EVALUATION OF YOUTHS PARTICIPATION IN SELF HELP COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN BENIN CITY

EVALUATION OF YOUTHS PARTICIPATION IN SELF HELP COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN BENIN CITY

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Background Of The Study

People have enjoyed and shared the good tidings of nature from the beginning of human history due to the existence of communities and the social activities undertaken by the people for the improvement of their community, which is better known as Community Development (CD). In 1948, during the Cambridge Conference on African Administration, the development of community development was first introduced to the community as a movement striving to improve the quality of life for the whole community. Hill (2011) defines it as a coordinated plan in which community members perform activities and efforts to improve the living conditions of the community's residents. According to Johnson (2008), this indicates a rise in the community's physca1 and material livelihood, as well as their standard of living. Consequently, community development assists people in discovering and developing their skills and potential in order to address their shared concerns and demands (Effiong, 2012). (2012). (Effiong, 2012).

Community development is the period in a community's existence when its members take collective action to produce answers to its recognized challenges. Some researchers, such as Afuye (2015), argue that community development is a systematic intervention that provides communities with more control over the circumstances that impact their lives. This does not, however, cure all of a local community's issues, but it does inspire confidence to address them as effectively as any local action can. Community development focuses mostly on local groups and organizations as opposed to individuals and families. Insinuating that community development must include both how the community functions at the grass-roots level and how receptive major institutions are to the requirements of local communities.

In this sense, individuals use available local resources (human and material) to enhance their living conditions. They may create unions for community-based development, allowing them to engage in community development projects. The fervor of the people was inspired by a sense of self-reliance, and in no time at all, roads were created through virgin forest to connect settlements and other nearby communities. People also participated in self-help community development projects, such as the construction of markets, community halls, road extension and maintenance, tree planting to prevent soil erosion, and communal palm fruit harvesting, among others (Nzeneri, 2008). Self-help community development projects are practical endeavors undertaken by the residents of a community to enhance the living conditions of its members. For instance, the proceeds from communal palm fruit harvesting are often used to fund the education/scholarships of needy kids in the community and pay for other development initiatives.

One of the fundamental tenets of community development presented here is that community development activities are all-inclusive because they give opportunities for individuals to learn and grow, ensuring that no part of the population is excluded, including adolescents. accordance with (Rowland, 2011). Youth is unquestionably an age of change that is accompanied by increasing vulnerability and delinquency. It becomes a concern if young people are not appropriately used. Youths could therefore be effectively mobilized and engaged as assets, beneficiaries, partners, and youth leaders in community development activities that abound in numerous communities, rather than displaying their unruly behaviors as militants, terrorists, and other forms of unrest in the community and society today. Involvement is the act of actively engaging in the fulfillment of a certain activity. Youth engagement in the context of this research refers to providing youngsters with the chance to participate as facilitators in all phases of the community development agenda because of its impact on their lives now and in the future. Through their participation, kids will get familiar with the plethora of issues in their communities and propose solutions. This study will therefore provide information on the self-help community development projects undertaken by communities in the study areas, ascertain the areas of youth involvement in self-help community development projects, and determine the barriers to youth participation in self-help community development in Benin City, Edo State.

1.2 Statement  Of The Problem

Youths are generally courageous, full of life and vigor, inquisitive, energetic, passionate, self-sacrificing, ambitious, and full of amazing projects and dreams. All of these characteristics may be used to ensure the success of community development projects. According to Banda (2005), there is a strong belief that the effective participation of community leaders in self-help community development projects is desirable in our quest for the qualitative development of our rural communities, especially in these times of ongoing government cuts to development funding at all levels. Most communities in undeveloped countries, such as Nigeria, are renowned for initiating self-help development projects, but the sad fact is that the vast majority of these efforts are never finished. As seen by the percentage of abandoned self-help projects, it would seem that their efforts are not proportional with their investment. Even determining the areas and amount of engagement of all stakeholders in the communities, particularly the youngsters who are expected to accelerate development initiatives in their communities, seems impossible. Literature revealed that community development officers and experts, particularly in developing nations such as Nigeria, have frowned upon the low level of youth participation in community development. So many reasons have been cited for this anomaly, including the fact that youths do not appear to be regarded as mature adults and, as a result, have been excluded from the decision-making process, planning, implementation, supervision, and evaluation of community development projects by community development stakeholders (Shaw, P.N., n.d). (2007).

The involved parties consist of all parents and community leaders in the community. On rare occasions when teenagers freely engaged in community development activities, they were not given the freedom to participate in crucial topics such as decision making, project execution, supervision, and assessment. Could it be that community leaders and other stakeholders are not persuaded that if youths are effectively involved in their own community development projects, it would significantly reduce the abandonment of self-help projects, have a significant impact on the lives of people now and in the future, and help to curb various social ills that have gnawed very deeply into the fabric of societies around the world like cankerworms? Consequently, the purpose of this research was to examine the engagement of urban adolescents in self-help community development in Benin City, Edo State.

1.3 Objectives Of The Study

The overall aim of this study is to critically examine youths participation in self help community development in Benin City, Edo State. Hence, the study will be channeled to the following specific objectives;

1. Ascertain self-help community development projects embarked upon by communities in Benin City, Edo State.
2. Ascertain the extent of youth participation in self help community development.
3. Ascertain the areas of youth’s involvement in self help community development.
4. Determine the constraints to youth’s involvement in self help community development in Benin City, Edo State.

1.4 Research Questions

The study will be guided by the following questions;

1. What are the self-help community development projects embarked upon by communities in Benin City, Edo State?
2. What is the extent of youth participation in self help community development in Benin City?
3. What are the areas of youth’s involvement in self help community development?
4. What are the constraints to youth’s involvement in self help community development in Benin City, Edo State?

1.5 Significance Of The Study

Policymakers, community leaders, community development authorities, administrators, government and non-governmental groups, and other academics will benefit from the study's conclusions. Policymakers will benefit from the study's results because they will utilize the study's suggestions to build policy, rule, and regulation. Community leaders will find the study's results to be valuable. The research will highlight youth involvement flaws so that community leaders may fix their mistakes. Community development authorities will benefit from the study's conclusions because they will learn how to design and enhance civic participation. The outcomes of the research will assist administrators in determining the most effective means and channels for distributing and disseminating information to their intended audiences.

Government and nonprofit groups will benefit from the study's results because they will utilize its suggestions to identify community concerns that may be improved.

The outcomes of the study will benefit the researchers or pave the way for more research on adolescent engagement. When youth engagement and community development are effectively linked, there will be harmonious cohabitation, thus the conclusions of the research will be advantageous to society as a whole.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

This study is structured to generally evaluate youths participation in self help community development in Benin City, Edo State. However, the study will further ascertain self-help community development projects embarked upon by communities in Benin City, Edo State, ascertain the areas of youth’s involvement in self help community development, and determine the constraints to youth’s involvement in self help community development in Benin City, Edo State.

The respondents for this study will comprise youths in Benin City, Edo State.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study.

1.8 Definitions Of Terms

Community: Persons in the same environment putting their resources together to develop their area.

Development means a new state has been reached as consequences of developing.

Community development: As something dealing with the sequence through which communities (or their segments) go as they advance from pre-industrial to industrial ones.

Development programme: Project capable of improving the living standard of communities.

Youth Participation:

Youth participation is the active engagement of young people throughout their own communities. It is often used as a shorthand for youth participation in any many forms, including decision-making, sports, schools and any activity where young people are not historically engaged

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