Knowledge is power: Give it to Youths

This phrase "Knowledge is power" has been relevant since biblical times as the people perish due to lack of knowledge.  Knowledge is linked to awareness, familiarity, facts and comprehending information. This essay looks at the paramount importance of knowledge to the Zimbabwean youthful populace. Zimbabwe has been on the development agenda track since independence, however that information scarcely finds its way to youths. Sadly this is the majority of the Zimbabwean population constituting 67%. It is a right for youths to access information as promulgated by the Constitution and enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights.

Enlightenment theorist in the likes of Jeremy Bentham questions the legality of a government and the answer is having the happiest people. Gazing from the perspective, knowledge on development policies is critical such that small victories can be celebrated as the nation moves policy to fruition.  In any case, the happiness is more profound when the populace is involved in developing this information. In this essay, it is having young people taking part in shaping the development agenda of Zimbabwe. This trajectory facilitates access to knowledge by the key population at development stage. These lenses provoke the need to engage youths in policy formulation and increase their access to the policies and national development processes documents.

Pertinent issues are mechanisms to trickle this information to the youths in their heterogeneous spaces and levels. This projection is cognizant of facilitating comprehension or understanding of the information for dissemination looking at the different composition of youths that can be categorized by age groups. 

This essay proposes a litany of avenues to ensure higher knowledge attainment among youths in Zimbabwe and beyond.  Social media platforms legally looks at the ages beyond 13 (facebook) thus information targeting these younger youths should be comprehendible. For example the uses of comic pictures in expressing a point using books, pamphlets, fliers among other instruments.  This can be done through online libraries, community libraries, newspapers and newsletters but to mention a few.

Although packaging is important, so is why working tirelessly for youths to access this information. Foremost is they become informed citizens and react or behave accordingly. Access to information by youths allows them to find ownership of the process. This will lead into voluntary participation and support for whatsoever cause.  This lessens the burden of investing for a cause.

The power behind knowledge will never be underscored

Tinashe Chirape is a Youth Rights Activist based in Masvingo with the Real Agenda For Youth Transformation Trust. He can be contacted on chirapetinashe@gmail.com or +263736374947. He writes on www.tchirape.blogspot.com

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