Economic hardships occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic have hit businesses hard, leading to mass unemployment, coupled with digitization that has terminated occupations – By Enock Mukoma.
The youths are the most affected since most were suffering unemployment before the pandemic. The few that had secured a job, have lost them.
The situation is even worse for the ones with young families where one or both may be jobless yet they have children to feed.
However, the struggle has seen many youths seeking refuge in social media platforms. They are expressing themselves in the best way they know-how.
They are exposing their talent or lack of it with the aim that someone can see them and offer an opportunity to make a living.
Social Media influencers
Many youths are now looking up to brands that can involve them as brand ambassadors, a trend that has seen a lot of creative content creation most of which are just for fun.
In a bid to capture the attention of brand managers, funny clips depicting youth using their brands, have flooded social media platforms.
Once these brands get wind of this bubbly content creator “kuomoka” would then be the appropriate street lingo, to describe this successful content creator.
Many youths have started to question their ability to make money and more so their ability to convert their theory to practice.
Some of them however have succeeded in these social media platforms while others are struggling some getting depressed why their contents which in their own view is funny, is not attracting others and why they can’t earn from it like their fellow colleagues such as Thee Pluto, Azziad, Wabosha Maxine.
Parents vs. Internet
Many parents have been wondering why most of their youthful children are becoming social media addicts yet they gave them the best education the parents thought their children require.
Parents have been accused by many youths that they have not been allowing them to chart their way and not assisting them to nature their talents.
This is wrong in my view since the world has shifted from the old trend of going to school get educated, get a job and continues with your life, the POOR DAD mentality as Robert Kiyosaki would call it.
We as youths we cannot contradict that “Education is the key,” because it really is, but talent, talent is a whole thing in our consideration.
This divergence of how we the young generation and our parents are viewing life is what is causing stagnation and standoff that is preventing many youths from expressing themselves fully and maximizing the utilization of their talents.
Support your ‘mbogi’
Consequently, your ‘mbogi‘ (Slang for the crew) might be the only support base you require to get firm on your feet.
My advice to fellow youths is that we should support one another. We should however not compare ourselves with others in a manner that lowers our morale.
It is worth knowing that we all break even at different times and somebody’s chapter 20 will not always be the same as yours.
They made it earlier because it was their right time; you will make it later because there is something better. Never give up, no hard work goes unrewarded.
As for the parents, support your children, nature their talents, and give them hope when they are at their lowest in their life journey.
