This is a series of blog posts concerning youth participation. The last one was published on 14 Jan  2008.

            At one time in Nairobi, one of the participants in the youth leadership training program made this remark: ‘I have never realized that I can take up such a big responsibility.’ 

        What she referred to was a small-scale project she designed during the program. The size of that project is about 400USD and she will be responsible for the implementation of the project. 

        Many youths, like all those young leaders participated in that program, have seen and experienced the social problems facing their communities, e.g. widespread drug abuse, HIV and AIDS, church conflict and extreme poverty, etc. 

        Most of them are eager to contribute themselves to help alleviate the problems but many barriers prohibit them from taking actions. The youths either lack resources or empowerment, or both. 

        When the youth were empowered and got access to the resources, at first they may doubt whether they can actually work it out. Soon they become excited for this long-awaited opportunity to respond to the vision given by God to each of them. 

       From my observation, youth participation, when it appears alone, is being seen as an important cause to promote. But when it appears together with other causes such as fighting HIV and AIDS and poverty, it becomes ‘less important’. 

        The point I want to make is: I believe youth participation is the key to many solutions. Youth participation and other causes are not mutually exclusive when it comes to getting attention and funding. The passion of youth, when transformed into actions, would be essential to tackle many pressing issues. 

        Let’s look at what kinds of projects the young participants planned in the above mentioned training program. The projects include organizing workshops to help stop drug abuse, training young single women with basic skills to support themselves, counseling and accompanying youth and children living with HIV and AID, etc.     

        Why Youth? Because we can be an important part of the solution.

 This is a series of blog posts concerning youth participation. The last one was published on 6 Jan  2008.

        There are countless factors that may inhibit youth participation in Lutheran communion. I have collected some of them from the youth workers in the Lutheran churches.

• Intergenerational gap and the related prejudice that overemphasizes the lack of experience of youth than underlining what they can do. 
• An attitude of fear among the adult who consider youth as a treat than opportunity. 
• Weak culture of synergy between generations both in church and society. 
• Resistance at synod and congregation level to the decision made by the constitutional authority of the church since most of the resolutions lack enforcing power 
• Low, perhaps wrong, understanding of participation- labeling youth with manual work and setting aside decision making position for the elderly. 
• The youth themselves are not empowered to fight for their right in the church. Often, quest for ones right is confused with conspiracy and labeled as ungodly. This again ends with passive-spirituality.

• The jargon, procedures, bylaws and weighty documents used during the decision making process can be a series of barrier for youth participation.

• Youth work often seen as a treat by the elders. This perception unintentionally results in a lower status of young people.

• Lack of a youth pastor to fight for the youths’ right to participate in the church. Even there is a youth pastor; she/he is often seen as ‘inferior’ or of a lower status than the ‘full pastor’.

• Without church’s initiative for youth empowerment, youth often find it difficult to meaningful participate in the church.

• Whenever there is an intergenerational disputes during the decision making process, youth are often seen as ungodly or too radical. Given the fact that youth are the minority group in the decision making process, they are vulnerable to the subtle ‘disciplinary measures’.

• Youth work is often financed by the church decision making body, any moves to challenge the establishment may result in reduction in funding in the medium and long term.