Did you have a productive holiday?
Junior youth from St. Veronica Parish in Syokimau perform a skit during the regional cultural festival on December 14, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Some get lured into all kinds of mischief and crime just because they lack something to fill the hours.
- Now however, the priest, Fr. Lawrence Kinyua, says that the children are more confident and outgoing.
On a lively Saturday afternoon, junior youth from St. Veronica Parish Syokimau perform a skit that they have been practising over the long holidays. The audience is their parents, friends and members of the community.
“Before I started training for the skit during the holidays, I would just stay at home and scroll through social media or watch TV when I was not studying,” said Nicole Chelangat, one of the performers.
Growing up as an only child, this kind of lifestyle hurt Nicole’s self-esteem, as she found it very difficult to strike up a conversation with her peers, even when she desired friendship.
“The beauty of engaging in activities like sports or dancing is that you have to interact with people.”
Like Nicole, many teens often find themselves idle during school holidays. You know what they say, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Some get lured into all kinds of mischief and crime just because they lack something to fill the hours.
“Our children, especially in urban areas, are very much enclosed and often, they do not get a platform to interact or express themselves,” said Brian Alitsi, the group’s trainer and mentor recalling the challenges they had at first in getting the children to come for the mentorship programme at the church two months ago.
“They were quite withdrawn so we couldn’t identify what each child was talented at, to allocate roles for the skit.”
Now however, the priest, Fr. Lawrence Kinyua, says that the children are more confident and outgoing.
Training the children to become role models from an early age, according to Fr. Kinyua, sets the stage for them to positively impact governance and leadership through the character they develop growing up.
Walty Kariuki, a youth representative at the church encouraged parents to set aside time for children to pursue hobbies and talents, especially during holidays.
“Books are important, but they are not all that one needs to succeed. Many people are posting their talents online and making money, yet many parents are struggling to nurture their children’s talents.”
Meanwhile, Nicole says that while it is understandable that parents need to work extra hard to make ends meet during these tough times, setting aside some time for their children could help them understand what they are going through and what they are good at.
“Parents should be involved in the lives of their children. Work is good but it shouldn’t be too much that no time is left to bond with the children.”
She encourages her peers to embrace and grow their talents.
“God gave everyone a specific talent , don’t feel pressured when you try a certain art and it doesn’t work out for you.”
