Social/Kiddies
Youth Participation In Achieving Sustainable Development Goals
The World Youth Report on “Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “ prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) examined the mutually supportive roles of the New agenda and current youth development efforts.
The report provided an insight into the role of young people in sustainable development in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related frameworks,in particular, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third international Conference on Financing for Development and the World Programme of Action for Youth.
The adoption of the 2030 Agenda represented the culmination of an extensive three – year process involving Member States and Civil Society, including Youth Organizations, in the development of specific goals and targets, which marked the beginning of a 15 – year journey to achieve sustainable development in 2030.
Today, according to reports,there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 – 24, which made them the largest generation of youth in history. Close to 90 percent of them live in developing countries, where they make up a large proportion of the population. Their numbers are expected to grow. Between 2015 and 2030 alone, about 1.9 billion young people are projected to turn 15 years old.
Connected to each other like never before, young people want to and are already contributing to the resilience of their communities all over the world, proposing innnovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political change. They are also agents of change, mobilizing to advance the Sustainable Development Goals to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.
However, recent estimate of global poverty show that 689 million people in the world live on $1.90 per day (in extreme poverty ).
According to United Nations, 59 million children in sub – Saharan Africa work instead of going to school. Recently, Nigeria was declared as the poverty capital of the world with the major reason being endemic corruption, making people live in abject poverty, polluted environments and fear of loss of life and property.
For these causes, the sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)were adopted by United Nations in September 2015 to end extreme poverty, protect the planet and guarantee the security of lines and property by 2030.
Consequently, 82% of African countries have fully accepted the SDGs while 76% of countries have launched a formal process of actualizing it. According to SDGs dashboard, Nigeria ranks 43rd in Africa and 160th in the world in implementing the SDGs.
It is a known fact that Nigeria is home to one of the largest populations of youths in the world today. The median age of Nigerians is 17.9 years. This means most of the population are physically strong and mentally alert, that is open to new ideas, methods and processes. Therefore, the Nigrian youth can play a significant role in the implementation of the global goals as well as holding their government accountable.
Roles of youths and the Sustainable Development Goals actualisation include youths recognising that part of being young involves making sense of personal experiences and asking questions about the world around them . Youth have the capcity to identify and challenge existing power structures and barriers to change and to expose contradictions and biases.
Young people also have the power to act and moblise others, that is why youth activism is on the rise all over the world bolstered by broader connectivity and access to social media.
In addition to bringing fresh perspectives, young people often have direct knowledge of and insights into issues that are not accessible to adults making youth best understand the problems they face and how to offer new ideas and alternative solutions.
Outside the international development sector, few people are aware that world leaders have come to a historic, far-reaching agreement to improve the lives of people and the planet by 2030. In this, young people can be partners in communicating this development agenda to their peers and communities at the local level as well as across countries and regions. When young people are empowered with the knowledge of their rights and equiped with leadership skills,they can drive change in their communities and countries. Youth-led organisation networks in particular, should be supported and strengthened because they contribute to the development of civic leadership skills among young people especially marginalised youth.
As torch bearers of the 2030 Agenda, young people all over the world can help achieve the SDGs by getting involved and participating in local Non – Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which is a worth while way of supporting sustainable development efforts.
Young people can get involved in local politics. The engagement of young people in local politics is crucial to raising awareness of youth-related issues and demanding change.
Youths all over the world can join Youth Peace to help promote and maintain international peace and security in communities. Youth Peace is an In- led intiative that supports young people’s participation in peace-building. It recognises that Young people play active roles as agents of positive and constructive change and helps them achieve this. It is important that our youths learn about sustainable development. because it would encourage them to conserve and enhance their resource base by gradually changing the ways in which they develop and use technologies.
By: Ibinabo Ogolo with Agency Reports
It is the idea of God that family should exit. Children form part of the family. God loves family so much that Jesus was born into the family of Joseph.
Everyone’s family is good and important. Children should not look down on their family whether they are rich or poor.
Children should respect and honour their family and foster love among their siblings. They should work together and make peace in the family. They should always stand in the gap. It is good for family members to carry all along since everyone may not be doing well.
The Christianity that children learn is practised in family. Faith-based organisations do a great job in moulding children’s character. Those are the behaviours that children exhibit towards siblings in family.
Every child born in a family is there for a purpose. A baby born into a family is supplying something. It may be joy, wealth and so on. Everyone is important in a family.
Adolescents who have graduated from school but may not be contributing financially can do one or two things at home. You can engage in preparing meals at home while parents are away for a job or business. Contributing in house chores will go a long way to relieve parents of stress after a day’s job.
What do you contribute to your family, especially during holidays both in nuclear and extended family?
The family you were born is constant but friends are temporary. You can decide not to continue in friendship but you cannot cut off your family. No matter how bad you think your family is and you decide to leave home, you must surely return. Your friends can harbour you for a while.
The child’s first identity comes from the family. What the child learns first comes from the family.
Family is the centre of love and care. People have started playing down on marriage because of neglect on basics of family. Marriage starts today and and the next few months, it is threatened. Respect for family plays a crucial role in marriage.
No child grows without parental control and influence. If a child refuses to grow without taking instructions from parents, he may grow up being wild. There are consequences when children do not obey their parents. There are those who want to be rebellious against their parents. They should know that their length of days are tied to their parents.
Your bioligical parents know you more than every other person. There is the wisdom and knowledge your parents have that you do not so it is proper to listen to them before choosing carriers both in academics and job. A young man or woman can choose who to get married to, but a greater role in the choice of who to marry and the marriage proper comes from the parents.
They know what is best for you. No matter how modern trends will influence you and prove it wrong, parent is the key. No one can love you more than your parents because they are your blood.
A lot of parents have been traumatised due to the fact that children they nurtured and trained turned their back on them at older age. Children should not abandon their parents for any reason.
As you grow up, situations may arise in marriage when you decide it is over with your spouse, but no matter the level of provocation with your parents, they will not despise you. Parents will also play a role in that regard. Problem arises in every family but how it is handled matters a lot.
Some children honour their mentors more than their parents. Although there are parents who shy away from their responsibilities. It is important that parents take full responsibility of their children. You cannot bring a child to the planet earth and refuse to perform roles as a parent. But parents may not quantify what they spent from childhood to adolescence. That is a blessing children cannot get from another person.
There are people who have attributed their failure in life to the fact that their parents, especially mothers are witchcraft. It is wrong to feel that your mother is instrumental to your failure in life. The only way to success is hardwork.
Let money not determine the level of love for your parents. Wherever a child goes, family is constant.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
Naturally, when a child is born, it is the role of the father and mother to decide a suitable name for the child. The husband and wife normally discuss and suggest the English or vernacular name of the baby.
But sometimes, when a baby comes into a family, grandparents hearts are usually filled with joy to the extent that they want to answer present, by giving their own names not minding the fact that the biological parents have given theirs.
This happens mostly when the marriage is an inter-tribal one. It also happens even in intra-tribal marriage. Grandparents want equal representation as far as naming a child is concerned. They also have special names as a result of circumstances surrounding the birth of the child.
This is still happening till date.
A lot of people have viewed this in different ways but there is nothing wrong about it. The most important thing is that the child bears as many names as he or she can. But one thing is certain, the child must bear one name in school.
Should circumstance determine a child’s name?
Women who are more emotional are always eager to name their children considering the circumstances surrounding the child’s conception and arrival.
The issue of grandparents naming a child comes up mostly when it is the first of the family.
In naming children by some parents in the olden days, they named their children according to the days in the week in which they were born, like Sunday, Monday, Friday and so on.
You may be shocked to hear that whether a child is given 10 names by parents or grandparents, when he or she grows up, will decide to change. There are several cases where some persons decided to change especially when they feel that the names given by their parents and grandparents do not give them joy. If they are not doing well in life, they may claim that their misfortune is caused by the name their parents.
Competition among children in schools be it primary, (kindergarten) and secondary come in different forms. It can be Mathematics , debate, quiz, spelling bee,competition, from organisations like Cowbell, multi-national companies, faith-based organisations among others.
They are organised mostly for selected intelligent ones, the best among their peers to represent a class, school or group. Prizes are normally set aside for the best as well as consolation prizes for runners-up at the end of each session.
The question is, are children willing to accept defeat when they fail? As parents, guardians, can you encourage your children or wards to accept defeat instead of shouting and comparing them with others who may be performing better either in schools or outside.
Some parents may be blaming their children for not doing well in competitions. They will like to tell their children if others who may perform better have ten heads. Those group of parents blame their children for every failure.
For your children to do better in competition, the parents too must have emotional intelligence. When you continue to blame your children for failure, how intelligent are you?
Some parents always want their children to be in the 1st position and unhappy whenever they secure 2nd position. There were instances where children smashed their trophies because they never got the position they wanted to get and their parents supported them.
Children should be able to accept it whether they win or not. They should be encouraged for every performance. Discourage the issue of “shame, shame, shame, shame”.
A parent says she always tells her children to win even if they will fail. Always give them the mentality that they can win. Children should be given the impression that they can win prizes and laurels in every competition.
Parents should not isolate their children from others in the neighbourhood. Allow them to play with others. Don’t threaten your children that you may not pay their schools fees if they fail. Comparing them with others may encourage or discourage them.
Coming first or getting award as a first class student from the university sometimes does not mean that the person is the best. And if the child does not merit any award in the lower classes, does not mean that he can not merit first class also.
It should be noted that coming first in academic competition may not really mean that the competitor will be the best at work place or business.
Accepting defeat is a way to move higher. Even if a child who competed with others did not come first, there are consolation prizes for runners-up. When you advise the child to accept defeat, you are encouraging her to win in next competition.
Remember all children cannot be on the same knowledge level Their learning abilities defer.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
