YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ETHICAL AND VALUES EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This paper examined youth empowerment through ethics and value education for sustainable development. In a country with a higher percentage of the population who are youth, of whoma majority are unemployed, there cannot be meaningful and sustainable development. However, youth are considered the engine room for national and sustainable development if adequately empowered. Youth empowerment refers to the process of providing youth individuals with the tools and knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to make informed decisions, take actions, and influence their own lives and the world around them. Some of these tools are empathy, compassion, integrity, honesty, respect, tolerance, responsibility, leadership, growth, mindset, and resilience. All these can be acquired through ethics and value education. It is therefore recommended that the government should provide a good educational system based on ethics and values. Also, the government should make empowerment policies that are well implemented and supervised.