Among the Cooperatives principles, Principle no. 2 gives all members an equal right to participate in all activities of the cooperative societies which includes the decision making, electing leaders and being elected as leaders in a coop society.
This means if you fully qualify to be a member of cooperative society, then you are eligible for electoral leadership position.
Having a high number of the youth joining the saccos, It is the high time we encourage, embrace and try youthful leadership.
From the time immemorial we have advocated for elderly leadership since they believed to possess some exceptional skills that include great experience gained over a period of time, the wisdom, and knowledge, which can be valuable in navigating complex situations in our Sacco industry.
Things are changing and we have seen high membership of young cooperators and it is only fair to allow them participate in leadership positions. It is even becoming essential to have a blend of old and youthful experience in the boardrooms.
In past everyone thought that the young people are unqualified by virtue of who they are, they are lazy, entitled, Ignorant, immature, fragile, dependent and image-driven when it comes to leadership.
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With the young people being very much exposed to globalization I think this is the time to give them the chance to share the exposure.
While the elderly bring in their historical wisdom and experience, the youth are able to contribute their fresh minds to the table and present the unique needs of their fellow youths of their saccos. They are able to put in their energies to working intensively to cater for the needs of the young members who are joining the Sacco.
Young people will be attracted where they are understood, where they are felt and where they are recognized. They need leaders who understands what they want, who understands their tastes and preferences. They need leaders who feel their presence and give them an opportunity to participate in key roles and decision-making processes. They need recognition. It’s only when you recognize the youth, they give their best energies towards achieving the goals of the Sacco. It is through the boardroom representation that the needs of the youth will be discussed and a solution is given.
It is good to note that things change, the needs of the young people for 10 years ago can never be the present youth leadership.
However much we fear Youth experience it’s is good to note they are learning leadership skills. It would only be fair if they get the opportunity to serve as leaders when they got the energy and when the knowledge is fresh in their minds. They are likely to study and do more research and bring successful leadership in our Sacco.
Young people happen to be very aggressive in things they’re passionate about. Leadership skills are improving day by day and members are attracted where there’s promising leadership. If we maintain the traditional leadership style where leaders adopt and maintain traditional ways of doing things, members will withdraw and joins Saccos where there’s positive growth and changes that are fitting their presents needs. It is only through involving the youthful leadership in our Sacco leadership that we are able to achieve fresh ideas, fresh energy and fresh skills to improve our wholesome Sacco leadership.
Transforming our saccos to modern institutions has been very slow due to lack of innovative drivers in the leadership. We need to consider youthful innovative ideas and perspectives in our boardrooms in driving progress. The youth should be given this space to try the emerging technologies, try new strategies and navigate their youthful experience in the cooperative leadership corridors. It goes without saying that the youth access a lot of information comparing with the elderly, the young leader will be better placed the best technology that fits their Saccos.
Involving the Youth Leadership in our saccos reduce on the consultancy services expenses. Majority of our youth as a country possess almost all the skills that are required to run a Sacco. When Saccos are run by purely leaders who are not able to go an extra mile they consult too much compared to when they have the skills in the Boardroom. If the skilled youth are involved, they will exploit their skills freely making a difference in their co-operatives. These young leaders will turn to be problem solvers in our institutions.
It is the nature of the young people wanting new things and when they get a platform in the boardroom they will serve as agents of change in their saccos, to the movement in the country and globally. Renewing of the way we do things would bring a whole turnaround of the gaps experienced in the movement, solve problematic issues affecting our society and join the clubs of well-run saccos globally. Members are proud to be associated with well-run institutions; they also tend to participate fully freely to help achieve the set goals together with their leaders.
The Sacco members could not be knowing the potential in our youth that they are unutilized assets and valuable assets in our Saccos.
Some see them as unfit for leadership positions as aimed at fulfilling personal gains but the truth is, if given an opportunity they may turn to be the necessary individuals our societies needed long ago. They could be inexperienced but they got a chance to learn, they could be unwise but with time they could learn necessary skills essential for leadership. They could fear but when we believe in them, they can gather confidence and relevant skills. They could seem irresponsible but they got time to learn to be responsible for their actions and decisions.
Our youth cannot learn from outside they can only Learn from within. They need to be on the table to see, to hear and to feel for a total lesson of leadership.
The youth are willing, present and ready to assume leadership responsibilities just give them a chance.
Article by: Dorcas Nyambura Ndegwa
Email: jehoshebaimpactcoop@gmail.com
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