A Youth Perspective to Participation and Local Governance in Zimbabwe's Post-Fast Track Land Reform Farms

The chapter provides a youth perspective to participation and local governance in Zimbabwe's post-Fast Track Land Reform farms. The chapter provides a sociology flare to youth participation by incorporating the ‘sociology of youth' dimension. Factoring in the youth perspective is a major contribution in addressing the lacunae in understanding and improving land reforms in Zimbabwe. Broadly, scholarly debate and professional practice on Zimbabwe's post-FTLRP have been informed by four ideological and empirical approaches namely, the neopatrimonial, human rights, livelihoods and political economy. However, in all four approaches, specific and deliberate focus on the youth is low. Based on the understanding that the youth are the future of societies, the central argument in the chapter is that the youth should be positively developed to practice their citizenship. This can be achieved through proactive incorporation of the youth in development and local governance. At a micro level, the ‘new' farm communities and how they are locally governed should also be a turf for the youth, not only for the ‘gerontocrats'. The starting point for that noble departure is to understand the lived experiences and situated meanings pertaining to the achievements, opportunities, challenges and failures in youth participation in development and local governance of the farm communities. Beyond lip service articulation and application of a youth perspective in the farm communities, and broadly at the national level, are recommended.

Young People-Sensitive and Participatory Governance Approaches

This study seeks to make a strong case for young people's visibility in the governance framework, not only in the sectors that are traditionally linked to their wellbeing and development. Young people should be visible with respect to their role in governance and accountability. This will help ensure that commitments made across all these areas are translated into relevant actions on the ground; it will support young people's ability to hold national and local authorities accountable, and strengthen young people's active involvement in promoting good governance practices at the global, national and local levels, laying the foundations for their long-term engagement as active citizens. The state has the responsibility to perform a core set of duties that allow society to function and exist. In doing so, it forges a relationship with its citizens. Participatory governance is one of many strategies of governance, and refers to the processes and deliberations that citizens are engaged in when discussing the distribution of public resources and broader decision making.

Youth Participation in Politics

This chapter explores the manner in which Zambian university students engage with public policy decisions which are of immediate and future interest to them. It observes that the youths may have little faith in representative democracy and instead are utilizing social media platforms to directly engage with decision-makers and publics, and thus subverting the essence of the authority of parliament. The study uses descriptive survey design and the methodology of “Briscolage” to capture and scrutinize two politically charged cases, and concludes that the youth globally may be challenging liberalism and in that way fashioning a new narrative entrenched in postmodernism.

Youth Development Through Participation in Decision Making

The purpose of this chapter is to argue that there is a need for youth development for participation in decision makings of the country. Programs for youth development should be geared towards changing the behavior of the youth from undesirable to desirable conduct. This chapter follows a qualitative approach in understanding and explaining in detail what youth development and participation in decision making in the society, entails. Data were collected via literature reviews on youth development and participation and on factors contributing to the importance of how laws, most notably laws on youth participation in matters, concern them. These factors are important, but key to developing the youth for participative decision-making and for ensuring that children's right to participate is implemented. The aim of this paper is to ensure that the youth are involved as partners in communities because they are deemed to be assets in the decision-making process of the country.

The Effects of Intergenerational Poverty and Unemployment on South African Township Youth

Young people throughout the world are an afterthought of policy and program interventions. In Africa, and particularly in third world nations, the irony of sloganizing youth as the cream or the future of the nation exists alongside tendencies and behaviors that impede their development towards being responsible and full citizens which rather aggravates youth underdevelopment and marginalization. It is an undisputed fact that young people have been the vanguard of liberatory struggles that resulted in dismantling colonialism and apartheid. On one hand, the chapter examines strategies adopted to overcome intergenerational poverty by using narratives (daily experiences of youth) of post-apartheid South Africa. On the other hand, the chapter highlights the uncertainties and frustrations of living in a democratic South Africa, with its failure to open up opportunities for their socio-economic growth, the apartheid discriminatory system, and survival.

Youth Participation and Representation in Community Governance at Cato Manor Township, Durban

This chapter deliberates on youth participation and (mis)representation in community governance structures at South African townships. Youth participation entails active participation of youth in the policymaking procedures happening and problems disturbing their lives. Youth have the opportunity to influence their community governance structures. A study found that the current generation of youth are not aligned to the community governance structures. Youth participation and representation in community governance structures such as ward committees and community policing forums (CPFs) are essential as they could help youth fight issues such as teenage pregnancy, drug use, crime, unemployment, school dropout, etc. because they spend time in socially meaningful activities such as volunteering at different community structures.

African Youth's Democratic Rights Awareness and Participation in Continental Governance

This chapter explored the democratic rights awareness among the youth in Zimbabwe. The youth who live in urban and peri-urban spaces are relatively aware of their democratic rights and a significant number do participate in governance processes in the country, although their participation is largely defined by political party affiliation. There are those youths who are in rural and farming communities who have limited understanding of their democratic rights and responsibilities and most of them believe that participation in governance is simply about voting during national plebiscites and nothing more. The study also found that the development of rights awareness among the youths in Zimbabwe is state-centric and thus undermining the efforts towards effective youth participation. There are some civil society organizations in Zimbabwe that have worked to empower the youth in the country and to create awareness, but this has met with many challenges owing to the hegemonic influences of the ruling political elites and the general political polarization prevailing in the country.

Democracy, Habermasian Sphere, Social Media, and Youth Participation in Governance in Zimbabwe

This chapter focused on the opportunities and challenges presented by social media in the democratization process in Zimbabwe. The chapter contends that youth participation on various social media podiums is very vibrant. The youth use social media to communicate issues affecting them and in most cases to express their displeasure with governing authorities. The types of the youth on social media can be categorized into three; the protestors, the defensive and the moderates. The protestors are those who simply use the platforms created by social media to vent their frustrations in a less constructive way. The defensive are those youths who believe in the status quo and are willing to defend the ruling elites at all costs. The moderates are those who believe that social media can be a platform for dialogue and constructive engagement.

Exploring the Concept of Youth Bulge From a Linguistic Perspective

The chapter tackles youth bulge according to a number of scholars. The analysis aims at bringing forth understanding of the concept from a linguistic perspective. In linguistics, any text can be analyzed using linguistic tools to unearth context, syntax, and semantics, pragmatic and socio-linguistic elements that inform it. Analysis of the likes of Callick, Hendrixson, Fantorpe, Collier, and others on youth bulge is done. Critical discourse analysis is used for analysis. CDA observes that texts are manifestations of politics. Texts are sites for struggle to maintain, influence, and persuade the general to respect the social order of the day. Thus, texts are replication of the society that reproduce them. Texts serve to maintain the powerful in their esteemed positions. Thus, texts are ideological and hegemonic in nature. Text reveals in language and visuals as signs, dress and artifacts. Thus, the chapter avails a number of standpoints of what youth bulge entails and institutes CDA to unravel politically and ideological permeated aspects of the concept.

Activation of Student Politics and Activism Through #FeesMustFall Campaign in South African Universities

This chapter critically analyses the FeesMustFall (FMF) campaign led by tertiary students between 2015 and 2017 academic years and its impact in (de)activating student politics and activism at South African universities. Students through their various formations and movements went on a rampage. Considering the decline of students' activism compounded by the dominance of mainstream political parties on campuses, this chapter argues that the 2015-2017 FMF campaign revived the student movement and was fundamental in activating student politics and activism. The chapter argues that despite the sporadic activities led by students, the student movement's activism is in decline. Since this is qualitative study, data from secondary sources (books, accredited journals) were utilized, supplemented by empirical data from selected interviews with individual students and student movements involved in the FMF campaign.