Factors Hampering the Urban Youth Participa Tion in Environmental Protection And Community Service: The Case of Two Kebeles In Arada Sub-City of Addis Ababa City Administra Tion
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Date
2005-06
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Addis Abeba university
Abstract
Young people ( 15-24 age) make a significant part of the overall population which have a lot to
contribu'te for the development of their community. Though young people face multifaceted
problems, they are endowed with untapped potential s. Provided that approp riate policies and
strategies are in place, the youth can surely be a big asset in the efforts geared towards br inging
sound development. On this line, youth participation with in the society, both as a beneficiary and
as a means, is vcry crucial tll sllst<l itl<lb ly sulvc their prohh;llIs alld tll tackle the shadow Illcir
problems cast on development of the community while their exclusion from participation limits
the prosperity of the country. Their participation in various devclopmental act ivities particularly
in environmental protection and community service contributes lor positive youth de ve lopment
and has a multiplier effects and benefits wh ich co uld extend to the whole society. However, most
studies conducted on the cases of the you th emphasizes the problems of the yo uth and neglect to
consider the immense potential that could be exploited within this energetic group.
Thus the aim of the study is to examine the challenges of urban youth participation In
environmental protection and com munity service and lorward some plaus ible recommendations
for consideration. This case study used a cross secti onal data collected through a field survcy in
two kebcles within Arada Sub-city of Add is Abaha, while focus group discussions with the youth
and key informant interviews were also employed. \3oth qualitati ve and quantitati ve research
strategies have been used for the analysis, whi ch were co ll ected from 207 randomly sampled
youths and six focus gro up di scuss ions.
The major youth participation challenges identilied are: lack of awareness of the youth and the
community on youth participation, lack of sui'licient support and incenti ves for the participation
of youth in various developmental activi ties, the abscncc or a st rong responsiblc body for the
cases of the youth at school, at work places anu at the local kebclc, and lack or resou rces lor
participation. Finally, some important points have been raised as so lution to add ress those
challenges by promoting genuine and vo lu ntary youth participation contributing for development.
Key Concepts: Youth, Youth Parti cipation, Environmental Protection, Community Service.
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Community Service