativa), miraa (khaat/chyat, a plant used as a narcotic), and inhalants such as glue . In terms of mental health, the numbers of youth demonstrating psychological problems are believed to be increasing, as larger numbers of youth show signs of depression (with high incidences of suicide) and behavioral disorders. However, reporting and seeking treatment for mental health issues remains taboo.
The main cause of the stress is from the rate of high unemployment. Lacking of job opportunities is mentioned in the article, “Drugs and Development: The Global Impact of Drug Use and Trafficking on Social and Economic Development”, to analyze drug policy. The author Singer wrote, “as the U.N. report on the MDGs (2006, p. 25) affirms, ‘Without sufficient employment opportunities, many young people grow discouraged and feel worthless.’” Lack of job opportunities was the reason for young people to use drugs in order to gain the confidence. High unemployment of youth in poor countries brings young people stress. In article “Unemployed Youth Turned to Drugs”, the author Tommy Trenchard states unemployment is the cause of youth to use drugs. Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone which is a country in West Africa, and the high unemployment rate of youth leads to the culture of drugs. Trenchard wrote, “Youth unemployment in Sierra Leone stands at a staggering 70 percent, according to the World Bank, and many drug users in Freetown say that if the government provides jobs for them, they will no longer feel the need to use drugs and alcohol”. People use drugs in order to diminish daily stress. Lack of job opportunities is the primary cause of young people using drugs in the country of
...es low self-esteem and decreased self-worth. Moreover, lack of positive future prospects and healthy leisure time activities may promote boredom resulting in psychologically imbalanced teenagers. Negative life stressors have been found to place all youth at risk for suicide. However, excessive addictions, long term poverty, few economic opportunities and feelings of inadequacy are more prevalent in the lives of American Indian youths (Metha, 1996).
Young people are using mood-changing substances at an increasingly younger age. Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied by a plethora of problems, including school related hardships, health-related problems, poor family relationships, mental health issues, and run-ins with the justice system. There are also significant consequences involving the community, and society in general. Studies show drug use at a young age increases the desire to abuse as you get older. Society looks at drugs as being a taboo, which is the norm for our country. However other countries see drug use as a way of connection with oneself and others in another realm. Now whether drug use is harmless or harmful is a matter of your personal preference.
Teenage Depression. Everywhere you look these two words appear together as one, in newspapers and magazines, as well as in scholarly reports. Teenage depression is one of today's "hot topics" this among other teenage mental health problems, has been brought to the forefront of public consciousness in recent years after several incidents involving school shootings (CQ 595). The environment that teens grow up in today is less supportive and more demanding than it was twenty years ago. Not only are the numbers of depressed teens rising, but children are also being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. Studies have found that, "There is an estimated 1.5-3 million American children and adolescents who suffer from depression, a condition unrecognized in children until about 20 years ago" (CQR 595). This increase in depression is due to social factors that teenagers have to deal with everyday. A recent study found that, "About five percent of teenagers have major depression at any one time. Depression can be very impairing, not only for the affected teen, but also for his or her family-and too often, if not addressed, depression can lead to substance abuse or more tragic events" (NAMI.org). Gender roles and other societal factors including the pressures on girls to look and act a certain way, the pressures on boys to suppress their emotions and put on a tough front and the pressures on both sexes to do well in school and succeed, all contribute to depression in teens today. Depression is a growing problem which crosses gender lines and one that needs to be dealt with with more than just medication.
Drugs cause an overall disturbance in a subjects’ physiological, psychological and emotional health. “At the individual level, drug abuse creates health hazards for the user, affecting the educational and general development of youths in particular” (“Fresh Challenge”). In youth specifically, drug abuse can be triggered by factors such as: a parent’s abusive behavior, poor social skills, family history of alcoholism or substance abuse, the divorce of parents or guardians, poverty, the death of a loved one, or even because they are being bullied at school (“Drugs, brains, and behavior”) .
In Kenya, it is comprised of several different groups that are distinct ethno-linguistic. Over several decades, Kenya has evolved both biologically and culturally. This culture has a great diversity of customs and family patterns. To understand the families in Kenya, it is also important to understand their culture backgrounds and where they come from. Family has a high value in this culture and is considered the center of community life. The children here hold an upmost importance because it can be considered an economic advantage having more children and also wives too. It is common here for families to have eight or more children because there was a
The health services are a devolved function in the current transition to county system. Kenya had an annual economic growth rate of about 2.2% in the 90’s with a further increase in GDP of 4.5% in the last decade (World Bank, 2010) which was disrupted by the political crisis in 2007. According to World Bank (2010) statistics, about 46.6% of Kenyans live below the national poverty level. It is one of the countries with highest levels of economic inequity in the society (World Bank, 2010). According to WHO (2013), Kenya is ranked position 147 0ut of 177 with a Human Development Index of 0.521.
The main source of income for Kenya comes from agriculture. Coffee and tea are the most valuable crops. Together they account for approximately 50 per cent of all forigien exchange earnings. Because of the rapidly growing population, Kenya now imports large quantities of food, praticularly wheat. Unemployment is high. Expecally in the urban areas.
Historians have held radically different views about the politics of ethnic identity and the attendant complexities in the emerging postcolonial nation, Kenya. Many historians who focus on ethnicity issues have tended to see the colonial period as an important turning point, while others maintain that the impact of the colonial masters on their colonies was superficial. Macharia Munene, the author of “The Colonial Policies of Segregating the Kikuyu, 1920-1964”, contends that the division among Africans came about as a European strategy to keep Africans divided once Africans started showing resentment toward the colonial states and demanded fair treatment economically, socially, and of course, politically. On the other hand, Bethwell A. Ogot, the author of “Building on the Indigenous, Selected Essays, 1981-1998”, answers the question of ethnicity in Kenya by looking at the relationship between the state and society. He looks at the process of state building in relation to the civil society in Kenya. To him, there is an uneven distribution of power, and an uneven access to resources, leading to many conflicts. Then again, Lesa B. Morrison, the author of “The nature of decline: distinguishing myth from reality in the case of the Luo of Kenya”, contends that narrative is an important means of structuring and giving meaning to experience as it often persists and influences behavior. In accordance with his narrative, the nature of the elite status and the means by which group members have responded to particular indicators at the expense of others has helped shape Kenya into ethnic rather than policy nation.
Al, 2000). The researchers used a National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The sample consists of 7th to 12th graders, who participated in in-home interviews as well as the parents for 85.6% of adolescent subjects. A diverse sample as it includes 10,803 white, blacks and Hispanic 7th to 12th graders. The research shown that white adolescents were more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohols and attempt suicide in the youth than black and Hispanic youths. Black youths were more probable in engaging in sexual intercourse and violence than white teens. The researchers conclude that the different components especially family structure plays minimal roles and also provide only limited understanding of adolescent risk
Nowadays there are so many news regarding social problem involving youngster. In fact it has become a norm to read articles about teenagers’ issue. We should realize that problem involving young generations is actually a huge problem to the nation as they will become our leader. Early prevention is better than cure, thus we need to identify the reason why this problem is happening and what are the consequences from this teenager social problem.
The majority of South Africans are unemployed and therefore can’t satisfy their needs and wants, and also their children’s needs and wants, thus more than half of South Africa’s children live in poverty.
Youth always has been the key to any of the activities in the world be it war, politics, construction works; you name it and youth has , is and will have been involved, there’s no 2 way about it. The hunger, desire, motivation, determination and high energy of the youth can make all the difference in either destroying or building a nation. Proper guidance and d...
Few people deny the dangers of drug use, while many teens are curious about drugs. They should stay away from drugs because drugs affect our health, lead to academic failure, and jeopardizes safety. Drugs are used from a long period of time in many countries. The concentration of drugs has increased from late 1960’s and 1970’s. Drugs can quickly takeover our lives. Friends and acquaintance have the greatest influence of using drugs during adolescence.
Consistently, teenagers are under the influence of both parents and peers. It is a standout amongst the most widely recognized issues among adolescents which needs to arrive at an end as it has various