The Role of Education on Youth Engagement in SACCOS
A Reflective Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58547/vrw1yv60Keywords:
Youth engagement, Co-operatives, SACCOS, Reflective Approach, EducationAbstract
In order to promote social inclusion, economic empowerment, and sustainable development, youth involvement in cooperatives is essential. Co-operatives can reduce poverty and build community resilience by giving young people chances for skill development, entrepreneurship, and group decision-making. Youth engagement is frequently hampered by issues including institutional hurdles, lack of information, and access to resources. Effective training may increase youth engagement and ensure long-term viability and intergenerational justice by fostering education, policy support, and inclusive governance. However, the discipline is lacking enough evidence on the interrelationship between the acquired skills and practice. This study examines the educational experiences of graduates from a cooperative university to unfold how they blended the learnt with their practices to achieve active engagement in financial cooperatives. Building from the reflective approach, experiences, actions, and learning processes of eight graduates are assesses to unfold their role on future engagements in SACCOS. A snowballing sampling technique was adopted in selecting eight (8) graduates who possess managerial positions in various financial cooperatives in Tanzania. The collected qualitative data through in-depth interviews were inductively analyzed. Findings reveal that relevancy, digital innovation and commitment not only boost youth engagement to but also improve personal and professional development advantages. Given the pressing need of training as suggested by previous studies to encourage youth participation, the study proposes cooperative education to be mandatory in all higher learning institutions, promotion of digital cooperatives education, and merging with other microfinances, to expand engagement opportunities to young people. Also, transformation of SACCOS to a convenient and accommodative structure to attract more youth to SACCOS for effective engagement.
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