Youth Leaders Mentorship: Careers, Missions and societal values.
During a mentorship programme for young leaders organized by the Kenya School of Government in September 2021, I asked student leaders from Kibabii University what leadership challenges were consuming them; what puzzles they wished to resolve for society. The following came up: Why youth are easily manipulated; Why people believe they must go to university to enjoy life; Why youth stories are killed by the media; why most students at undergraduate level come from humble backgrounds; Why many university students commit suicide; why society is patriarchal; why change in sexual orientation is gaining popularity in Kenya, among others. An interesting mix of challenges these are.
Then I asked them, in view of the student development model developed by Chickering and Reisser (1993) that categorizes student development into seven pathways, called vectors, which ones prepared them most to address their leadership challenges. These vectors include growth in student intellectual competence, managing emotions, moving from autonomy towards interdependence, developing mature interpersonal relationships, identity, purpose, and integrity. 60% said that intellectual competence is what they felt the University had equipped them with most. ZERO said they had acquired a clear sense of purpose, while only 4% said they are being equipped with a solid sense of integrity.
In his opening address, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Ipara Odeo had encouraged the students’ leaders to seize the opportunity the programme provided, to grow into sound human beings capable of inspiring others. As a new University, Prof. Odeo observed, Kibabii needs to define its identity in the league of Kenyan universities. Granted the university charter only six years ago, there is no doubt that Kibabii University is instilling knowledge and habits as will make its graduates apt citizens and competent professionals. Prof. Odeo commended the students for representing the country in Tae Kwondo at the Olympic games in Tokyo, and for curving out a reputation as a peaceful university. The University is very committed to mentorship and nurturing talent. According to the university website, Mr. Alex Chemwada, an award-winning journalist, is among the list of prominent personalities who have delivered lectures on career development to Kibabii students in the recent past. The university also conducts outreach activities to secondary schools.
My question could, therefore, have been problematic or the students underestimated the true worth of the effort that the University administration is making towards building a sense of purpose among them. However, it is conceivable that one may not have concrete understanding of the path they would love their lives to take upon graduation. I can also understand why the students preferred a techno-centric view of the solutions they deemed relevant to their leadership challenges.
David SchÖn writes in, ‘The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action’ that one of the criticisms of technical rationality is, ‘the claim to uniqueness based on preoccupation with a specialized skill premised on an underlying theory.’ David quotes Edgar Schein who outlined the three components to professional knowledge, in which he posited that basic science component of the profession knowledge occupies the highest level; it’s day-to-day diagnostic procedures and problem-solving comes second; while skills and attitudinal component which concerns actual performance of service to the client comes third. Of course, Edgar’s classification has since been shattered with advances in the positivist epistemology of practice in Medicine and engineering that was embraced by many other professions. However, between 1963 and 1982, both the public and the professionals in America became increasingly aware of the limitations of the professions. SchÖn concludes that, in the modern world, we have become more aware of the actual practice of phenomena — complexity, uncertainty, instability, uniqueness and value-conflict.
The problems the student leaders listed represent a fraction of the wicked challenges that confront governments and development actors every day. I told the students’ leaders that occupationality is increasingly being shaped by changing morality and transformation of identity. And that while purpose and integrity are the mortars by which professional practice is propelled, it is collaboration that helps it achieve impactful results for society.
I referred the students’ leaders to an article by Harold Wilensky, published in the American Journal of Sociology in 1964, titled, ‘The professionalization of everyones?’. In it Wilensky synthesized three role orientations that professionals undergo to fulfill societal aims: the discipline-professional, careerist, and the missionary. Of these, Wilensky wrote, the ‘missionary’ combines broad-based education and ideological disposition to transform society. I told them to find a purpose, because with concrete purpose, they will certainly find the means.
I told them about Ngatia Muhoya, who represent young entrepreneurs at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA). Ngatia 25, is a graduate of psychology from the United States International University (USIU). At 23, he founded Millennial Speak, a social enterprise that tries to bridge the gap between decision makers and young people and encourage youth participation in governance using digital means. Ngatia is a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Youth Sounding Board (YSB). The Youth Sounding Board is a vehicle that UNDP in Kenya uses to engage directly with a panel of young influential leaders and representatives of institutions to implement the youth development agenda. Through the YSB, UNDP encourages personal development, collaboration in its programme implementation with other organisations in the youth ecosystem, as well as supporting the networking of youth leaders. UNDP’s youth empowerment mission seeks to enhance the ability, authority, and agency of young people to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and in their societies.
In the end, I urged them to read Bill George’s True North. The most empowering leadership condition of all is when passion and purpose is aligned to a mission. Bill quotes Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach For America and co-founder, Teach For All, “find something you are passionate about and then inspire others to join the cause.”
By Julius Coredo
