Report highlights youth needs

This is according to the National Catholic Youth Needs Assessment Report 2004.The report was compiled by Koinonia Advisory Research and Development Services [KARDS] in conjunction with the National Catholic Youth Council, Jesuit Hakimani Centre and Dataline Research Services.

The report provides a comprehensive study geared towards identifying the needs of the Catholic youth in Kenya. Such needs are diversified and could be looked at in terms of geographical locations, access to education, social conditions and age among others.

The report is a result of a survey conducted from May 2003 to June 2004. In total, the survey covered 11 dioceses in Kenya. The study – commissioned by the Kenya Episcopal Conference – used both primary and secondary data, with respondents including bishops, priests, parents, teachers and the youth.

The main objectives of the study were to identify critical needs of the youth in Kenya, identify the goals and objectives of the National Catholic Youth Centre and identifying practical means of ensuring the centre’s sustainability in relation to its activities and physical structures.

Among the principal findings is that Mji wa Furaha is a pastoral instrument assisting the church in Kenya to address the needs of the youth. It was also found that the youth can actively participate in advancing the social mission of the church when given an opportunity to do so through the use of their talents, creativity and leadership capabilities.