Monday, 6th April
By ArapKaruri
Today has been a memorable day for me, despite this Corona virus restrictions, I fortunately bumped into the Kiambu County Youth CECM nominee, Mr. Eric Kiriko(Photo below). Of course, we were at a social distance, and he vividly adheres to the government directives on the same. I couldn't help but admire the composure and his friendly nature before I engaged with him about our county leadership and what he had to say about out youth. I partially got to his mind and had a rear view of what he has in store for the youths of Kiambu County.
Leaders of Tomorrow
"The youths are the leaders of tomorrow. We hear this phrase so much that it has become overused and unfortunately lost its clout", he began, "In fact, they are the future, they are the leaders of tomorrow, and they are the parents and grandparents of generations to come. But what are we doing to prepare them?", he asked, with a firm voice of concern.
"With the world facing challenges now more than ever, be it education, job opportunities, environmental challenges, extremism, and terrorism, what are the tools and lessons learned we are giving them to make them stronger and know how to face whatever may come their way? How are we preparing them?
In Kiambu County, our large population of talented and bright young people are among our greatest assets. Yet with the highest rates of youth unemployment, under-employment, and skill shortages in the world, our region will remain stagnated and blocked from fulfilling its potential."
Opportunities
Mr. Erick Kiriko's mission is all about connection — connecting needs with skills, connecting employers with job seekers, and connecting young people with opportunities.
"When we connect the hopes and dreams of our youth with the tools to realize them will we build the strong Kiambu's economy of tomorrow. Empowering youth must be multi-faceted at the county level, community level, and family level, each of these levels having its own set of responsibilities and tools it can utilize to empower the youth." he went on, this time, looking more serious with his statement.
Community-Based Programs
Mr. Kiriko has five major ways of empowering youth at the community level. "Create community-based programs that help them express their opinions to give them a sense of identity and belonging. It will help them create strong ties to the community and give them a sense of importance. Listen to their point of views and don’t judge; instead, guide them to refine their ideas, discuss with them respectfully, and assure them that their voices matter and what they do makes a difference. They have the power to create the change they want to see in their communities."
You could see his emphasis and feel it through his voice. He went on," Encourage them to follow their passions. Involve scholars, professionals, and volunteers from the community to mentor them and guide them on how to plan, execute, and follow their passions the right way. Tell them that they won’t always have someone listening and that they need to fight sometimes for what they believe in. Not everyone is willing to listen and mentor, but this should never be the reason for them to quit. There will always be another person or another way to get it done."
Motivation & Encouragement
At this point, I was literally agreeing with him, asking myself where he's been all this time.
"Share with them success stories of the youths who worked hard and fought to achieve the successes they have now. These powerful personal stories will motivate and encourage them to do better and counter any negative messages surrounding young people. Hold workshops and seminars with successful persons as speakers to share with them their personal journey to inspire them to do the same."
"Encourage them to start now. It’s never too early or too late to start developing good habits. Persistence and constant personal progression are the most important things when it comes to accomplishing goals combined with the guidance, mentoring, and opportunities.
Opinions Matter
"To have the youth as part of the team," he opined, "show them that their opinions matter and what they have to say is important, engage them in decision-making, and give them the responsibility and the power to better the community, to pass the torch, so to speak."
"Treat them with humility. Remember they are just starting to learn to integrate into society in the larger sense, so give them confidence and always be patient. They need all the guidance and help they can get."
As he was finishing up he wished all people in the county would make it a priority to empower our younger selves for our communities, our region, our world, and our future. He also insisted on people following government directives on COVID-19 prevention and measures to curb the spread of this deadly virus disease.
For the only thirty minutes or so I had with him, I am convinced this is the only one person the Kiambu County Youth need to move to the next step. What else can one ask for. I wished him the best in making our county great, before bidding him goodbye.
By ArapKaruri
Today has been a memorable day for me, despite this Corona virus restrictions, I fortunately bumped into the Kiambu County Youth CECM nominee, Mr. Eric Kiriko(Photo below). Of course, we were at a social distance, and he vividly adheres to the government directives on the same. I couldn't help but admire the composure and his friendly nature before I engaged with him about our county leadership and what he had to say about out youth. I partially got to his mind and had a rear view of what he has in store for the youths of Kiambu County.
Leaders of Tomorrow
"The youths are the leaders of tomorrow. We hear this phrase so much that it has become overused and unfortunately lost its clout", he began, "In fact, they are the future, they are the leaders of tomorrow, and they are the parents and grandparents of generations to come. But what are we doing to prepare them?", he asked, with a firm voice of concern.
"With the world facing challenges now more than ever, be it education, job opportunities, environmental challenges, extremism, and terrorism, what are the tools and lessons learned we are giving them to make them stronger and know how to face whatever may come their way? How are we preparing them?
In Kiambu County, our large population of talented and bright young people are among our greatest assets. Yet with the highest rates of youth unemployment, under-employment, and skill shortages in the world, our region will remain stagnated and blocked from fulfilling its potential."
Opportunities
Mr. Erick Kiriko's mission is all about connection — connecting needs with skills, connecting employers with job seekers, and connecting young people with opportunities.
"When we connect the hopes and dreams of our youth with the tools to realize them will we build the strong Kiambu's economy of tomorrow. Empowering youth must be multi-faceted at the county level, community level, and family level, each of these levels having its own set of responsibilities and tools it can utilize to empower the youth." he went on, this time, looking more serious with his statement.
Community-Based Programs
Mr. Kiriko has five major ways of empowering youth at the community level. "Create community-based programs that help them express their opinions to give them a sense of identity and belonging. It will help them create strong ties to the community and give them a sense of importance. Listen to their point of views and don’t judge; instead, guide them to refine their ideas, discuss with them respectfully, and assure them that their voices matter and what they do makes a difference. They have the power to create the change they want to see in their communities."
You could see his emphasis and feel it through his voice. He went on," Encourage them to follow their passions. Involve scholars, professionals, and volunteers from the community to mentor them and guide them on how to plan, execute, and follow their passions the right way. Tell them that they won’t always have someone listening and that they need to fight sometimes for what they believe in. Not everyone is willing to listen and mentor, but this should never be the reason for them to quit. There will always be another person or another way to get it done."
Motivation & Encouragement
At this point, I was literally agreeing with him, asking myself where he's been all this time.
"Share with them success stories of the youths who worked hard and fought to achieve the successes they have now. These powerful personal stories will motivate and encourage them to do better and counter any negative messages surrounding young people. Hold workshops and seminars with successful persons as speakers to share with them their personal journey to inspire them to do the same."
"Encourage them to start now. It’s never too early or too late to start developing good habits. Persistence and constant personal progression are the most important things when it comes to accomplishing goals combined with the guidance, mentoring, and opportunities.
Opinions Matter
"To have the youth as part of the team," he opined, "show them that their opinions matter and what they have to say is important, engage them in decision-making, and give them the responsibility and the power to better the community, to pass the torch, so to speak."
"Treat them with humility. Remember they are just starting to learn to integrate into society in the larger sense, so give them confidence and always be patient. They need all the guidance and help they can get."
As he was finishing up he wished all people in the county would make it a priority to empower our younger selves for our communities, our region, our world, and our future. He also insisted on people following government directives on COVID-19 prevention and measures to curb the spread of this deadly virus disease.
For the only thirty minutes or so I had with him, I am convinced this is the only one person the Kiambu County Youth need to move to the next step. What else can one ask for. I wished him the best in making our county great, before bidding him goodbye.
4 comments:
This is what we've been waiting for, the youth are pregnant and the expectations are quite high
Am so happy that the Kiambu County will not only have a visionary leader for the youth department but also a representation of PWDs in the cabinet.
Wow, how I'd wish we have him at the helm. This is everything we wanted
Wao! Big mind there for our youths. Keep it up Eric,Hope you won't allow a cover on the light you have for our youths...
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