Future Voices: Who is Listening

Abstract

Currently, for the Kenyan youth, the future seems further away than it used to be. “The journey to success feels a lot longer.” The familiar goals of a job, a home and a family now feel like a big ambition, and many are afraid that they will not achieve what their parents did. The conceptualisation of the issues facing the youth aspirations in Kenya formed the basis of this study. The study established the young people's aspirations, what they think and feel is their hindrances to these aspirations and their suggestions on the way forward towards their dreams. The study was qualitative in nature, and the research design was phenomenological. The target population was the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Candidates 2017. The study used a sample of 52 students drawn from two secondary schools in Eldoret municipality. Of the two schools, one was a public school meaning that it was government financed and the other was privately financed.  The instruments used were Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD's). Collected data were coded into themes as follows; aspirations, hindrances and way forward. The findings established that the young people have great aspirations like being Chief executive officers of Blue Chip Companies, great performing Artist, Leaders, professionals in different fields and sports.  Hindrances to their aspirations were: self- doubt, fear, laziness, personal abilities, procrastination, negative attitude, no recognition, financial resources and less available opportunities. The suggestions given by the participants on the way forward were majorly based on the self as the basis for achievement. Majority of the participants (98%) agreed that there is a great need for psychosocial support for the youth to achieve their aspirations.  Based on these findings, it is recommended that teachers, parents and significant others be available as role models and mentors to the aspirations of the youth. Schools should also promote self- awareness as they prepare holistic individuals to provide human capital for sustainable development.