ABSTRACT
Youths are dynamic force for social transformation and rural community development. This study identified types of youth groups and their roles in community development in Uruan L.G.A.; constraints to effective participation of youth in rural community development and strategies to improve effective participation of youths in community development. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 14 respondents for the study. Data were analysed with frequency count, percentages and mean scores. Result shows that greater percentage (60.0%) of the youths was male and had mean age of 30 years. Majority (89.50%) of the respondents belonged to MbohoMkparawa Ibibio and their major roles included town hall building (86.40%), school development (81.40%) and market building (74.60%)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study
Program and policy planners need to better understand the role and impact of youth in the community development process. Historically, youth input in decision making, problem solving, action, and evaluation in communities has received limited attention. However, recent trends suggest that youth are playing an increasingly important role in the development of their communities (Brennan , Barnett, &Lesmeister, 2006) .
As nonprofits, volunteer groups, youth programs, and nongovernmental organizations take on larger roles in contributing to local well-being, the active collaboration between youth and adults is vital to the long-term success of development efforts. Similarly, as community service activities become a more standardized component of high school programs, youth are being given opportunities to become long-term contributors to local development efforts.
Rural community developments (RCD) are measures which enable rural people to recognize their ability to identify their problems and use available resources to build a better life. Community development emphasizes self help, mutual support, the building up of neighborhood, integration and the development of political decision makers (Smith, 2006). Youths can participate in community building of rural areas. The operational definitions of the term “youth” often vary depending on the specific socio-cultural, institutional, political and environmental factors. The concept of youth has been defined as the period in an individual life, which comes between the end of childhood and entry into adulthood (Umeh and Odom, 2011). According to United Nations (2008) and World Bank (2010) about 50% of the developing world population are youths estimated at about 1.2 billion of age between 15 and 24 years. This indicates that youths constitute a serious development opportunity particularly in developing countries. The merging of community development and youth development has been at the core of recent youth engagement literature (Nitzberg, 2005). It has been at the core that youth must be fully engaged and involved in change efforts at the community level if they are to learn to function as effective members of the society.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
This study is concerned with the advantages of youth organization in Uruan Local Government Area for clarity of purpose.
The youth are not given the opportunity or encouragement in the community, because they are lacking assistance technically and financially.
There are some individual that are not aware of youth organization, neither they no their vital roles, this hinder the contributions of the development of Uruan Local Government Area. And also the youth are not educated enough to be able to organize a forum of discussion.
Youth organization the highly accepted by the community, this is because of the benefits that they realized, the community have the feelings that of encouragement is not given to the youth organization the level of development of any community will be low thus, youths are the back bone of a given community.
Members of the community learned that youth organization encourage visitors to different environment, developed national cohesion and discussion, a forum-for discussion on local matters is provided by them and assert in reviewing some cultural matters.
Help in creating positive opportunities for the youth. Most people today believe that these organizations have over stepped their elementary stage served by a lot of circumstances the most important of which are that they have a large space for doing their work and are partially liberated from the constraints that were imposed on them by the British civil administration.
According to Pittman (1993) defines youth development as “the on going youth process in which all youths are engaged attempting to meet their basic personal and social needs to be state feel cared for, be valued and to build skills and competencies that allow them to function and contribute in their daily lives” the definition accurately describes youth development as process that all you people go through on the way to adulthood. As the definition implies, it is a process or jointly that automatically involves all of the people ground the youth family and community.
A young person will not be able to build essential skills and competencies to feel safe, cared for valued, useful and spiritually grounded unless the family and community provide me with the support and opportunities they need. Thus, youths development is also a process in which family and community must actively participate.
Ellis, (1999) the meaning of youth and the way society regard youth, varies across time and Space, as well as within societies. In particular, youth had an important gender dimension, boys and girls might experience being youth in a considerably different.
1.3 Objectives of Youth Organization
The main objectives of this policy are to prepare the youth adequately for self-fulfillment and the achievement of national goals.
Involving and ensuring the participation of youth in the social, economic and cultural development of Nigeria.
Inculcating the virtues of patriotism, descriptive selfless service, honesty and leadership in the youth with a view to ensuring peaceful co-existence and a purposeful sense of direction for the nation;
Providing opportunities for vocational training for schooled and unschooled youth oriented primarily towards self employment and self reliance;
Evolving and meticulously implementing a systematic programme of early ‘indoctrination” of youth on national interest, security consciousness and international awareness.
Making deliberate effort on a continuous basis to understand prevent and provide solutions to pressing youth problems, such as drug abuse and addiction, unemployment, etc
Cultivating in the Nigerian youth, leadership values, tendencies and capacity for positive role notes and role taking;
Organizing and committing the energies of the Nigerian youth to serve their neighborhood, community and nation;
