A seminar that shares ideas on how the youth should carry themselves to make the best use of life. The youthful stage is a time for new contacts, new companionship and friendship in a circle wider than the family alone. #youth #life #reflection #aspiration #impart

1. YOUTH ‘LIGHT A CANDLE, INSTEAD OF
CURSING THE DARKNESS’ : DO
SOMETHING USEFUL WITH YOUR LIFE
BY
Dr. AFISHATA M ABUJAJA
University for Development Studies, Tamale-
Ghana
3rd May 2022

2. INTRODUCTION
❖Pope John Paul II in his apostolic letter on the
International year for the Youth in 1985 described the
youth as special treasure (i.e. unique wealth,
extraordinary or exceptional fortune) that a person
experiences at a particular period of his life or her life.
❖The period of youth is the time of a particular intense
discovery of human ‘I’.
❖The youth are more individualistic counting on oneself,
cutting off all relations.
❖John Paul II again in recalling the words, with which
the gospel speaks about the youthful years of Jesus of
Nazareth, sees youth as growth.

3. ❖Here growth refers to an individual’s natural relationship with
time.
❖It is natural because it is usual, normal, expected, inherent or
innate.
❖This growth is as it were an upward stage in the course of a
person’s life.
❖It is the time of psychological development (i.e. growing mentally
and emotionally)
❖ Youth then, is a time for new contacts, new companionship and
friendship in a circle wider than the family alone.
❖From the above analysis of who the youth are, you would notice
that youth is not only categorized by age grouping but a state of
life, a stage of development.

4. REFLECTION (WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS)
1. The youth today do not seem to appreciate the
corrections and feedback given them by the adults.
2. Adults also do not seem to understand the youth
and their desires. This situation naturally leads to
mistrust, doubts, and suspicion.
3. Most youth have ‘identity crisis’ they neither see
themselves as adults nor children.

5. ASPIRATIONS OF THE YOUTH
1. They aspire to be fully incorporated into
modern civilization: to the youth, all means will be
good in order to enjoy modern comfort.
2. It is an aspiration of the youth to have a
profession or a job: the youth find it difficult to
find jobs and unemployment is the greatest evil.
3. Many of the youth have no skills and majority is
untrained for any specific job.

6.  4. The youth need adults as reference
points in life: the youth need very much to
meet adults with whom they can speak with.
❖The further need people who will spend time
with them.
❖They feel the need for witnesses for people
they can see at ease in regarding their
professional life and in their faith.

7. 5. Need an education integrated with life: they need an
education which does not merely free them from ignorance.
❖They not only need an education that could enable them
read and write.
❖But education which is holistic, to enable them fit into the
society
6. They need to understand their faith and express it:
the youth need to know about Jesus, the gospel, the church and
the Christian meaning of life.

8. Basic Moral Principles For The Youth
 There are three basic values which every youth should
cherish in life:
1. Value your experiences: things that happen to you
are very important and should guide you in life.
❖Respond positively to every circumstance that
confronts your life.
❖As a friend said ‘I will forever remain grateful to God
for the pains I have gone through in life that harsh
experience has made me a better person’.

9.  Respond positively to every circumstance that
confronts you in life.
 Do not respond negatively to what other people are
saying or doing to you, make a difference in the
world.
 Take the experience and let it guide you in life.

10.  2. Value your creativity: You have potentials in you. Try to
identify them and develop them to the maximum. Don’t try to
be somebody else.
❖Make the best out of yourself.
❖Strife for excellence at all times.
❖Do not be satisfied with being ‘second class you can
do more than what you are presently doing’.
❖create values that would drive you to doing something
significant with your life.

11. ❖Do not waste your youth. Do not let
circumstances force you to do things that are not
in line with your values.
❖Deliberately choose what to do, make your life a
masterpiece (genius work). Share your given
skills and gifts. Live with a passion to succeed.
3. Develop a high value attitude: as the idiom
goes, ‘you may achieve great heights by your
ability’. But you need character and the right
attitude to remain there

12. ❖. ‘Form good character, be obedient, be humble, and
be respectful.
❖Your attitude in life is never to look down on any
person.
❖Be free with everybody.
❖ be good to all and
❖ keep your promises for good and positive attitudes.
❖ Be firm, fair and be friendly.

13. ROLES AND RESPONSIIBILITIES OF THE YOUTH
❖These guide lines have been time-tested values which
have helped many youth and would help you achieve
greatness.
❖It is not enough to listen to them but believe in them,
memories them, speak about them often, discuss them
but most importantly live them and let them direct
your life.
1. Respect mother and father: honor thy father and
mother that your days may be long upon the land which
the lord your God has given you.

14. ❖We read in scripture that Jesus was obedient to his
parents and he grew in wisdom and importance (Lk
2:51-52).
2. Proper time management: time lost cannot be
gained, without the discipline of respect of time, our
own life sometimes become blurred.
❖ Even if no one else is keeping to time show them
the good example.
❖Let it be part of your character. It shows respect,
responsibility and good vision.

15.  3. Make good choices and options: it is very critical that we
distinguish between good and bad and make our choices in life.
❖The options we take and choices we make will
eventually lead us to worthwhile life or to doom.
Example:
❖Smoking would bring you cancer
❖Taking hard drugs will lead you to death
❖Uncontrolled sex will cause you headache (unexpected
pregnancies, sexual diseases).

16. ➢Boys; this will lead you to early fatherhood and
adult responsibilities you are not prepared for.
➢Girls: motherhood may come too soon before
your bodies and minds are matured and able to
bear children without harm.
❖Therefore make good choices in life and live to
enjoy them.

17. 4. Develop self esteem and self respect: if you do not
respect yourself, no one will respect you.
❖Dress properly, show respect to yourself and others. The way
you carry yourself will determine your self confidence and how
others will perceive you.
❖Self respect is important. Be cool and collected. No one likes
aggressive and talkative people. Do not grumble. Be cheerful
and keep smiling.
5. Create supportive peer relationship; show me your
friend and I will show you your character” is still valid. Some
friends are bad keep away from them. Other friends will add value
to your life, keep them.

18. ❖ Be careful who you go out with. They
may either ruin or destroy your future, or
help you advance in life.
❖Say NO to negative peer pressure. No
one can force you to do anything against
your will. You alone will be responsible for
your actions.

19. 6. Develop skills in analysis decision
making and problems: do not jump to early
conclusions. You should not judge others.
❖ All decisions have to be discussed
dispassionately (objectively) and then the
solution taken.
❖There is a five way process of problem-solving I
want to suggest for your consideration using
‘SEE-JUDGE-ACT-REVIEW-ACT’

20. SEE-JUDGE-ACT-REVIEW-ACT
❖SEE what the real problem is by being truthful with it.
❖ Critically analyze the problem dispassionately taking
all elements into consideration.
❖SEE what the real problem is by being truthful with
yourself.
❖JUDGE the outcome, analyze with elements from the
Bible and against moral dictates and norms of society.
❖ACT firmly and courageously to change the situation

21. ❖REVIEW your actions to SEE whether the problem has
been corrected and the situation changed positively or
else.
❖ACT again. Take a different action to re-address the same
problem.
7. Develop the desire and commitment to succeed:
have a vision (dream, mental picture, revelation and
visualization) and mission (assignment, task, duty, job or
work to do) for success in life.
❖Do not accept anything but the best for yourself. You can
make it in life.

22. 8. Be yourself: Do not copy blindly what others
are doing.
❖ Be capable to stand out and have a unique
personality.
❖You have to sacrifice to maintain your
personality. Do the right thing, not because it is
for someone but because it is good to do it.
9. Develop a sense of volunteerism: offer
yourself for community work freely without

23. ❖There is blessing in it. It is more blessing to
give than to receive. Focus on the stage of your
life. youthfulness is very important.
10. Pray, pray and pray: develop a special
relationship with God. Pray often and often.
❖Tell God to help you and he will help you.
Prayer is the food of life. Without it, we hunger
and thirst for nothing. So dear friends, pray,
pray and pray and God will richly bless you.

24. Conclusion
❖The youth cannot be simply condemned because
society have problems with them.
❖ All generation of youth in the past have had
problems of different types.
❖ We can therefore not abandon the youth to their
fate because society would be causing unthinkable
destruction to future society.
❖Instead of blaming the youth every adult should try
to be positive and pro-active in order to win them.

25. ❖As the Chinese proverb says ‘you can catch
more flies with a drop of honey than a gallon of
vinegar.
❖The youth should enjoy their ‘youth-hood’, Light
a candle, instead of cursing darkness. The
youth at all times need to do something useful
with their lives.

26. QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTIONS
1. As young people, what can we do to stay young?
2. What do you consider to be the main challenges facing the youth today
and what are some solutions?
3. What do the youth of today expect society to do for them for the
foundation of their future development?
4. What can the youth do themselves for the foundation of their future
development?
5. What can the youth do to enhance the development of society and the
church today?
6. How can the gap between generations be bridged?

27. END OF PRESENTATION
THANK
YOU