Let’s tap into our youth’s potential for a stable future

One of the activities in our mentorship programme is psychosocial support session for the mentors, where they sit with a psychologist to talk about their challenges with mentees.

They also share about other challenges in their lives. In one recent session, we discovered that contrary to popular belief; most ghetto youths work hard just to put a meal on the table.

When they say things are hard these days and complain about the cost of living, what they don’t understand is that, “these days” are the only days we know. We’ve never bought bread for any less than we are buying it now, and when things were cheaper, we were under our parent’s arms.

The session made me aware that most of my fellow mentors, myself included, work two, three low paying semi-skilled, unskilled or just plain manual jobs, to make ends meet.

Dan, a fellow mentor shared his story of how busy his days are as he runs between his small business venture and other jobs, and how physically and mentally draining it is for him. Indeed, he has thought about stopping it all and returning to his rural village where he thinks making ends meet would be easier, but being a father he must remain here. He knows his daughter won’t get a good education there.

Galcha on the other hand, belongs to two different youth groups, one that runs a car wash and another that does parking. He talked about how he juggles it all and how some times his shifts collide and he has to run between places because he can’t afford to lose any. This is exhausting and affects his productivity.

I have a day job which I must admit is a privilege compared to most of my peers. It has been a lucky break for me. But, with that exposure come the need for more, hence I am also a student. This is the story for nearly every Kenyan youth today. The need to do more is always amplified in my mind. Hence, the amount of “other jobs” I do is for lack of a better word “crazy”. This sometimes gets me in trouble with my employers and affects my studies.

As I give you these random stories from Majengo and Eastleigh, I would also want you to get to see a bigger picture.

Dan talked about being unable to sleep sometimes, and that he thinks he might be depressed and that’s why he works every day of the week because he feels it helps him. I was once diagnosed with anxiety, which is purely driven by my fear of lacking.

The margins for us are small, which leads us to believe that we can’t stop because stopping means losing the basic needs, hence the hustle then equals survival, and each job or hustle or side hustle pays a certain bill.

And because our jobs don’t need high level skills, you always know that the moment you step out there are 50 other guys in line ready to tap in and maybe even do it better.

Hence, my greatest fear is that, the hand to mouth race is getting us too involved in the here and now, that I fear one day we will wake up being 50 years old and doing the same thing. But I am hopeful because the power of human will is the strongest force on earth. We will make it and we cannot afford to lose hope.

Are the authorities ready to tap into our energy and forge a better future for our youth? It is a challenge I pose to all Kenyans today. We must tap into the various talents and energies that our youth have for a better and more stable future. Let’s do it!

-The writer is a youth mentor in Eastleigh, Nairobi