Youth and Development in Ward Three of Chegutu District, Zimbabwe

Youths are the fulcrum of society. It is their innovativeness, character and will power that defines developmental trajectory. Inherently the youths are an important cog of the development matrix. This paper interrogates challenges compounding the youths with regard to development and empowerment in Chegutu district ward 3. Exclusion from resource ownership, death of youth volunteerism, politicization of the concept of youth, exclusion of women (youth) and lack of funding summarizes challenges affecting youth empowerment and development in the ward 3. These challenges are not peculiar to ward 3 only but are reminiscent of the challenges in the district. As long as these challenges remain unsolved the implication on development is stupendous and horrendous. Depoliticization of the concept of youth, adequate funding and supporting resource ownership by the youths are some of the measures to countermand challenges ravaging the youths. This study is based on qualitative in-depth interview that was conducted with a youth officer in Chegutu district ward three. In-depth interview was used to extricate data on challenges and issues affecting youth development and empowerment. The youth officer was probed on what challenges are compounding the youths in ward three. Documentary review on the discourse of youth development and empowerment was used to buttress and patronise the findings of the research.