TODAY we start a new year full of hope that there will be brighter prospects for youths going forward.
Despite its highs and lows, 2022 saw youths rising to the occasion, showing their intent to write their own narrative in nation-building.
Across agriculture, mining, construction, financial services, science and technology, the arts and several other sectors, we saw young people stepping up to the plate.
Agriculture is undoubtedly one of the sectors in which youths are beginning to reap huge rewards.
Last year, we covered countless stories of young people who pursued their passions in agriculture after they left college or abandoned white-collar jobs to slug it out in the fields.
Stories have been told of youthful farmers who ventured into the production of small grains to climate-proof agriculture amid the growing threat posed by climate change.
Some adventurous farmers are even adopting conservation and other sustainable farming models.
Overall, youthful entrepreneurs are increasingly seizing opportunities inherent in the agriculture value chain. They are not only preserving vegetables and fruits, but also adding value to the produce.
For example, there is a Bulawayo-based entrepreneur with a degree in banking and finance, but has opted to manufacture juice from the baobab fruit.
We also featured a Murewa-based entrepreneur who is preserving mangoes, among other fruits, using home-made dryers. He is also adding value to the fruits.
The young entrepreneur is now supplying international markets.
So, youths have become part of the emerging army of agripreneurs.
Innovation
Innovation hubs were undoubtedly another game changer for creative students at tertiary institutions.
For instance, at the Harare Institute of Technology, students from different departments under the School of Engineering joined hands to develop four types of ventilators.
These were designed to cater for patients at an affordable cost, and also provide a solution to hospitals in areas that lack biomedical equipment.
There were also inspirational stories of youths who defied traumatic childhood experiences to become leaders.
They include an orphan who lived on the streets but rose to become a sought-after life skills trainer.
We also have a medical student at the University of Zimbabwe who was inspired by her humble background in Binga to carry out philanthropic work with a local organisation that provides free medical services to marginalised communities.
In 2022, youths also broke barriers and set records.
There was a heart-warming story of three youths who took the entertainment industry by storm with their trendsetting stage designs.
In all this, social media came in handy, as gifted youths used it to market their talents and skills.
In the same vein, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) took advantage of young people’s affinity for technology to launch the O3 (Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future) Plus project. The initiative brought together university students to work on two mobile applications that would support access to sexual reproductive health and rights, as well as information services for young people in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
All these stories show how a section of young people are determined to be at the centre of problem-solving initiatives.
Notwithstanding reports on drug abuse, gang-related violence in schools, mental health challenges and suicides that were frequent among youths in 2022, these success stories give hope to future generations.
Young people are definitely moving from the peripheries of economic and social development to occupy the centre stage.
As the new year kicks off, it is likely that youths will pick up from where they left off. – The Sunday Mail
