Director of Leadership Development at Africa Renewal Ministries and passionate youth mentor Henry Muguluma believes that the youth are at a higher risk of danger as a result of the social media age.
Having worked with youth for 20 years, the pastor and counselor says that the evolution of the internet posed new challenges to not only the young people but also their parents who are barely able to discern the advancements and advise their children accordingly.
“The issues that most young people are facing now are not the same as those who are raising them. For most of us, our parents were using the scripts of how their parents raised them to raise us, but in this generation came social media and the internet, and now parents are clueless because they are also encountering this for the first time. The young people get disadvantaged because we can’t help them much,” Muguluma explained.
He made the statements during The Groove Cafe hosted by Crystal Newman on RX Radio.
In addition, he said priorities such as tight work schedules make parenting a neglected role which makes the youth have little to learn from those taking care of them. “The situation got worse during Covid-19 where many had plenty of free time to themselves, fostering issues such as teenage pregnancies and child labour. It's a lot that they have to deal with,” he said.
However, Muguluma, dedicated to nurturing young minds, narrated that he started the practice back in his primary school days with a passion to teach and guide the young ones while changing and trying to shape their mindsets.
In his senior six vacation, he volunteered with a project which got him talking and advising other young people. At 22, he got a job with Africa Renewal Ministries where he was responsible for a child sponsorship project with over 1500 children.
As part of his background, he narrated how he shared experiences with the youth he mentored since for the most part he had to take care of himself growing up which eventually created relatable experiences with the youths at the church he has mentored till date.
“I think my personal experiences and knowing what it was to be young and naive; to come from a broken family, to be looked down upon, is what got me more involved and understanding when dealing with these young people,” he commented.
Also, in a bid to enlighten the youth and add onto his income, he decided to write guiding books for young people, a habit that he started in 2018 when he wrote his first book ‘Five Things Every Young Person Should Know.’
He has since authored three books- ‘Unshakable Hope,’ ‘The Heaven In Your Eyes,’ and his most recent one, ‘Believe In Your Dream;’ all dedicated to young people with lessons and supporting biblical guidance of how they can navigate life.
The Groove Cafe with Crystal Newman airs every Weekday from 4-5pm on RX Radio.
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