Evaluation Of Youths Participation In Self Help Community Development

1.2 Statement  Of The Problem

Daring, full of vitality and vigor, curious, enterprising, enthusiastic, self-sacrificing, full of ambitions, wonderful initiatives, and hopes are the attributes of youths in general. All of these qualities may be leveraged to help community development programs succeed. According to Banda (2005), there is a strong belief that community leaders’ effective participation in self-help community development projects is desirable in our quest for the qualitative development of our rural communities, particularly in these days of continued government cuts to development funding at all levels. Most communities in underdeveloped nations such as Nigeria are known for starting self-help development initiatives, but the sad reality is that most of these projects are never completed. Consequently, it appears that their efforts are not commensurate with all they have invested as reflected in the rate of some abandoned self-help projects. It seems not possible to even ascertain the areas and level of involvement of all stakeholders in the communities especially the youths who are supposed to fast track development activities in their communities. Although, literature showed that community development officers and experts especially in developing countries, like Nigeria, have frowned at the low involvement of youths in community development. So many reasons have been adduced for such anomaly, which include; that youths seem not to be considered as matured people and as such have been excluded right from decision making process, planning, implementation, supervision and evaluation of community development projects by community development stakeholders (Shaw, P.N. (2007).

The stakeholders in question include all parents, community leaders in the community. In some rare occasion, when the youths willingly participated in community development activities, they seem not to be given a free hand to participate in vital issues like, decision making process, project implementation, supervision and evaluation. Could it be that community leaders and other stakeholders are not convinced that if the youths are effectively involved in their own community development projects, it would to a great extent reduce abandonment of self-help projects, make significant impact on the lives of the people now and in future, as well as help to curb various social ills which has eaten very deep like cankerworms into the fabrics of societies world over. Hence, the essence of this study which focused on examining yyouths participation 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?