Almost 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, making Africa the world’s youngest continent. According to demographic projections, it is expected that by 2100, Africa’s youth population could be equivalent to twice Europe’s entire population. Here in Kenya, three quarters of the country's population is under the age of 35. Below is a look at what THE DECADE has to offer to this youthful population:
Improved Mental Health: The digital revolution is evolving at an unstoppable pace. Alongside the unprecedented explosion of digital technology, facilities and systems, mental health care is under greater pressure than ever before. In Kenya, it estimated that about nine million people are subscribed to various media platforms, most of whom are young people who engage in heavy smartphone use and media multitasking which result in chronic sleep deprivation and negative effects of cognitive control, academic performance, socio-emotional functioning, not to mention the negative impacts on interpersonal relationships arising from social comparisons and cyberbullying. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 11th of March 2020 has increased risk of young people to the negative psychosocial effects of the pandemic. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration offers an opportunity for young people to restore mental health as a vital ecosystem service, while getting in touch with, and experiencing nature, which according to a growing body of empirical evidence, helps to improve an individual’s psychological well-being through increased happiness, positive social interactions, improved memory and attention, and increased sense of meaning and purpose in life. Such evidence has also shown that human contact with nature helps to reduce the risk factors and burden of mental illnesses resulting in improved sleep, reduced stress, as well as improved anxiety, attention deficit and hyper-activity disorders. You can read my article here, which comprehensively elaborates on the link between nature and human health;
Green Jobs: More than 80 percent of young people in East Africa are jobless. A July 2020 East African Community job advertisement for 41 vacancies attracted more than 10,000 applications, reflecting the unemployment crisis in the region. This has further been exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The launching of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is expected to garner global investments which will create more opportunities and jobs well beyond tree planting. As a trans-disciplinary science, the restoration of ecosystems is expected to increase the demand for various skills such as project management, building partnerships, capacity building, policy development, communication, Ecosystem valuation, carbon sequestration accounting, landscape planning, erosion control, mitigation and conservation banking, flood control, social and cultural surveys, water‐quality assessment e.t.c. The decade will also create opportunities for learning and gathering experience for young people entering the job market. With young people being tech savvy, the decade offers a chance for young people to provide solutions by developing innovative technological ideas. In rural and remote settings, there will be opportunities for young people to establish green businesses such as tree seedling businesses, which will help to alleviate rural poverty among young people. With agriculture forming the backbone of the most African countries, coupled with 60% of Africa's population living in rural areas, restoring degraded farmlands will enhance ecosystem services and their related benefits, such as increased food production and income generation from agri-businesses, increased energy production, maintained sources of clean water, reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, mitigation of climate change impacts, and improved livelihoods;
Shaping the Future and Reviving Hope: The Strategy of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration recognizes that youth are the most impacted by the consequences of degraded ecosystems and are also the ones that are set to benefit the most from restored ecosystems. As such, young people are expected to play a vital role in championing for the restoration of degraded ecosystems, thus powering the future of THE DECADE. Through different platforms, young people are actively getting involved in the implementation of actions on the ground, and are being part of the discussions and conversations on decision tables. Land restoration is important in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Across the globe, Kenya included, we have seen young people taking to the streets to call for environmental and climate action from governments. The latest protests in Kenya revolved around the wanton cutting down of trees in the city of Nairobi, to pave way for the construction of the 27 km elevated Nairobi expressway that will connect Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the east of the city to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway in the west.
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