Unleashing the Latent Potential of Young People in Africa: The Example of Dalumuzi Happy Mhlanga and Salathiel Ntakirutimana

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Olufunmilayo Alexander

This paper tells the story of two young people, Dalumuzi Happy Mhlanga from Zimbabwe and Salathiel Ntakirutimana from Burundi, to show how they have defied the lack of structured opportunities to impact on the development of their home countries and to make a mark globally. The intention is to highlight the potential of young people and to show how this might be unleashed when they are allowed to innovate and flourish. The paper begins by providing a contextual definition of youth from global and African perspectives, followed by an insight into youth participation. Their stories are then told, based on my personal interaction with them during their two years at Waterford Kamhlaba, United World College of Southern Africa in Swaziland, their activities in school, university and in their home communities, their postings on social media and interviews. The discussion identifies Dalumuzi and Salathiel as social entrepreneurs and servant leaders with an enlightened vision of community development and the empowerment of young people. They demonstrate the interrelationship between youth empowerment and sustainable national development. The paper concludes with a message for African leaders and institutions around the world that it is essential to invest creatively in young people as they can be powerful catalysts for African development.

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-83
Author(s):  
Carla Andrea Millares Forno ◽  
Amy E. Boren

Rural youth development in Nicaragua has experienced a rebirth with the re-introduction of 4-H (4-S in Spanish) after nearly two decades in dormancy. This case study explored 4-S through the eyes of 94 young club members, ages 9 to 13. Using sentence completion methods, youth provided insight into the activities they found most interesting and important. Their responses were then compared with the socioeconomic and demographic realities of the youth. Findings reveal deep connections between youth and their communities and culture. Entrepreneurial activities, agriculture, and work were important to the young people, indicating a strong sense of responsibility for contributing to their families and communities. Understanding 4-S members’ interests and ideas can serve local leaders in developing activities that reflect members’ interests and tap into their strengths. 


Author(s):  
Edward Olusola OSUNTUYI

Vocational guidance is intended to aid young people in choosing an occupation, preparing them for it, finding an opening in it, and building up a career of efficiency and success. It is apparent in Nigeria that young people are ill-prepared for entry into the world of work. They are inadequately oriented in educational institutions to the extent that they do not understand their own abilities, interest, and values. As a result of the failure of the educational system in helping the youths realise their potentialities, they prefer choosing high-level jobs or prestigious careers. The youths, being the future hope of a nation's development, require information that will make them take initiative and take decisions to solve problems and improve service and performance. This paper, therefore, examines the concepts of vocational guidance as well as empowerment against the backdrop of its significance for sustainable development. An attempt was also made to highlight the roles of a guidance counselor, that of parents and teachers in youth empowerment for national development. The government at all levels should focus on job creation and invest in the development of youths for them to exhibit their talents maximally for effective participation in democratic governance for sustainable development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillipa Louise Brothwood ◽  
Julian Baudinet ◽  
Catherine S. Stewart ◽  
Mima Simic

Abstract Background This study examined the experiences of young people and their parents who attended an intensive day treatment programme for eating disorders online during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Online questionnaires were completed by 14 adolescents (12–18 years) and their parents (n = 19). The questionnaires included a mixture of rating questions (Likert scale) and free text responses. Free text responses were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were identified: 1) New discoveries, 2) Lost in translation and 3) The best of a bad situation. This study provides insight into the benefits and pitfalls of online treatment delivery in the adolescent day programme context, which has rapidly had to become part of the everyday therapeutic practice. Results indicate that there are advantages and disadvantages to this, and that parents and young people’s views differed. Conclusions This study suggests that the increased accessibility provided by online working does not necessarily translate to increased connection. Given the importance of therapeutic alliance in treatment outcomes, this will be an important consideration for future developments of online intensive treatments.


2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562110089
Author(s):  
Melissa L Kirby ◽  
Karen Burland

Current research investigating the functions of music in everyday life has identified cognitive, emotional, and social functions of music. However, previous research focuses almost exclusively on neurotypical people and rarely considers the musical experiences of autistic people. In addition, there is limited research which focuses explicitly on the musical experiences of young people on the autism spectrum. Current research exploring the functions of music may therefore not accurately represent the experiences of the autistic community. This article aims to explore the function of music in the lives of young people on the autism spectrum through a series of interviews. Eleven young people on the autism spectrum age 12 to 25 ( M = 19.4) were interviewed about the function of music in their lives. An adaptive interview technique, utilizing multiple methods of communication, was employed to account for the participants’ broad communicative and personal needs. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed four key functions of music in the participants’ lives: Cognitive, Emotional, Social, and Identity. Collectively, these results provide a unique insight into the musical experiences of young people on the autism spectrum.


2021 ◽  
pp. 079160352110684
Author(s):  
Patti O’Malley

The multiracial family and the existence of mixed race children have come to be a regular feature of Irish familial life. Yet, nation-building discourses have promulgated notions of ethnic and religious homogeneity with Irish identity being racialised exclusively as white. Moreover, to date, there has been a dearth of academic scholarship related to racial mixedness in the Irish context. Through in-depth interviews, this paper sets out, therefore, to provide empirical insight into the lives of fifteen black (African) – white (Irish) mixed race young people (aged 4 to 18) with a particular focus on their experiences of racialised exclusion. Indeed, findings suggest that, as in other majority white national contexts, the black-white mixed race young people are racialised as black in the Irish public domain and as such, are positioned as ‘racialised outsiders’. In fact, their narrative accounts shed light on everyday encounters saturated by ‘us-them’ racial constructs based on phenotype. Thus, these young people, who are not fully recognised as mixed race Irish citizens, are effectively deprived of a space in which to articulate their belonging within the existing statist (i.e. inside/outside) framework.


Author(s):  
Marian Sikora ◽  
Janusz Gołdasz

The aim of this work is to provide an insight into the rattle noise phenomena occurring in double-tube (twin-tube) vehicle suspension dampers. In the dampers the particular phenomenon results from interactions between the valve(s) and the fluid passing through them. The rattling noise phenomena is known to degrade the vehicle passenger’s perception of ride comfort as well as to influence the performance of the dampers at low and medium speeds in particular. In the paper the authors reveal the results of a DOE (Design of Experiment) study involving several design parameters known to affect rattling occurrence. By running a series of purpose-designed tests the authors investigate not only the contribution of each particular parameter but the interactions between them. The results are presented in the form of pareto charts, main effect plots as well as interaction plots. It is expected the outcome of the analysis will aid in a better comprehension of the phenomena as well the definition of valve configurations to minimize their performance degradation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Beck

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals is a source for leftist publications (mostly newspapers), largely published in the twentieth century. Here, the user can access articles in PDF format from 156 national and international publications. Navigating this database and the documents therein can be easily done, but articles cannot be magnified or reduced, which may prove problematic with PDFs of old newspapers. Database content can be found through browsing or by using a basic and/or advanced search. The browse and basic search options here are understandable, but the advanced search is not self-explanatory and can possibly confuse the user. As a consequence, a new user of this database will probably benefit from instruction in its use from either the vendor or someone else familiar with this resource. However, when this search function is used properly it can produce numerous, on-point results for any query. The same is true of the basic search and browsing features, though they tend to produce larger lists of results that are less on-point than the advanced search. The vendor did not provide specific price information for this review, only indicating that pricing is determined by an institution's size and number of users. As this provides potential subscribers with very little insight into the cost of acquiring this resource, its advised that they contact ProQuest for a price quote tailored to their own institution. Its licensing agreement is the same as those used for all ProQuest databases and is average in its composition (though somewhat longer than average). The quality and quantity of content in this resource is notable, and it will certainly be of use to those looking for articles from leftist newspapers and periodicals. However, the definition of “leftist” here may be problematic for some users! Communist and Socialist publications are certainly available in this database, but those for Anarchists, Social Democrats, and other leftists are not.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-148
Author(s):  
Renata Marques de Oliveira ◽  
Antonia Regina Ferreira Furegato

The objective of this study was to investigate elements of the personal and psychiatric history, as well as the challenges related to motherhood, of a young schizophrenic female, through person-centered therapeutic interaction. The investigation had an exploratory scope, undertaken in a teaching hospital and data were collected during nondirective interaction on the part of the nurse with a young schizophrenic woman who had been treated in the institution for 10 years. Thematic analysis of the content was undertaken, with emphasis on the nuclei of meaning, identification of the themes and definition of the categories. The patient, called L. in this study, was 30 years old, had a two-year-old child and was three months pregnant when data were collected. Her trajectory was characterized by doubts, fears and uncertainties. The episodes of hospitalization, the coexistence with other patients, and the medications promoted insight into the symptoms, and acceptance of the diagnosis. The main challenge was experiencing pregnancy and the puerperium concomitantly with the psychiatric treatment. The interpersonal relationship established evidenced that, the young woman felling understood and that her needs were attended, overcame several difficulties she had reported and felt fulfilled and integrated into her social environment.


Author(s):  
Aletta Sophia Tolmay

The sustainability of automotive component suppliers is under threat due to various global challenges. Literature suggests that only the actual personal relationship can differentiate suppliers within supply chains. Literature further encourages more insight into the conceptualization of personal interaction and trust within supply chains. This paper reports on research that tested the importance of trust and its directional linear relationship with personal interaction. Personal interaction revealed a significant correlation with trust, indicating that actions of the Tier 2 supplier during the sourcing process can substantially influence trust with the Tier 1 buyer. It is accordingly crucial for automotive component suppliers to invest in strategies to increase their personal interaction with their buyers in order to promote trust and in turn to promote perceived customer value and customer retention.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Volt

Artiklis käsitlen Lev Tolstoi kunstiteooria retseptsiooni anglo-ameerika esteetikas. Esiteks formuleerin Tolstoi kunstidefinitsiooni ja selle põhimõistete kanoonilise tõlgenduse. Seejärel analüüsin määratlust ekstensionaalse adekvaatsuse alusel, keskendudes nii tavapäraste kui võimalike uute etteheidete paikapidavuse uurimisele. Kolmandaks püstitan küsimuse, kas Tolstoi kunstidefinitsiooni kriitika ekstensionaalse adekvaatsuse alusel on üldse õigustatud. Väidan, et kuigi senistel Tolstoi meta-esteetilise rehabiliteerimise katsetel esineb puuduseid, paljastab Tolstoi kunstiteooria immanentne kriitika – teooria vaagimine eeldustelt, millelt see kritiseerib oponeerivaid teooriaid –, et ekstensionaalsest adekvaatsusest lähtuv kriitika on õigustatud. My article discusses Tolstoy’s theory of art in the context of Anglo-American aesthetics. Although Tolstoy’s What is Art touches upon a very wide spectrum of subjects (the place of art in the world, justification of sacrifices made for completing art works, criticism of previous theories of aesthetics, especially of the theory of beauty, defining of art as the expression of feelings, judging of art as such based on the religious knowledge of the era, action mechanisms of beauty/pleasure-centred art, consequences, conditions of the value of art, the relations between art and science, etc.), it has mainly been examined from the aspects of judging and defining of art.The article focuses on Tolstoy’s definition of art and consists of three notional parts. First, I present the canonical formulation of Tolstoy’s definition of art – something is a work of art if and only if the person, who lives through the feeling(s), causes by external signs that the recipients live through the same feelings. I also present the canonical interpretation of its main concepts – the conditions for creation, transmitting and reception.Second, I have an analytical insight into the criticism of the canonical treatment, displaying and commenting on, but also responding and complementing the presented arguments. The extensional adequacy-based analysis of Tolstoy’s definition of art shows that although it is possible to eliminate some of the typical criticisms, none of the three necessary conditions was necessary by itself, nor were all three of them sufficient when taken together.As Tolstoy’s definition of art has sometimes earned quite serious criticism, then, as my third point, I also examine some possibilities for rehabilitating Tolstoy’s theory of art: whether and in what sense can the extensional adequacy-based analysis of Tolstoy’s definition of art be justified at all? So far, the attempts of meta-aesthetic rehabilitation of Tolstoy (e.g., Mounce centrism) have not achieved the expected result. Furthermore, the immanent criticism of Tolstoy’s theory of art (criticism of the theory, based on the prerequisites it uses to criticize its opposing theories) reveals that the extensional adequacy-based criticism of Tolstoy’s definition of art is justified, but it is not necessarily the only yardstick for the theory.


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