The term Youth according to the United Nations is defined as persons between the ages of 15 to 24 years. In Nigeria, Youth is looked upon from the ages of 18 to 35 years. But the federal ministry of Youth and Sports Development in 2009 and to make clear who should be regarded as a youth to avoid several misconceptions about who should be regarded as youths, came up with the National Youth Policy of 2009 which gave classifications on Youth and age range of 15 to 29 years and by this, have cleared the misconception and practice arising from Adult masquerading as Youth.
The importance of this policy so dedicated for the youth cannot be overemphasized and goes to show how important the youths are in Nation building, growth, and Development.
The Youth also constitute the greater number of the Nigerian and population and their role in the National Development efforts are equally recognized.
Characteristics of the youths; they are characterized by their enormous energy and vitality. They have enough strength and are oftentimes, faced with the challenges of how to engage the strength and if they are not well guided through a well-known platform of engagement, then there is the tendency of negative diversion and wrong utilization of the strength.
Always eager and curious to know: young minds as they are fondly called are always curious, inquisitive, and eager to know about things and also have answers to everything. They also question everyone and everything that comes around them and refuses any attempt by any person to subjugate them and treat them as nobody.
Young minds are in an optimistic era; this is because they all believe in what their energy, strength can offer them. Here, they will believe in you if you have an interest in what their interest is. Young minds also don’t like interference or attempt to cage them and so, they like freedom. Any attempt to cage them or interfere with their freedom usually results in an unhealthy atmosphere. One of their strongest characteristics is finding or trying new things and their nature has them as risks takers.
Challenges of the young minds are numerous and deliberate attempts are to be put in place to help them overcome them. However, the challenges of young minds dwell majorly on those things that they consider appealing but unknown to them that they are destructive.
We have the challenge of the mass media. This exposes young minds to thousands of images of immorality, violence, cultism, substance and drug abuse, and other vices through some of the uncensored movies, videos, cable content as well as the use of the internet. This impacts young minds negatively. Their consciousness is influenced by narratives of dangerous ideologies.
They are also exposed to the issue of getting rich quick syndrome, the quest for materialism, and wealth accumulation through cutting corners or short cut or through any other dishonest means.
The challenges of young minds not adapting to coping skills, coping skills enables one to be in tune with challenges in the environment. Young minds in a bid to run away from the challenges presented by Nature, adopt negative Coping skills of substance and drug abuse, Violence, and others as a means of addressing their immediate challenge. or challenges.
POCACOV AS AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY DRIVEN AND PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOL HELPING NIGERIAN YOUTH TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES; This community is driven and public Relations Tool of the Nigeria Police Force structured in line with the tenets of the community-oriented policing (COP) working with different stakeholders and galvanizing their support in addressing those challenges that confront the youth and at perhaps out of some factors, present them as victims. For this reason and more, POCACOV is involved in Advocacy, Awareness creation and sensitization, Reorientation and Mentoring. Young minds are sensitized and educated and mentored and reoriented through community mobilization programs, Forum base, and activity base programs of the Police Campaign Against Cultism, and other vices with the message content of SAY NO TO CULTISM AND OTHER VICES AND BE A CHAMPION. The message content is built around the youth and other stakeholders and in such a manner that it will create a positive impact in their mind for instance”The future belongs to those who know the beauty of it”, If you want your tomorrow to be better, Challenge Today, etc. There is a Pocacov school-to-school campaign and door to door campaign on the negative impact of cultism and other vices as well as violent behaviors. We have Pocacov Jog and Walk for life with a message of Say No to cultism and other vices and be a champion. There are also Town Hall meetings and fliers with a message of value reorientation, self-discovery, and community peacebuilding, Recently, the Pocacov Resource center developed modules of engagement on sports as a veritable tool of the campaign considering the tenets and core value of sports. This will help to deepen the campaign and reorient our young minds on platforms that will expose them to self-discovery for strategic leadership direction. POCACOV has also partnered with many universities across the country to sensitize newly admitted students on the dangers of cultism, Substance and drug Abuse, Violent behavior,r, and other vices. This is part of POCACOV catch them young program and to help cut the supply chains and conveyor belts as well as saving our young minds from the claws of cultism and other vices. The program has impacted teeming youths in Delta state, Rivers State, Abia State, Lagos State, Ogun State, Bauchi, Federal Capital Territory, Enugu State, Imo state, Gombe amongst other states.
In 2020, Pocacov through stakeholders support conducted POCACOV Gofec Neighbourhood {OGBE} football league for youth value reorientation, Self Discovery and Strategic leadership direction and in the year 2021 equally conducted POCACOV Nigeria Taekwondo Federation South East under 18 Taekwondo Poomsae Competition for youth value reorientation, Self-discovery, and strategic leadership direction and recently, the POCACOV Ogene Music fiesta for community peace and a measure to counter violent behaviors amongst the young minds.
The pool is creating platforms that are bringing policing actors{Stakeholders} closer to their police and helping them to understand their role as policing actors and the need to close ranks with their police since policing is everybody’s responsibility. Important aspects of POCACOV activities include explaining things better for our young minds to be wary of the antics of peer group influence, media pressure, environmental pressure, The feeling of hopelessness or feeling abandoned, Negative use of the energy by the youth in thuggery and violent behaviors and that all that glitters are not gold. What is needed at this point is an increase in support by relevant stakeholders.