This project will encourage youths on business enterprise and how to improve their business using skills that are innovative and feasible in their environment. These business skills will effectively build individual esteem to be independently sufficient. Being unemployed can lead to depression, low self-esteem, drug use and other mental health issues. We will emphasize the importance of good socio-economic orientation and create awareness among the youth on why they should avoid drug abuse.
Many youths from low-income backgrounds in Kano state suffer low self-esteem and their outlook on life means that they make poor decisions that affect their future negatively. The level of crime is about 70 % and has grown by 60% in the past 3 years. The high levels of violence, police intimidation, poor schooling and unemployment render young people extremely vulnerable to a vicious cycle of poverty, drug abuse and crime.
This project will build the capacity of 30 youths in Dakata community of Kano on entrepreneurial skills and train another 60 youths as antidrug peer educators. Target beneficiaries will be youths in Dakata community enrolled in the Paradigm Initiative class, comprising of both males and females from 16-30 years. This will include workshops, presentations, focus group discussion with stakeholders, selection and training of peers in two sets (30 persons per set)
90 young people will get a boost to their self-esteem and develop increased resilience from learning about business skills to grown their enterprises and drug abuse awareness they can teach to others. In the long term, the youths will grow to become role models who positively influence their peers, and the drug abuse and crime rate in the society will be reduced. These young leaders will be inspired to lead social change in their communities and the country as a whole.
