Sibuku Malumbano
Our communities and our democracy become more just and equitable when all people, individually and collectively get involved and take action. One reason to focus on youth civic engagement is that such participation is a habit like any other. Starting early can form a habit of civic engagement that will last a lifetime.
When all young people develop healthy civic habits, skills and commitment, our democracy will prosper. We believe that when more diverse young people have access to opportunities that build their skills and knowledge, and that empower them to effect change, decision making becomes more representative and communities benefit. As Mr. Mally Likukela once said “the roles of the youth should always be acknowledged”, Theo Ben Gurirab Public Lecture in Zambezi region, 10 February 2022.
In fact, youth civic engagement is critical for a variety of reasons. Young people, while not a monolithic group, share certain characteristics that have the potential to make them powerful civic actors, and their participation carries benefits. They have unique perspectives on local issues, they often bring new ideas to the table, and they can be an inexhaustible source of energy and passion for social change.
For democracy
Young people have a massive stake in the decisions that shape the country. Nearly all issues affect youth, and many affect youth differently or uniquely: education, healthcare, the environment, housing, gun violence and foreign policy that may send them or their peers to economic struggles outside the country.
When young people vote and participate in civic life, they can bring valuable perspectives to these issues and play an active role in shaping their future. If youth are excluded or do not participate, our democracy is not truly representing all people and not meeting its full potential.
For communities
Youth are integral to their local communities: they help shape their culture and they have extensive social connections. Just as young people experience a community’s problems first hand, they are often on the front lines of activism and other efforts to help address them.
Communities are stronger and more resilient when youth participate, as more civic engagements can help communities weather economic downturns and lead to lower unemployment rates.
An active approach can be analysed as to why they respond quickly to creating WhatsApp groups during cultural festivals, family feasts, and family demises to raise funds for the events to be successful.
Youths have shown that participating in communities and being part of groups working together on an issue has numerous benefits for young people themselves. Youth engagement can lead to increased academic performance and improved social-emotional well being. It helps young people build skills and networks that are valued in the workplace, and can thus be a source of economic mobility. When youths feel empowered to take action, and when they see their efforts achieve positive change, it can have a profound and lasting impact.
Lastly, for equity, there are troubling opportunity gaps and inequalities by race, gender, education, socioeconomic status and many other factors that prevent individuals and communities from thriving.
One source of this inequality is underrepresentation in civic and political life as a result of marginalisation or oppression, particularly among communities and individuals. Too often, their voices go unheard, their problems go unaddressed, and a vicious circle of disengagement and neglect perpetuates injustices by some class of political leadership, local authorities, regional authorities, central government and traditional hierarchy on such a group.
These already intractable gaps can become more entrenched with time, thus focusing on youth civic engagement is a critical task in the work to promote a more just and equitable society.