young people - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

South African study shows the power of sharing daily experiences for teachers to learn how to include all learners

GLOBALLY, more than 258 million children and young people between the ages of 6 and 17 are not in school. In South Africa, the figure stands at 232,000 for children aged between 7 and 17. The main reasons they’re not attending school are related to the quality of education, financial constraints, disability and child or teenage pregnancy. The notion of inclusive education focuses on ensuring that all children attend school and receive a good education. The first is a challenge for governments. The second is a challenge for teachers – but they don’t often get the support they need. Wacango…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian elections: Eight issues young people want the new government to address

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AS Nigeria prepares for the 25 February presidential elections, it’s interesting to consider what young Nigerians are expecting. There are plenty of them: 52.2 million people aged 18-35. That’s about 28% of Nigeria’s total population and more than the entire populations of Ghana and the Benin Republic put together. In spite of the prospects that this number holds, young people in Nigeria are largely marginalised from governance. Author TOPE SHOLA AKINYETUN, Researcher, Lagos State University of Education This election holds immense significance for young Nigerians, particularly in light of the current economic difficulties, insecurity and their exclusion from the political…

Nov

2022

By The African Mirror

‘What am I supposed to do about all this really bad stuff?’ Young people identify 7 ‘superpowers’ to fight climate change

ENVIRONMENT

PHOEBE QUINN and KATITZA MARINKOVIC CHAVEZ MANY young people feel anxious, powerless, sad and angry about climate change. Although there are some great resources on children’s eco-anxiety and climate distress, the vast majority are designed for and by adults. So, what resources do children and young people themselves want, to support them in facing climate change? And what strengths do they have when it comes to learning about, coping with and acting on this vast and complex problem? Our study involved young people To find out, we ran a series of workshops with 31 young people aged 12 to 25…

Dec

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya has imposed a holiday season COVID-19 vaccine mandate: why it’s premature

COVID-19

KENYA is to impose restrictions on access to public spaces for those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 from December 21. This, along with the opening up of COVID-19 vaccination to young people over 15, is an attempt by the government to meet its national target of 10 million vaccinated before the new year. Catherine Kyobutungi weighs in on the pros and cons of Kenya’s vaccination strategy. Author CATHERINE KYOBUTUNGI, Executive Director, African Population and Health Research Center Is Kenya’s decision on mandatory vaccinations the right move? Vaccination mandates are premature in my view. The country has struggled for…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Spotting hoaxes: how young people in Africa use cues to spot misinformation online

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

INACCURATE information on social media has become a problem in many countries around the world. Researchers know a fair deal about “fake news” in the global North, but much less about what is happening in the global South, particularly in Africa. CHIKEZIE E. UZUEGBUNAM, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Cape Town DANI MADRID-MORALES, Assistant Professor in Journalism at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, University of Houston DR. EMEKA UMEJEI, Lecturer, Communication Studies, University of Ghana ETSE SIKANKU, Senior Lecturer, Ghana Institute of Journalism GREGORY GONDWE, PhD Media Research and Practice, University of Colorado Boulder HERMAN WASSERMAN, Professor of…