A Character Analysis of Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay Essay Example

A Character Analysis of Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay Paper Kerima Polotan-Tuvera’s â€Å"The Virgin† is a short narrative that is centered on two characters viz. Miss Mijares and The Carpenter. The rubric â€Å"The Virgin† reflects the topic virginity which is an of import and precious value for Filipinos. A Filipina should be proud to hold maintained her virginity but in the instance of the thirty-four-year-old Miss Mijares. she is ashamed of it. In her 34 old ages of being. she had neer been committed in a relationship. When she was younger. there had been other things to make and she neer put love on top of her precedences. She had college to complete. a niece to set through school. and a female parent to take attention. Her responsibilities became hinderances for her to be in a relationship. Miss Mijares’ childhood experiences and responsibilities affected her personality. Miss Mijares is a thirty-four-year-old adult female who works at a occupation arrangement bureau. The first brush of the two characters is at the occupation interview. The manner Miss Mijares treat him is as aloof and cold merely like the manner she treated her other interviewees. She looks at herself as superior which explains the impolite linguistic communication she uses to pass on with them. Harmonizing to the text â€Å"When she was younger. there had been other things to do-college to complete. a niece to set through school. a female parent to care for. † Her childhood experiences affected the manner she is now. it greatly affected her personality. Harmonizing to the theory of Sigmund Freud viz. Psychoanalytic Theory of Freud. a person’s childhood experience and unconscious head contributes to his or her personality ( Cherry ) . We will write a custom essay sample on A Character Analysis of Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A Character Analysis of Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A Character Analysis of Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The manner Miss Mijares maintain her distance from other people and the manner she talk to them function as a defence mechanism. Her unsociable manners coupled with Frank and disconnected manner of address is a camouflage for her solitariness. For nine old ages she dutifully looks out for the demands of her female parent. For nine old ages she doesn’t think about her ain felicity for she prioritizes her responsibility to take attention of her parent. Harmonizing to the text â€Å"But it had taken her parent many old ages to decease. Towards the terminal. it had become a ungrateful job. working her mother’s loose flesh. hr after hr. fighting to rouse the cold. sulky blood in her death organic structure. In the terminal. she had died-her toothless. thin-haired. flabby-fleshed mother-and Miss Mijares had pushed against the bed in heartache and besides gratitude. † We can deduce from the manner she dedicated her early old ages to take attention of her female parent that she valued her household more than herself. She was truly affected by the decease of her female parent whom she loved so much and it triggered the alteration in her personality. She exemplified her high quality as a adult female. â€Å"Miss Mijares did non look 34. She was little. about bony. but she had learned early how to dress herself to accomplish an semblance hips and bosom. She liked fagot and shirrings and small girlish pastel colourss. † Harmonizing to this text. Miss Mijares knows how to do her expression appealing to opposite gender. This is her manner to cover with her solitariness. For 34 old ages she has non even touched a adult male. The manner she behaves and trade with other people Acts of the Apostless as a defence mechanism. Harmonizing to the Behavioral Theory. personality is based on the interaction between the person and the environment which can be learned and unconditioned ( Cherry ) . Her bossy and indistinct mode of address coupled with the manner she dress Acts of the Apostless as a defence mechanism to conceal her depression. The â€Å"girlish pastel color† as stated in the narrative is besides a manner to conceal her true feelings. She is ashamed of herself for still being a virgin at the age of thirty-four. â€Å"And yet Miss Mijares did believe of love. † It is stated in the text that Miss Mijares had short lived phantasies. She is still trusting that love will come her manner someday. It all of a sudden happened when he met the carpenter. She is cold and distant at first but all of a sudden she is drawn to the adult male. It all started at the minute she saw the adult male keeping her paperweight. It is a wooden block with a bird poised to flight. The paperweight was damaged with one wing tilted unevenly so the carpenter decided to repair it. The bird symbolizes freedom ; it symbolizes the freedom of Miss Mijares. She lived in a system where virginity is something of import and should be taken attention of. The job is she is trapped in this system because at the age of 34 she is still a virgin who neer touched a adult male. This will alter because of the carpenter. She will be free like the bird in her paperweight fixed by the carpenter. She will be inadvertently attracted to the carpenter. She doesn’t like the manner he talk without permission but it won’t alteration her feelings toward the adult male. When she learned that the chief has merely given him three peso but he is make fulling in for a four-peso occupation. she confronted the chief right off. It non expected for her to be concerned because of her cold and distant manner of handling him. A alteration in her personality can be seen and it is because of the carpenter. Miss Mijares was emotionally attached to the carpenter. She was surprised and angry when she learned that the carpenter has a boy. She thought the he is individual and non committed. After larning that he was raising a kid by a adult female he is non married to. she notice everything else that is incorrect with him-his crooked smile and faulty forepart dentition. Her reaction proved that she is truly in love with the carpenter. She doesn’t even notice his smile and tooth because of her infatuation. Miss Mijares rode once more a jeepney that detoured once more to avoid traffic but this clip he is with the carpenter. It was raining and all of them were asked to acquire down the jeepney. She noticed that there are no other people in sight but the two of them. Her emotion has gone wild for her immature dreams have all of a sudden come to life. She turned to him with her frills moisture and wilted. Out of her free-will. Miss Mijares has grabbed the chance for love. Harmonizing to the Humanist Theory. a person’s free will and single experience contribute to personality development ( Cherry ) . Her feelings for him have changed her personality. She all of a sudden becomes more caring and concerned. Her personal emotion is the factor for the alteration in her personality. The Virgin trades with the life of Miss Mijares. A girl bounded by her responsibility. She lived in a society where virginity is something to take attention of but at the age of 34 she is ashamed that she is still a virgin. Miss Mijares’ childhood experiences and responsibilities affected her personality. The cold and distant personality coupled with a Frank and disconnected mode of address can be traced back in her early old ages. All of these serve as a defence mechanism to conceal her depression. She developed a certain superior outlook that can be seen in the manner she talks during interviews but all of these changed when the carpenter came into her life. The paperweight with a bird on it symbolizes freedom. Miss Mijares was now free from all her anxiousnesss because of the carpenter who brought order in her life merely like how he fixed the paperweight. Her loved for the carpenter brought the alteration in her life.

The eNotes Blog Light in February Plantation Diary Find Sheds New Light on FaulknerNovels

Light in February Plantation Diary Find Sheds New Light on FaulknerNovels For scholars, there is no bigger coup than finding new information that offers insight to a writers processes, character construction, or plot development.  Ã‚  Even if one is working with a lesser known writer, there is joy in discovery.   To  find previously  unknown information for an author as popular and extensively researched as William Faulkner is akin to  finding a  gem in a junkyard. Sally Wolff-King is  a professor and Southern literature scholar at Emory University. She appears to have found the ledger  that Faulkner used as a model for the famous scene in Go Down, Moses in which  the character Isaac McClassin opens his grandfathers farm ledgers and discovers his familys slave-owning past.   Many of the character names, used in this and other works, seem to have come from this ledger as well. The diary/ledger belonged to Frances Terry Leak, a plantation owner. Leaks great-grandson, Edgar Wiggin Francisco Jr. was a childhood friend of Faulkners, and the two men remained friendly throughout their lives.   Mr. Franciscos son, now 79,  recalls that Faulkner was a frequent guest in their home and had a keen interest in the ledgers. Character names that appear in both the ledgers and Faulkners novels include Moses, Isaac, and Toney in Go Down, Moses, Caddy/Candace (Candis) and Ben in The Sound and the Fury and Old Rose, Henry,   Milly, and Ellen in Absalom, Absalom!. Of particular interest to scholars is that Faulkner has given many of his white characters the names of slaves listed in the ledgers. Why did Faulkner do this?   Professor Wolff-King believes Faulkner is trying to give the slaves a voice.

Josephine Baker, Dancer, Singer, Activist, and Spy

Josephine Baker, Dancer, Singer, Activist, and Spy Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; June 3, 1906–April 12, 1975) was an American-born singer,  dancer, and civil rights activist who overwhelmed Parisian audiences in the 1920s to become one of the most popular entertainers in France. She spent her youth in poverty in the U.S. before learning to dance and finding success on Broadway, then moving to France. When racism soured her return to the U.S., she took up the cause of civil rights. Fast Facts: Josephine Baker Known For: Singer,  dancer, civil rights activistKnown As: â€Å"Black Venus,† â€Å"Black Pearl†Born: June 3, 1906 in St. Louis, MissouriParents: Carrie McDonald, Eddie CarsonDied: April 12, 1975 in Paris, FranceAwards and Honors: Croix de Guerre,  Legion of HonourSpouses: Jo Bouillon,  Jean Lion,  William Baker,  Willie WellsChildren: 12 (adopted)Notable Quote: Beautiful? Its all a question of luck. I was born with good legs. As for the rest...beautiful, no. Amusing, yes. Early Life Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri. Bakers mother Carrie McDonald had hoped to be a music hall dancer but made her living doing laundry. Her father Eddie Carso, was a drummer for  vaudeville  shows. Baker left school at age 8 to work for a white woman as a maid. At the age of 10, she returned to school. She witnessed the East St. Louis  race riot of 1917 before running away when she was 13. After watching the dancers in a local vaudeville house and honing her skills in clubs and street performances, she toured the United States with the Jones Family Band and the Dixie Steppers, performing comedic skits. Getting Started At 16, Baker began dancing in a touring show based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where her grandmother lived. By this time, she had already been married twice: to Willie Wells in 1919 and to Will Baker, from whom she took her last name, in 1921. In August 1922, Baker joined the chorus line of the touring show  Shuffle Along in Boston, Massachusetts before moving to New York City to perform with the  Chocolate Dandies  at the Cotton Club and with the floor show at the Plantation Club in Harlem. Audiences loved her clowning, mugging, improvising comic style, foreshadowing her style as an entertainer. Paris In 1925 Baker moved to Paris, France, more than doubling her New York salary to $250 a week to dance at the Thà ©Ãƒ ¢tre des Champs Elysà ©es in La Revue Nà ¨gre  with other African-American dancers and musicians, including jazz star Sidney Bechet. Her performance style, referred to as Le Jazz Hot and Danse Sauvage, took her to international fame riding the wave of French intoxication for American jazz and exotic nudity. She sometimes performed wearing just a feather skirt. She became one of the most popular music-hall entertainers in France, achieving star billing at the  Folies-Bergà ¨re dancing seminude in a G-string ornamented with bananas. She quickly became the favorite of artists and intellectuals such as painter  Pablo Picasso, poet E.E. Cummings,  playwright  Jean Cocteau, and writer  Ernest Hemingway. Baker became one of the best-known entertainers in France and all of Europe, her exotic, sensual act reinforcing the creative forces coming out of the Harlem Renaissance in America. She sang professionally for the first time in 1930 and made her screen debut four years later, appearing in several films before  World War II  curtailed her movie career. Return to the US In 1936, Baker returned to the United States to perform in the  Ziegfield Follies, hoping to establish herself in her home country, but she was met with hostility and racism and quickly went back to France. She married French industrialist Jean Lion and obtained citizenship from the country that had embraced her. During the war, Baker worked with the Red Cross and gathered intelligence for the French Resistance during the German occupation of France, smuggling messages hidden in her sheet music and her underwear. She also entertained troops in Africa and the Middle East. The French government later honored her with the  Croix de Guerre  and the  Legion of Honour. Baker and her fourth husband, Joseph †Jo† Bouillon, bought an estate she named Les Milandes in Castelnaud-Fayrac, in southwestern France. She moved her family there from St. Louis and, after the war, adopted 12 children from around the world, making her home a world village and a showplace for brotherhood. She returned to the stage in the 1950s to finance this project. Civil Rights Baker was in the U.S. in 1951 when she was refused service at the famous Stork Club in New York City. Actress Grace Kelly, who was at the club that evening, was disgusted by the racist snub and walked out arm in arm with Baker in a show of support, the start of a friendship that would last until Baker’s death. Baker responded to the event by crusading for racial equality, refusing to entertain in clubs or theaters that werent integrated and breaking the color barrier at many establishments. The media battle that followed almost triggered revocation of her visa by the State Department. In 1963, she spoke at the March on Washington at the side of Martin Luther King Jr. Bakers world village fell apart in the 1950s. She and Bouillon divorced, and in 1969 she was evicted from her chateau, which was sold at auction to pay debts. Kelly, by then princess Grace of Monaco, gave her a villa. In 1973 Baker became romantically involved with American Robert Brady and began her stage comeback. Death In 1975, Bakers Carnegie Hall comeback performance was a success. In April she performed at the Bobino Theater in Paris, the first of a planned series of appearances celebrating the 50th anniversary of her Paris debut. But two days after that performance, on April 12, 1975, she died of a stroke at 68 in Paris. Legacy On the day of her funeral, over 20,000 people lined the streets of Paris to witness the procession. The French government honored her with a 21-gun salute, making her the first American woman to be buried in France with military honors. Baker had remained a bigger success abroad than in her home country. Racism tainted her return visits until her Carnegie Hall performance, but she had a profound influence worldwide as an African-American woman who had overcome a childhood of deprivation to become a dancer, singer, actress, civil rights activist, and even a spy. Sources Josephine Baker Biography: Singer, Civil Rights Activist, Dancer. Biography.com.Josephine Baker: French Entertainer. Encyclopedia Britannica.Josephine Baker Biography. Notablebiographies.com.Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy: The Legacy of  Josephine Baker. Anothermag.com.Josephine Baker: The Black Venus. Filmstarfacts.com

Positive Effects of Balancing Government Budget Essay

Positive Effects of Balancing Government Budget - Essay Example This essay outlines the importance of maintaining a balanced government budget to the state of a national economy. Governments should balance their budget to ensure that it operates comfortably on its revenues, within its means. Government obtains revenue from three major sources. These are through direct taxes, borrowing, and printing money. When the government imposes taxes, funds from entrepreneurs, businessmen, personal incomes and capitalists are collected. These funds are channeled to the treasury, where politicians and policy makers control on how to spend in a given particular financial year. Balancing budget enables the government to set and make realist financial judgments, which are not at the expense of the taxpayers. The current global recession has drastically reduced the level of income both at individual and national levels, as a result of job losses and shrinking of major markets. Balancing government budget would be beneficial in a number of ways. It would enable the government to control and critically analyze its spending. This will enable it to prioritize on the most important sectors, for example health, education, housing, security and welfare of workers. This would cushion these key areas from incurring budgetary deficits during periods of financial crises. Balancing government budget just as in personal budgets encourages utilization of resources more wisely. The government owes the taxpayers an obligation to use their money on provision of certain goods and services.

Sheppard v. Maxwell (384 U.S. 333) Supreme Court Case Essay

Sheppard v. Maxwell (384 U.S. 333) Supreme Court Case - Essay Example 333), the trial court did not conduct a fair trial because of media interference that may have caused excitement and prejudice in the ruling of the case (Sheppard 1966). The public distraction in the courtroom can influence the autonomy of court discussions thus distorting the conclusion arrived at by the jury either in favor of the accused or the wronged person (Sheppard 1966). Therefore, there should be a maximum order in the court so as to ensure fair ruling by the judges. The public has a right to know the truth by following the court proceedings in any case of interest to them. In that regard, media are a public watchdog and have the right to attend to the courts proceedings in order to make a follow up the of the court process and inform the public about the process (Siegel 183). The presence of media in the court proceedings influences the fairness of the court’s ruling. Therefore, it is essential to have controlled media presence in the court in order to avoid unnecessary interruptions that may result to â€Å"prejudicial publicity† (Sheppard

Letter to Editor Essay Example for Free

Letter to Editor Essay I have been looking over the results from the Nation Grade Six assessment which was written on the 25th and 26th of March by 16,811 students. Congratulations to all students who entered this exam, especially the students who have been able to gain a position one of Guyana’s five (5) top schools. However, it is very noticeable that most of Guyana’s top graduates are from a private school/institution. That brings along the thought of what really is going on in the public schools in Guyana? Are they treated to less? I am not bringing along the thought that all public school students did badly in this primary examination, but why aren’t more of our governmental institutions doing as well as students of a private school? Is it because of the poverty struck we live in? Is it because the students are not having the adequate material like textbooks to get work finished? Is it the unskilled teachers being employed to teach these students? All of these things are readily available with high quality to students of private institutions. Back in the good old days, no private school could compare to a public school, citizens generally preferred to send their children to a public school to ensure they have a proper ground. Today, that is very unsure. Not only the standard to public primary schools are dropping, but also the behavior in the students today that go to public school is treacherous. Are they having no discipline? Government, parents and teachers need to work together to rebuild the good foundation and name of primary public schools in Guyana.

Keys to a Good Education for Children Essays -- Education

The key and initial forces/factors that help children receive a good education are parents’ support, the child’s confidence, and the drive to learn. In The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, Sherman Alexie demonstrates each characteristic, strives through obstacles and shines through it all. According to therapist, Anna Robinson, the first and key factor in children receiving a good education is parents’ support. Anna discovers that when children come into her office, one key initial common thing the children posse is lack of hearing their parents encourage what they are doing and not pushing them enough. For example, in The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, Alexie’s dad doesn’t say anything but encourages Alexie with by collecting books from everywhere. Alexie taught himself how to read first by â€Å"reading† Superman comic books. Now the word reading has parentheses around it because Alexie looks at the pictures and assumes what Superman is doing and saying. â€Å"I look at the narrative above the picture. I cannot read the words†¦.. Aloud, I pretend to read t...

How likely is this to be a heart problem, asthma, or panic attack?

Denise’s case is very likely to be a heart attack or what is medically known as the acute myocardial infarction (MI). Asthma was eliminated in the diagnosis because there was no prior indication that Denise had been exposed to allergens, sensitizer, irritants or any form of air pollution.   Asthma is associated with chronic inflammation of the lower respiratory tract and requires a triggering factor like one of those mentioned above (Fauci, et al., 2008).  Cardiac ischemia was also considered but was eliminated because of the absence of its hallmark symptom of angina pectoris.   An asymptomatic cardiac ischemia was also not considered because Denise presents some symptoms like breathlessness or dyspnea, anxiety, irregular beating of the heart and cold sweating.   These symptoms, however, are present in painless acute myocardial infarction.It had also been indicated in several studies that cigarette smoking also increases the risk of MI (Fauci, et al., 2008).   Althou gh Denise had not been smoking, she is in close association with someone who had been a chronic cigarette smoker, her husband.   It could be inferred that Denise had suffered from second hand smoking and is, therefore, at risk of having a heart disease, too.2. Why do you say this? What are the symptoms that are consistent with your preliminary diagnosis? Is there anything unusual?Myocardial infarction usually presents with pain as the chief complaint of the patient. The pain felt was usually described as heavy, squeezing, and crushing.   In rare cases, the pain is also described as stabbing or burning.   It is very similar to the pain experience in cases of angina pectoris or chest pain.   However, pain of MI usually occurs at rest, more severe, and lasts longer.  In our case, however, no pain was felt.   Nevertheless, this is not to be used as a basis in eliminating the possibility of MI.   The clinical presentation of Denise’s case is termed as the painless my ocardial infarction. The proportion of painless MI is greater in elderly patients and is and usually presents with breathlessness, appearance of an arrhythmia, and a sensation of profound weakness (Bayer, Chadha, Farag, & Pathy, 1986).An arrhythmia is the medical term referring to irregular beating of the heart.   Denise’s case is a type of arrhythmia called tachycardia or the abnormal increase in heart rate, i.e. heart is beating very fast (Guyton, 2006).   MI, in general, is also accompanied by sweating, anxiety, and a sense of impending doom (Fauci, et al., 2008).   All these clinical presentations had been experienced by Denise.The oxygen-poor blood from the (1) right atrium empties to the (2) right ventricle, which then pumps blood to the (3) pulmonary artery.   The blood then enters the pulmonary circulation through the (4) pulmonary arterioles and pulmonary capillaries where exchange of gases takes place.The oxygen-rich blood the goes back to the heart via the (5) pulmonary vein and empties to the (6) left atrium and then passes to the (7) left ventricle.   The left ventricle then pumps the oxygen-rich blood to the (8) aorta, the largest artery, and flows through the large (9) systemic arteries to reach the organs they supply.The blood then flows through (10) arterioles and (11) capillaries of the organs to deliver oxygen and nutrients.   Cellular waste products and carbon dioxide are exchanged for nutrients and oxygen at the level of the capillaries.The blood then passes through the (12) venules and then to the (13) larger veins.   Blood from the upper part of the body, e.g. head and upper extremities, drains into the (14) superior vena cava.  Ã‚   Blood from the lower part of the body, e.g. stomach, intestines, and lower extremities, drains into the (15) inferior vena cava.   Both the superior and inferior vena cava drains into the right atrium (Guyton, 2006).3. What are the characteristics of Denise’s lifestyle that mi ght lead to a heart problem?Denise’s genetic make-up predisposes her to hypercholesterolemia.   However, her diet aggravates her situation and causes her blood cholesterol level to be higher than normal.   It has been shown that hypercholesterolemia induces the formation of atherosclerosis (Prassad & Kalra, 1993).The disruption of atherosclerotic plaques attracts platelets and promotes the formation of thrombus or blood clot leading to obstruction of blood supply to the heart. Hence, patients with hypercholesterolemia are at very high risk of having myocardial infarction.  From the case, it could also be gathered that Denise is closely associated with a man who had been a chronic cigarette smoker and that she has been exposed to second hand smoking.   Smoking had been found in many studies to be associated with the increased risk of myocardial infarction.   Tobacco contains nicotine that promotes vascular constriction and aggravates the narrowing of vessels caused b y of atherosclerosis (Wilhelmsson, Vedin, Elmfeldt, Tibblin, & Wilhemsen, 1975; Rosenber, Plamer, & Shapiro, 1990).Denise had also been undergoing a lot of emotional and physical stress, which had been found to trigger acute MI (Gelernt & Hochman, 1993).   Also there are several facts that point to Denise’s predisposition to MI such as aging and being in early menopausal stage (Rosenberg, Hennekens, Rosner, Belanger, & Speizer, 1981).4. Has Denise suffered a heart attack?Indeed, Denise had suffered from heart attack or acute myocardial infarction (MI).   However, her case might, in the early part of the case, have only been a painless and mild MI.   The infarct located on her left ventricle.   This is due to the obstruction on her left anterior descending artery, the major blood supply of the left ventricle.The left ventricle is a high pressure chamber and, therefore, demands a very high blood supply.   Her case may have developed over the years such that angiogenes is, i.e. formation of new blood vessels, or the opening of collateral vessels had provided her with heart enough blood that the infracted portion is not very great (Fauci, et al., 2008).   She also presents the symptoms typical of older women presenting painless MI with dyspnea or what is commonly known as breathlessness, anxiety, tachycardia, and sweating.5. Define the following terms: cholesterol, hypercholesterolemia, cardiac ischemia, collateral vessels, angina pectoris, and plaque.Cholesterol is the best know steroid probably because of its association with atherosclerosis and other various heart disease.   Biochemically, it is also of great importance because it is the precursor of equally important steroids that include the adrenocortical hormones, sex hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids.   It occurs in animals but not in plants or bacteria.   Figure 4 shows the chemical structure of cholesterol (Murray, Granner, & Rodwell, 2006).

My Last Duchess and La Belle Dame Sans Merci Comparison Essay

My Last Duchess and La Belle Dame Sans Merci are two poems that explore a wide range of power dynamics that result from love. Patriarchal power is a key theme that is explored in these two poems, with conflicting views on each. La Belle Dame sans Merci tells of a sorry tale of how a knight, a typically powerful figure, is cast away by a woman who had no love for him. This theme is almost mirrored in the other poem; however the other poem, My Last Duchess seems to exert a more male perspective, focusing more on patriarchal power. A women to Her Lover, seems to be a blend of the two poetic styles of the previous two poems, as it both states the various patriarchal powers, and then proceeds to tear down these beliefs, and also tear down the conventions which were typically seen as the norm of the day. The title of the poem is typically an indicator of what to expect from the poem, and in what vein it will be written. My Last Duchess is no exception as it immediately gives the reader a sense that the narrator, The Duke, see’s his late wife as a possession. He refers to her with the possessive pronoun ‘My’ to try, it appears; to regain a certain degree of control over her. This wanting of control is further explored when he says that ‘The curtain I have drawn for you,’ which portrays the sense that he feels he is the one who is giving others the right to see his wife. During the Renaissance (a period which Browning based his characters society as) was a time that was largely seen as patriarchal, and so the duke would typically want to conform to this norm. Furthermore, it may be this possessiveness that leads to his jealousy when she is seen as accepting a ‘bough of cherries’ from someone who he regarded as an ‘officious fool’. He also felt that she had a heart which was ‘too soon made glad’ and that it wasn’t only her ‘husband’s presence’ that she appeared to crave. These lines seem to be the Duke commenting on how her rather flirtatious and outgoing nature, not typical of women in that period, displeased him greatly. Furthermore, it seemed that he wanted her to end this affiliation with the other people, and this gave rise to the suspicion that he killed her, to end the constant barrage of seeming embarrassment and discomfort from his wife’s various exploits. In those days there were always certain classed that would always be prejudiced against. Therefore, this incidence could have been regarded as his wife trying to exert some egalitarian power, by making the ‘officious fool’ feel like an equal, and also by riding round on a ‘white mule’, something which was often seen as a past time of the poor, as they could not afford to buy a proper horse. This form of power did not seem to go down well within the constraints of the love relationship. The duke seemed particularly afraid of this form of power as he proceeded to mention the fact that he thought that she felt that she ‘ranked’ his ‘nine-hundred year old name’ with anyone’s ‘gift’. This shows that he feels that the social classes should stand as they are. This is quite ironic, as this is set in the Renaissance period where it was said that people were becoming more scientific and were ready to embrace new ideas. Thi s is at odds with what actually happens in the poem, with the man defecting to the typical view of women being ‘slaves’ to the men, but during a very socially obligated period. As well as this, the poem also manages to explore the power of love itself. This is shown with the infatuation of the widowed husband over the picture, as is demonstrated when the Duke believe that there is ‘depth’ in the painting, and that the women portrayed in the painting still holds some ‘passion’ for him. This could either be the power of the love, or, in fact, the power of the painting. This could, however, represent the actual mentality of the Duke, as he falls in ‘love’ with a painting of a woman who is deceased. This displays the underlying power of the love that had blossomed between these two individuals, and how the power of the painting was so influential that up to this point (in the poem), he still feels the attraction of the painting. However, this is at odds with what he says later on in the poem, written using enjambment to make it a more conversational style, when he talks about how he ‘tamed’ her, and rather uncharacteristically he uses a metaphor, perhaps to inject some frivolity into the proceeding so as to avert any fear of being caught. However, he also mention ‘I gave commands’, perhaps referring to getting her killed, and then he goes on to say that ‘all smiles stopped together’. This form of power could also be regarded as patriarchal power or perhaps more accurately as sheer male strength over the opposite gender. The poetic techniques used are also pivotal to understanding what types of power are being explored. A key feature used in the poem is the iambic pentameter, which is a meter typically associated with a more male poem, due to the stressed single syllable at the end of a line. This is often attributed to the fiercer and fierier poems, which are to be said with an earnest, thus it being seen as a more masculine form of rhyme. As well as this enjambment is used, meaning that all of the lines follow on from each other, giving the poem a more conversational tone. This is quite odd, as the Duke himself comes across as a very contrite kind of person, but this could be due to the Duke trying to appear more powerful in his own home, or estate, meaning hierarchal power is something that is quite high up on his agenda, probably because he feels that hierarchal power is the only way he could have got this relationship. Overall, this poem is mainly based on patriarchal power, and despite the fact that it does include a few instances of other forms of power, such as egalitarian power, patriarchal power seems to take an overbearing role. It is written from the perspective of someone very high up on the social ladder, and thus would include references to this form of power, inherited, or hierarchal power. La Belle Dame sans Merci on the other hand is a poem which almost admits to a person of rather high importance, the knight, being led astray by a woman. This poem is set in the medieval period. Various power dynamics are explored throughout the poem, mainly the various struggles between the desire of the man, and the simple want of pleasure for the woman. The atmosphere is largely controlled by the weather displayed in the poem. This poem first begins by thinking of the power of nature and how this seems to coincide with the mood of the narrator, creating a pathetic fallacy. He is described by the visitor as ‘alone’ and ‘palely loitering’, and to add to the rather sombre starting, the atmosphere is seen as in the winter, where the ‘sedge’ has ‘withered’ away ‘from the lake’. This displays how the rather somber natural world seems to effect on his recovery from his painful loss of his girl. The weather seems to dampen his spirits and this is almost confirmed when it says that ‘no birds sing’, or that there is no sign of happiness. This power is quite strong as it is unavoidable, and can have an effect on his love for the woman as he may ponder on the relationship more. However, this is only one power dynamic that may have an effect on his love for the woman, and his overall love outlook. This power is far less prominent in ‘My Last Duchess’ with the atmosphere merely created through the dramatic monologue. Also, the main atmosphere is created through the ranting of the Duke. A woman’s power over a man is not often accredited, however it is brought to light in this poem with the woman who he (the knight) see’s as a ‘faery’s child’, or in essence a woman with an abundance of beauty. This power of the woman over him may have resulted in him becoming quite ‘haggard’ and ‘woe-begone’ meaning his gradual degrading of state, because of his insistence that ‘she did love’ him, even though he believes she does, although she never explicitly stated those words, and this is backed up later in the poem when he admits she said it in a ‘strange’ ‘language’, which he believed said that she ‘love[d]’ him, even though it was quite plain to see that she did not in fact love him, but was there to be pleasured. This shows that the woman used her power to manipulate what was the result. However, another power that is used to some extent, is matriarchal power, on a more philosophical sense, as the knight imagines the lady wearing a ‘garland’ that could be seen as him trying to believe that the ‘sacred’ woman is still angelic, however, this is contradicted when he describes her as ‘wild’ and that he could only ‘shut her eyes with kisses four’. This shows that he had such an infatuation with his prospective wife that he looked past these slight niggles, as he was blinded by the power of love, which is essentially what under lied all of the events that occurred in the whole poem. The first poem on the other hand instead looks at the woman as someone who should be at the hand of the man to answer to his every need, not someone who should be able to have fun when she wants, and in this poem the woman is allowed to freely go, whereas in the first poem, she comes to an arguably, sinister end. Furthermore, in ‘My Last Duchess’ the woman is not given much power except those that come with the name, and of course her egalitarian power. Apart from this, ‘My Last Duchess’ has few similarities with this poem with regards to the way women are treated; aside from the fact that the knight believes she should be obedient to him. Strangely, it seemed that hierarchal power was of not much importance to the two, as despite the promise of power, the woman still left him ‘alone and palely loitering’. This was also unconventional, rather like most of the events that occurred in this narrative, where the woman didn’t jump at the option of gaining some power, but instead just left him. It seems that the woman was just there for the power of the promise of being made love to, but not hierarchal power. Instead this poem seems to focus only on the aspects of love, unlike the first poem which makes sure that the reader is aware of the hierarchal integrity that is needed. This is at odds with ‘My Last Duchess’ which focuses heavily on how the status brings power to the family, and it is essentially this that makes the Duke so incensed by the bad behavior of his wife. However, this poem doesn’t use the masculine pentameter, instead it has the last two syllables unstressed, which gives the impression of having a much softer, and morose feel to the poem, which is quite suited to the overall theme of the poem. This is in stark contrast to the more conversational, but still fiercer style of the first poem. Conclusively, the power dynamics explored in the first poem are far more diverse, and it appears that there are much more powerful components involved in the rather complex relationship, and it showed the power of the relationship that the man was ready to kill, or silence his wife. This is contrary to the second poem where the knight seems to be rather constrained and polite at all times, and in this case it is the woman who has control over the man, unlike the trends of the time. Overall, the power dynamics behind love in the first poem varies greatly; largely going down to hierarchal power, but the second poem is a relationship of courtly love, which is not based on true unabated love. The third poem is a strange mix of the previous two poems, with both patriarchal and matriarchal poems being discussed. A woman to her lover offers a refreshing insight into the inner workings of a woman’s mind. It begins by listing all the conventions, particularly how males usually dominate society. She openly attacks these conventions, by saying that if he wants to ‘make of [her] a bond slave’ then she simply ‘refuse[s]’ him. This is quite odd, as the poem was written at a time, when everything that she is trying to repress was actually the norm of the day, so it is seen as quite unconventional that a woman is being able to exert so much power of a man, by actively refusing to follow the current conventions of the time. This matriarchal power trying to quell the patriarchal power is evident. This is in stark contrast to ‘My Last Duchess’, where the main forms of power explored are those which are typically more to do with patriarchal powers, in a male dominated society. For example, the Duke feels that she should respect his ‘name’. However, this poem does bear some resemblance to the second poem, in the way that both seem to respect that women do have some power over men, however limited and unconventional it may be. However, this poem is largely egalitarian power, as it largely displays how men and women should be treated as equals, and this is demonstrated when she pleads to her lover, that she wants to be treated as a ‘comrade’, and a ‘friend’. This shows that this woman firmly believed that she was in an equal position to the man, and, despite it being said otherwise in the unwritten law of the land; the woman feels that she should be at the same level as the man. The narrator uses phrases such as ‘o husband’, and ‘I am yours forever’ to try and show that she has submitted to him, and to try and restore some order, with the male again being the more dominant one. This is surprisingly similar to ‘My Last Duchess’ as both women in the poems try to make them equal with the opposite gender, seemingly oblivious to the opposite gender. Another key aspect of this poem is the way in which it is written, such as organization, and poetic techniques. Firstly, it is written using enjambment, creating a more conversational style to the poem. This means that the woman does not appear to be dominating too much, and is, as a result, courting him on equal terms, emphasizing the fact that she feels that it should be a ‘level playing field’ for them. It is also quite clever in the way it manages to make the things that it is trying to crack down on come first and then it brings them down by saying what she would actually like. This is clever because it sticks in the person’s mind, and creates a stronger argument. The technique of enjambment is similar to the first poem, where it manages to create a conversational style so as to appear to converse with the other messenger, while realistically the Duke isn’t very sociable. However, none of these literary techniques are echoed in the second poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, which is probably due to the problem of both being written in completely different styles, with one being a more sorrowful poem, and the other being a more commanding and endearing poem. Conclusively, the three poems all share a variety of power dynamics that are all explored. The most common theme was that of which gender was more dominant and which gender was controlled. This was mostly explored in ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘A woman to her lover’. Inevitably this led on to the topic of equality, and it is in this way that egalitarian power was brought to light. Even ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ explored how the woman and the man were both equal as they could both enter and leave the relationship as they did please. However, poetic techniques were used to further enhance the message of the poem; with all the poems using a different poetic technique to enhance and improve it’s delivery of different love and power dynamics. In the end, the power of love seemed to encompass all the poems, as all three showed how love took control of the.

Marketing of Projects Essay Example

Marketing of Projects Essay Example Marketing of Projects Essay Marketing of Projects Essay The first and one of the critical steps in the project cycle management is the identification and selection process.This is an important stage such that it can affect the whole process including that of sustainability of the project after completion and transferring to operational phase. However, this stage is overlooked in some cases particularly in the process of capturing the actual needs of the beneficiaries. Instead of demand driven approach some donors including international organizations would like to follow supply driven approach. In the actual practice projects should be identified from the perspective of the needs or demand of the beneficiaries whether at community or national levels.Countries need to craft their strategic plans and programs from the point of view of the interest of their people. Donors both bilateral and multilateral including international organizations and nons include document templates, registers, planning software, modelling software, audit checklist s and review forms. [pic] A series of processes. Various processes and techniques are required to monitor and control time, cost, quality and scope on projects.Examples include time management, cost management, quality management, change management, risk management and issue management. RPRLGSP, May 2009: PMBOK 2008, defines project management as ‘the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities, to meet specific scope, time, cost and quality goals of projects’. John M. Nicholas (2001): Project management is a system/ contingency approach to organization and management; it applies elements of classical and behavioral management and uses organizational forms and management roles best suited to the unique environment of projects. 2. 3 What is Project Cycle Management?In general we can define Project Cycle Management as a tool that describes the management activities and decision making procedures used during the life-cycle of a project. The following sections show the definition given to PCM in different documents. Lucian CIOLAN –Trainer- EU Project Cycle Management: The project cycle follows the life of a project, from the initial idea through its completion. It provides a structure to ensure that stakeholders are consulted, and defines the key decision, information requirements and responsibilities at each phase so that informed decision can be made at each phase in the life of the project.RPRLGSP, May 2009: The systematic process of initiating, planning, implementing, managing and evaluating projects or programmes is known as ‘Project Cycle Management’, PCM ; it is also defined as an approach in project management used to guide management activities and decision-making procedures during the life-cycle of a project, from the first idea until the last ex-post (afterwards) evaluation. European Commission (March,2002): Project Cycle Management defines different phases in the project life with well-d efined management activities and decision making procedures.PCM provides a structure to ensure that stakeholders are consulted and relevant information is available, so that informed decisions can be made at key stages in the life of a project. European Commission (May 1999): The way in which projects are planned and carried out follows a sequence that has become known as the project cycle. The cycle starts with the identification of an idea and develops that idea into a working plan that can be implemented and evaluated.Project Cycle Management integrates the phases in the project cycle so that issues are examined systematically, by means of an approach and methodology which ensures that objectives and issues of sustainability remains in focus. 2. 3What are the phases of the project cycle? Westland, Jason (2006): The project life cycle consists of four phases: Project initiation: During this phase a business problem or opportunity is identified and a business case providing various solution options is defined. Next, a feasibility study is conducted to investigate whether each option addresses the business problem and a final recommended solution is hen put forward. Project planning: This phase involves outlining the activities, tasks, dependencies and timeframes; resource plan; financial plan; quality plan; acceptance plan; and procurement plan. Project execution: This phase involves implementing the plans created during the project planning phase. Project closure: Project closure involves releasing the final deliverables to the customer, handing over project documentation to the business, terminating supplier contracts, releasing project resources and communicating the closure of the project to all stakeholders. [pic]Figure 2: The four phases of the project life cycle GTZ (1996): Categorize Project Cycle into three phases: Identification phase-asses outset situation, establish system of objectives Concept phase-establish project concept, prepare decisions to implement the project Implementation phase- operationalize planning, implement, adjust and update planning, and terminate project RPRLGSP, May 2009: Typically, the project cycle comprises 6 or more standard project stages, phases or activities, arranged in a logical sequence to accomplish a project’s goals or objectives.Stage 1: Policy setting Stage 2: Project Identification Stage 3: Appraisal Stage 4: Formulation/planning Stage 5: Contracting/ commitment Stage 6: Implementation, monitoring midterm evaluation Stage 7: Final evaluation Lucian CIOLAN(27-29 of September, 2007): The generic project cycle within EC external aid programmes has six phases. [pic] PROGRAMMING: What are the partner’s development priorities and what is the EC’s focus for assistance?During the Programming phase, the situation at national and sectoral level is analyzed to identify problems, constraints and opportunities which co-operation could address. This involves a review of socio-e conomic indicators, and of national and donor priorities. The purpose is to identify the main objectives and sectoral priorities for co-operation, and thus to provide a relevant and feasible programming frame-work within which projects can be identified and prepared. IDENTIFICATION: Is the project concept relevant to priority local needs and consistent with EC policy priorities?The purpose of the identification stage is to: identify project ideas that are consistent with partner and EC development priorities; assess the relevance and likely feasibility of these project ideas; under the ‘Programme approach’, prepare a Financing Proposal, or an Identification Fiche for individual projects; and prepare a financing decision for a Programme of projects, or determine the scope of further work required during the formulation stage for individual projectsFORMULATION Is the project feasible and will it deliver sustainable benefits? The purpose of the Formulation stage is to: Confirm the relevance and feasibility of the project idea as proposed in the Identification Fiche or Project Fiche; Prepare a detailed project design, including the management and coordination arrangements, financing plan, cost-benefit analysis, risk management, monitoring, evaluation and audit arrangements; and Prepare a Financing Proposal (for individual projects) and a financing decision.IMPLEMENTATION, INCLUDING MONITORING AND REPORTING: Are results being achieved and resources efficiently and effectively used? What corrective action should be taken? The purpose of the implementation stage is to: Deliver the results, achieve the purpose(s) and contribute effectively to the overall objective of the project; Manage the available resources efficiently; and Monitor and report on progress. EVALUATION :Were planned benefits achieved, will they be sustainable, and what lessons have been learned? The purpose of evaluation is to:Make an assessment, as systematic and objective as p ossible, of an ongoing or completed project, programme or policy, its design, implementation and results. AUDIT: Has there been compliance with applicable laws and rules? Are efficiency, economy and effectiveness criteria being met? The purpose of an audit is to: Assess an activity/subject that is the responsibility of another party against identified suitable criteria; Express a conclusion (i. e. opinion) that provides the intended user with a level of assurance about the activity/subject being audited.According to the European Commission Manual (March 2002) the six phases of the project including the major documents to be produced and decisions to be made under each phase are summarized in the following table: |Project Cycle |Major Documents |Decision | |Programming |Country Strategy Paper |Priority areas; Sectors; timetable | |Identification |Pre-feasibility study; Project |Which options to study further | | |Identification Sheet; | | |Appraisal |Feasibility study; Draft financ ing |Whether to draw up major financing proposal| | |proposal | | |Financing |Financing proposal; Financing agreement |To fund | |Implementation |Progress and monitoring reports |To continue as planned or to re-orient | | | |project (mid-term evaluation); about the | | | |need for extension | |Evaluation |Evaluation study |How to use results in future programming | It is possible to summarize the phases of the PCM discussed by different authors as shown in the following format. |Westland, Jason | | | | | | |(2006) | |RPRLGSP, May 2009() |EC (March 2002) |Lucian CIOLAN (2007) | |Stages | |GTZ (1996) | | | | |1 |Project |Identification phase |Policy setting |Programming |Programming | | |initiation | | | | | |2 |Project planning |Concept phase |Project Identification |Identification |Identification | |3 |Project execution|Implementation phase |Appraisal |Appraisal |Formulation | |4 |Project closure | |Formulation/planning |Financing |Implementation | |5 | | |Contracting/ commitment |I mplementation |Evaluation | |6 | | |Implementation, monitoring |Evaluation |Audit | | | | |midterm evaluation | | | |7 | | |Final evaluation | | | Furthermore these stages of project cycle presented by different authors can be summarized in three phases.These are Preparation, Implementation and Project Closure Evaluation. 3. Analysis: Project Identification Selection According to Westland, Jason (2006) the project identification and selection of the project cycle is slotted in the Project Initiation Phase. Within the initiation phase, the business problem or opportunity is identified, a solution is defined, a project is formed and a project team is appointed to build and deliver the solution to the customer. Figure 3: shows the activities undertaken during the initiation phase: [pic] Figure 3: Project initiation activities Develop a business case: The trigger to initiating a project is identifying a business problem or opportunity to be addressed.A business case is created to def ine the problem or opportunity in detail and identify a preferred solution for implementation. The business case includes: [pic] A detailed description of the problem or opportunity; [pic] A list of the alternative solutions available; [pic] An analysis of the business benefits, costs, risks and issues; [pic] A description of the preferred solution; [pic] A summarized plan for implementation The business case is then approved by an identified project sponsor, and the required funding is allocated to proceed with a feasibility study. Undertake a feasibility study: At any stage during or after the creation of a business case, a formal feasibility study may be commissioned.The purpose of a feasibility study is to assess the likelihood of each alternative solution option achieving the benefits outlined in the business case. The feasibility study will also investigate whether the forecast costs are reasonable, the solution is achievable, the risks are acceptable and the identified issues are avoidable. Establish the terms of reference: After the business case and feasibility study have been approved, a new project is formed. At this point, terms of reference are created. The terms of reference define the vision, objectives, scope and deliverables for the new project. They also describe the organization structure, activities, resources and funding required to undertake the project. Any risks, issues, planning assumptions and constraints are also identified.Appoint the project team: The project team is now ready to be appointed. Although a project manager may be appointed at any stage during the life of the project, the manager will ideally be appointed prior to recruiting the project team. The project manager creates a detailed job description for each role in the project team, and recruits people into each role based on their relevant skills and experience. Set up a project office: The project office is the physical environment within which the team is based. Altho ugh it is usual to have one central project office, it is possible to have a virtual project office with project team members located around the world.A project office environment should include: [pic] Equipment, such as office furniture, computer equipment, stationery and materials; [pic] Communications infrastructure, such as telephones, computer network, e-mail, Internet access, file storage, database storage and backup facilities; [pic] Documentation, such as a project methodology, standards, processes, forms and registers; [pic] Tools, such as accounting, project planning and risk modeling software. Perform a phase review: At the end of the initiation phase, a phase review is performed. This is basically a checkpoint to ensure that the project has achieved its objectives as planned.RPRLGSP (May 2009): Policy Setting precede the project identification stage. Policy Setting is the establishment of the development vision guiding the Local Authority and it includes the strategic pl anning process whereby the long term direction of the Local Authority is established. Accordingly Project Identification is the stage 2 of the project cycle is Project identification or initiation, where Local Authorities identify projects from an assessment of existing demand for goods or services based on 3 main sources, The Council’s Strategic Plan/IDP The annual LASDAP consultations where citizens articulate their needs Baseline surveys and diagnostic studies to meet special needsThe main practice in Local Authorities however, is to follow their primary mandates in the choice of projects, with additional ‘demand’ projects from LASDAP priorities. This planning is often called ‘demand led planning’ and is often disjointed from the more proactive policy and strategic planning process that has been described in stage 1. The problem with this demand approach is that project feasibility and sustainability is affected because the demands led planning comes with vested interests not matched with an objective appraisal of projects. As a result, LAs invest in a fragmented portfolio of projects that are neither linked to the national plans nor to their own strategic plans.It is important therefore, that at the project identification/initiation stage, LAs choose projects from many alternative ideas or schemes that balance between local demands, strategic priorities, ongoing diagnostics, and research or baseline studies. To determine ‘demand’ projects from communities or stakeholders, 2 key elements are involved; (i) needs analysis and (ii) situation analysis. i) Needs Analysis: Analysing the present actual situation can be ‘problem based’ or ‘opportunity based’. It concerns identifying the priority problems/ opportunities and their main causes, and identifying the causes that can be addressed by the project intervention.It is essential to understand the resources within the community or from ot hers, that are relevant to tackling the problems. It is important therefore that all many citizens and stakeholder groups get the chance to express the problems they experience and recommend solutions. Discussions, opinions and clarifications by the problem ‘owners’ should be respected. The Manual on Community Participation has elaborate guidelines on how to conduct participatory needs assessment situation analysis. This ensures that ‘ownership’ which is part of the project pre-feasibility is established from people’s needs and requirements. ii) Situation Analysis: Situation analysis concerns identifying the priority problems/ opportunities and their main causes.This is an important factor because people’s desires and assessment of their needs, may be based on ‘symptoms’ of an underlying or situational factor; addressing the symptoms will not solve the problems because the cause and effect have not been properly analysed. A prope rly planned intervention should therefore combine both needs analysis and situational analysis, based upon a correct and complete analysis of the existing situation. This involves analysing the present actual situation through various methods (transect walk, social mapping, gender analysis etc). The method chosen, can be ‘problem based’ e. g. what are the prevalent problem situations or ‘opportunity based’, e. g. is there an opportunity to serve people with disability?After discussion and clarification by the ‘problem owner’ or people affected by the problem, all opinions should be respected. The aim is to create a picture of reality. The existing situation should be interpreted according to the views, needs, interests and activities of parties concerned. It is essential that all those involved accept the plans and are committed to implement them. A greater involvement of the beneficiaries and stakeholders in defining local problems, identifyin g solutions and implementing them ensures that the resulting programmes are more effective and sustainable. Participatory methods aim to create ownership and commitment among the involved parties.Once the projects are identified from needs situational assessments, the LA should consider the priority projects to be undertaken, and to do this, they must subject those needs/priorities to further review. This introduces the 3rd stage of the project cycle, project appraisal stage. VLIR (July 2002): Within the VLIR programme framework, problems, needs and interests of possible stakeholders are analysed and ideas for projects and other actions are identified and formulated in broad terms. This involves a study of the project context to obtain an idea of the relevance, the feasibility and sustainability of the proposal. A comparison of this information with the funding criteria will allow an assessment of the funding chances. The EU Project Cycle Management model takes PROGRAMMING as an in itial phase of the process.In the training manual prepared by Lucian CIOLAN (2007) it is indicated that during the Programming phase, the situation at national and sectoral level is analyzed to identify problems, constraints and opportunities which co-operation could address. This involves a review of socio-economic indicators, and of national and donor priorities. The purpose is to identify the main objectives and sectoral priorities for co-operation, and thus to provide a relevant and feasible programming frame-work within which projects can be identified and prepared. According to EC manual the main question asked at project identification phase is: â€Å"Is the project concept relevant to priority local needs and consistent with EC policy priorities? The manual further describes the purpose of the identification stage as: identify project ideas that are consistent with partner and EC development priorities; assess the relevance and likely feasibility of these project ideas; under the ‘Programme approach’, prepare a Financing Proposal or an Identification Fiche for individual projects, and prepare a financing decision for a Programme of projects, or determine the scope of further work required during the formulation stage for individual projects. NB: Each project ‘general objective’ should be derived from an appropriate objective statement in the Country Strategy Paper and National Indicative Planning or from a relevant sector policy or programme objective.During the identification phase the key assessments required to help ensure the relevance and feasibility of a project idea are: (i) assessment of policy and programming framework; (ii) stakeholder analysis, including institutional capacity assessment; (iii) problem analysis, including scoping of crosscutting issues (e. g. gender, governance, environment); (iv) assessment of other ongoing and planned initiatives, and assessment of lessons learned; (v) preliminary objectives and strategy analysis; (vi) preliminary assessment of resource and cost parameters; (vii) preliminary assessment of project management, coordination and financing arrangements; and (viii) preliminary assessment of economic/financial, environmental, technical and social sustainability issues.The key documents required by the EC at the identification stage of the cycle are therefore: Terms of reference for any EC funded prefeasibility studies; The Identification Fiche, including as appropriate draft terms of reference for a feasibility/design study; or A Financing Proposal for a programme/package of projects (e. g Action Programme together with Project Fiches). EC Manual (March 2002):During the Programming phase, the situation at national and sectoral level is analyzed to identify problems, constraints and opportunities which co-operation could address. This involves a review of socio-economic indicators, and of national and donor priorities.The purpose is to identify the main obje ctives and sectoral priorities for co-operation, and thus to provide a relevant and feasible programming frame-work within which projects can be identified and prepared. For each of these priori-ties, strategies that take account of the lessons of past experience will be formulated. During the Identification phase, and within the framework established by the Country Strategy Paper, the stress is on analysis of relevance of project ideas, which includes an analysis of the stakeholders and of the likely target groups and beneficiaries (who they are: women and men from different socio-economic groups; assessment of their potentials, etc. and of the situation, including an analysis of the problems they face, and the identification of options to address these problems. Sectoral, thematic or â€Å"pre-feasibility† studies may be carried out (including consultations with stakeholders) to help identify, select or investigate specific ideas, and to define what further studies may be n eeded to formulate a project or action. The outcome is a decision on whether or not the option(s) developed should be further studied in detail. Overall responsibility for Identification is with EuropeAid who initiates missions, studies and related preparatory work (including consultations with others donors and potential co-financing) in order to define the activities (projects, programmes, sectoral support, etc. ) to be financed.A priority list is established indicating which projects should be appraised immediately for a rapid start of implementation, in the following year and so on. 4. Case Studies: Case Study 1: Project Identification Based Countries Strategy: African Development Bank Group (August 2008): Project linkages with country strategy and objectives The Tanzania mainland’s National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, known by its Kiswahili acronym, ‘MKUKUTA’ covers the period 2005-2010. It identifies three clusters of broad outcomes: i) ec onomic growth and poverty reduction; ii) improvement of the quality of live and social wellbeing; and iii) governance and accountability.Goal 3 of Cluster (ii) addresses increased access to clean, affordable and safe water, sanitation, decent shelter and a safe and sustainable environment. Zanzibar’s Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUZA) has been developed as a response to similar development needs. Zanzibar Development Vision 2020 provides the over-arching framework to reduce poverty. The Zanzibar Poverty Reduction Plan (ZPRP 2007-2010), Cluster 2, Social Services and Well Being, includes amongst others goals for i) increased access to clean, safe and affordable water and ii) improved sanitation and sustainable environment. The Joint Assistance Strategy for Tanzania (JAST) is a compact between Government and Development Partners (DPs) for managing development co-operation.It came into force in 2006. The efforts to harmonise aid management systems on the mainla nd with those on Zanzibar are at an advanced stage. Case Study 2: Project Identification Based on the Local Problems: UNDP (2006): Lare (a community in Kenya-Africa) is a dry area with no permanent rivers. It receives an average of 700 millimeters of rainfall a year but this varies widely from one year to another. It is also unevenly distributed among the seasons. Farmers in Lare have identifies four major constraints to agricultural production, with scarcity of water as a major one. Before 1998, about 70 percent of all households in the area experienced shortages of water.In addition, not only was there insufficient water, but it was also of poor quality and caused a high incidence of water born diseases. In 1999, a project involving nine collaborating institutions was initiated to address rainwater harvesting practices and water treatment along with other technologies required by the farmers. The two case studies discussed above represent different factors for project identificati on. In case of Case 1 project consideration was given to the linkage of the project to the overall country strategy. This is taken as the main justification for the identification of a given project as a priority need of the country. In Case 2 project the local situation of the community was taken as the means for the project identification.Depending on the country’s strategy alone sometimes may lead to wrong conclusion. The country strategy may be outdated such that may lack to capture the changes that have occurred since the time of its formulation. The reality on the ground particularly the conditions in the target community may not warrant the feasibility of the project and can lead to the failure of implementation. On the other hand many NGOs in developing country are focusing on target community needs in the identification of projects without recognition of the country strategy. This again can lead to the question of sustainability of the implemented projects due to lac k of acceptance of the endeavors by the local and national governments.Therefore, the identification stage of PCM needs to look at projects both from national and local perspectives. 5. Recommendation: Project identification should be both demand and supply driven. It should not only be focused on the needs of the local entities but should also look at the overall strategy of the government in particular and donor agencies in general. The need to consult country’s strategy emanates from the allocation of scare resources, both skilled manpower and finance. The local needs are enormous particularly in the developing or least developed nations. It is difficult to meet all these local needs with the meager resources available.Therefore, there is a need to prioritize through formulation of the country strategy. The country strategy document should be designed in such a way that to reflect the priority areas based on established criteria. Focus can be in areas where the projects ca n have back and forth effects on the overall growth of the economy. The pre-feasibility studies at project identification stages should seriously look at the criteria of selection in order to filter those projects that have versatile effects on the overall economy of the country. Lack of paying attention to this stage or phase of the project cycle can lead to the identification of projects that can lead to failure in meeting the envisaged objectives and goals. 6.Conclusion: The PCM needs to be dynamic in the sense of capturing the changes that happen and will happen in the world as a whole. This time the world is discussing about the effects of climate change. Therefore failure to address such aspects in all phases of the PCM is and will be a futile exercise. Donors are becoming critical in the appraisal of projects from the very inception from the point of view of the impact the proposed project can bring to the environment including climate change. At project identification stage, as far as possible it is advisable to come up with project solutions that can have positive contribution to the environment.If not positive the projects should be at least neutral in the pace of their impact on the environment. If the project is critical and have a negative impact on the environment then the proper mitigation measures needs to be considered even at the identification stage.

Challenges of Youths in Our Contemporary World

Youth does not want to give up in the face of difficulties†¦ Youth believes in a better world and is determined to do something to help bring it about†. ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD The youth has great strength, vigour, good health etc. These features should be channeled towards the propagation of the gospel. Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for such belongs the kingdom of God (Lk. 18:16). In the church, the youths have the responsibility of evangelizing. It is their duty to witness Christ to their peers and to the remotest areas where Christ has not been preached. Anthony Aja, quoting the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II wrote: â€Å"The Church needs your energies, your enthusiasm; your youthful ideas in order to make the Gospel of life penetrate the fabric of the society†. â€Å"Besides, the Pope re-emphasized the part that youth can play in the call to evangelize the world as he addressed them in these words. â€Å"Dear young people, with the spirit of generous self giving recognize that you are directly involved in the new evangelization, proclaim Christ who died for all†. Where are our Youths today? Out there in search of worldly pleasure or working for the Lord. (Ref. to the past). To be good evangelizer, witnessing must be accompanied by good example, being like Christ in all ramification. The bible recorded many dynamic youths worthy of emulation. Two of such youths will be considered in this text. They are Joseph and David. Joseph had an encounter with God. He reverenced God. The fear of God was in his heart. Portipher’s household prospered because of the presence of Joseph. How about you? He hated sin. He successfully resisted the temptation from his master’s wife. To the sin-laden wife of his master Portipha, he asked, â€Å"how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God†? (Gen. 39:9). To escape the wrath that might befall him as a result of this great sin, he ran and fled from this great evil, sin of fornication. Godless youth would take advantage of this immoral opportunity and yield to the temptation. It takes a heart that has been washed by the Blood of The Lamb, a youth who has experienced the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, a sanctified person and Holy Ghost filled to overcome such temptation. For the bible says â€Å"for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world†. Titus 2:11-12. David the son of Jesse, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, rose and worked marvels for god right from his youth. He killed a lion, a bear and conquered the veteran warrior Goliath. He overcame the evil spirits that tormented Saul by his anointed fingers on the musical instruments. He was able to do all these exploits for God because of his personal knowledge of God and the power of the Holy Ghost that was upon him. Through the youngest of Jesse’ sons, his fear of the lord and his close relationship with God, made him to do the chosen one of God. †Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord came mighty upon David from that day forward (1Samuel 16:13). Above all learn from Jesus Christ, who from childhood went about doing the father’ business, â€Å"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other citizens also, for I was sent for this purpose? Make yourself available for noble use. Challenges Facing the Youth Today The general state of youth reveals spirituals, social and psychological crises and confusion. They are being affected by the effects and influence of the society, peer groups, parental neglect and the evil one. Many of our youths blindly follow the dictates of the secularization of Western culture. The effects of secularism on most people have even made them argue that churches should accepts the society’s new directions. To them, if the society accept the society’s new directions. To them, if the society accepts pre-marital sex, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, sex education, use of condoms, lesbianism etc. hey cannot see why the church has to keep calling them sins. The youth sees the youth state as a period of fun and freedom. However, they forget to recognize that this stage is important and transitory – a stage between childhood and adulthood. Mistakes youth make at his stage in life could be detrimental bearing with it a lifetime consequences. For example, Youths who take to armed robbery, prostitution, drug trafficking, political thruggery, and a ll manner of violent practices carry over such nefarious activities from their youthful stage into adulthood. At adulthood they become a problem to themselves, the society and invariably their children who may take after them. What a wasted life! In fact, they are unable to build a worthwhile foundation on which to rest their future. Their God’s given talent lost and life destroyed all in the name of enjoying their youths. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he admonished Timothy in these words: Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue Righteous, faith, love and peace, Along with those who call on the Lord Out of a pure heart† 2Tim:22 The youthful stage when properly managed can lead to disaster. All youths should heed to Paul’s admonition to timothy. Flee from all evil desires and run after righteous. Many of our youths are compromising with worldly ideals. Compromise with the world brings corruption. It destroys the child of God’s testimony and makes his light grow dim. Learn from David and Joseph, the way to upright living. The youth is being influenced and challenged today in the following areas: 1. INFLUENCE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY Modern technology had led to the invention of personal computer, the satellite, Digital television, the internet, mobile phone (GSM). These devices had in no small measure made the world a global village. However, the challenges facing our youths (Christian youth) is how to use them without abusing them. The truth is that these devices rather then being used for the advancement of knowledge which is capable of making the world a better place have become powerful tools in the hands of Satan for the perversion of morals. For example, the computer has both simplified and speeded up the operation in many fields of human endeavor – data storage, medicine, architecture, music and broadcasting industry. These are interactive computer software for learning of virtually any subject. The mobile telephone has made communication easy. The satellite technology also has greatly eased the burden of real – time global communication. The internet is a great source of information, Books; encyclopedias on any subject, theses, revise, online news, libraries are now available on the internet. Various school activities which were manually carried out in the past, such as purchasing of admission forms, payment of school fees, access to course outlines, result etc are now done online. Sources of information and different educational operations are now available on the internet. However, one must not lose sight of the evil associated with these devices (internet, GSM and computer). Many (including children, youth and even older people) are introduced to do world of deceit, indecency, immorality crime, sexual perversions, violence and many other vices through the use of these inventions of modern technology. The computer and the internet have more damaging influence on the youth. Youths spend long hours watching digital videos (DVD) or playing violent, even bloody and demonic computer games. Some youths spend hours or the whole night browsing forbidden site on the internet thereby getting exposed to inappropriate materials, such as pornographic and erotica because some youth get initiated into Satanism, Spiritism and other esoteric region. The TV and internet have taking over the place of the bible and prayers in a good number of homes. Youth treasure their wide exploration of the internet in place of reading their books and other intellectual activities. This a leading to a dramatic decline in the academic performance of the youth and a high rate of unproductively of the youth in all spheres of life. Wise parents should rise up to this challenge, and set up corrective measures to arrest this trend of self – destruction of the youth. 2. THE FILM INDUSTRY Many youths spend long hours watching the television denying themselves of meaningful activities that will promote heathy living and advancement in life. The danger of the film industry today is that it present a distorted African culture which negages godly virtues. For example, pre-marital sex is against God an abominable thing in African culture, but the film industry today presents it as the norm and what must follow or be part of a relationship. Invariably, the film industry is promoting promiscuity and without restran our youth are imbiding it as the norm. Similarly, traditional idol worship and allegiance to the devil which have been overtaken by Christainity is gradually being brought to light and encourage by the film producers. What about movies dominated with violent operations?. This negates God peaceful co-existence among men. Parents must therefore rise up to control what their children watch on the television. 3. NEGLECING OF HARD WORK Many youths want to go the easy way of life. No work but wants to be rich. They wish for success in life without paying the price of diligence. You need to see the coutless number of youths at the cyber cafe, browsing the internet looking for innocent preys to devour of thir hard earn money. Some Pentecostal pastors are not left out in the craze for prosperity through miracle galore at the expense of diligent labour. 4. SEARCH FOR GREENER PASTURE Many youths run the risk of searching for illegal means to go out of this country for better life. Experiences of those who attempted leaving this country reveal the agony many had to go though traveling through waste land to cross over to their â€Å"promised land†. In the process many had lost their lives and their sense of value of life. Those who made it to their dreamed land are out their doing menial jobs and worst still are out into crimes of various degrees. 5. Domestic Problems Many youth are confronted with Domestic problems ranging from hostility from parents, strife between their fathers and mothers, parents inability to provide the basic necessities of life. Youths from such homes run away from home, get involved in all forms of crimes such as 419, armed robbery, thuggery, prostitution or hired assassions. Parents should wake up to their responsibilities and make sustainable plans for their children. 6. INDECENT DRESSING AMONG YOUTHS We have been wonderfully made by God. Praise the Lord! Let us trace our dressing to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they realized that they are naked. They sewed fig leaves together to make themselves aprons (Gen3:7). This covered only a part of their bodies. This is fact was not proper clothing and so the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them. This implies that the lord God covered their nakedness. Therefore, any clothing that does not cover the body fully is an indecent cloth. Let us also consider the demoniac in St. Luke’s gospel Chapter 8 ;26-35). The demon possessed man was naked. The bible described him as â€Å"a man from the city who had demon; for a long time he had worn no clothes, and lived not in a house but among tombs’. With encounter with Christ Jesus, he was delivered from the legion of evil spirit, he was clothed and he was in his right mind† (Luke 8:35). This implies that only people who are not in their right mind would go about without clothes not big enough to cover their nakedness. The modern day christains especially youths are without estrain imbiding and embracing worldly principles, values, culture and customs without making refence to the word of God. The bible says: â€Å"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is inworld, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world†. I John2:15. Unholy attitudes or worldliness has become the culture of the church. Some church members tell you what you wear does not matte, after all religion is in the heart. However, they forget that there is a link between the state of man’s heart and the outward appearance. In fact, one’s outlook is greatly influenced by the condition of the heart. It is not uncommon today to find different kinds of immodest and indecent dressed worn by the majority of young people and some older people in the society, even in the church of God. These ladies wear transparent and body hugged clothes under the guise of fashion and civilization. In fact, you see girls of cheap and easy virtue wearing provocative or seductive apparels that partially expose sensitive reas of their bodies such as breast, navels, abdomen and thighs, such youth are not left out in their heavy make-ups. Their make-ups are so excessive and outrageous that the girls are not less than masquerades and cannot but be mistaken for prostitutes. Why would a Christain woman or lady imitate Jezbel? â€Å"When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it and she painted her eyes, and adorned he r head and looked out of the window† 2King9:30. Some ladies dress in such way that they stimulate lustful desires in men. The harlot dresses shamefully only to advertise, comete and seduce the opposite sex. They wear revealing clothes which create in men some immoral desires. Mini-skirts are symbolic of those ladies who want to seduce men. Every mini-skirt is a fuel that sets the mind of a man to imagine the most debased thoughts. On the other hand, ladies who are seductively dressed are more likely to be harassed by men. In the actual sense, a lady who is immodestly dressed is simply adverstising herself, telling the male folk that she is available. No wonder, today that the rate at which women are raped is exceedingly alarming. The men folk are not left out of this craze for fashion. They fry their hair (jerry curls or perm0, weave their hair, wear earring, leave their shirits unbuttoned, exposing their beareded chest, have funny styles of hair cut, apply make up just to prove themselves as â€Å"senior guys†. 7. Sexual Immorality/ Fornication Many youths do not see sextual immorality/formation as sin. They see it as a way of expressing their love to a person of the opposite sex. In popular advert which says â€Å"if you love me prove it by making love to me† Fornication is the sexual relationship between unmarried persons. God condemns fornication; Do you not know that your body is a temple of he Holy spirit, who is in you whom you have received from god? You are not your own, you were received with a price. Therefore, honour god with your body (1cor 6:19-20) Anyone who destroy the temple of the Holy spirit which you are will face wrath of God. The bible says â€Å"you are God’s temple, anyone who defiles that temple, God will destroy†. Some youth who engage in fornication (pre-marital sex) tell you they are in search of happiness, pre-marital sex has brought shame, disgrace and to many, unfulfilled destiny and untimely death. According to Ibid: Pre-marital sex has many adverse effects surrounding it. By so doing expose themselves to many risks such as: pregnancy, abortion, death, death, veneral disease, fear, shame, disrespect, sterility, uncompleted career are grievous sins against God, your creator. These are what we risk ourselves for, Just a mere pleasure which does not last. Similarly, punch Newspaper had on one of its publication pointed out that †Pregnancy is just one of the ways one can reap on unpleasant harvest from fornication†¦ It is better to avoid pre-marital sex†. 8. Wild Ambition Youths, no doubt are very ambitious. Being ambitious itself should be commended. But when the ambition becomes obnoxious, wrong signals are elayed. It is not uncommon today to find youhs engage in all manner of nefarious activities that are opposed to Christain virtues in a bid to acquire great wealth, fame and success. They are usually recruited as political thugs, fake drug peddlers, armed robbers, hostage takers, murderers, assassins while others become cultists, prostitutes and so on. Some become involved in dubious and undefiled business. The bible tells us to flee from all appearance of evil. Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any paise, think on these thing (1 Cor10:31. Phil 4:8) Do not get involved in any activity that is contrary to the tenents of God. Anything contrary leads to hellfire. 9. Peer Group Influence Many Youth have been led astray by those they regard as friends. The influences of peers can bring about a positive or a negative change in one’s life. But today, such influences have been found to destroy the lives of those who keep had company. Thomas Martin as reported by Stan Ilo had this to say â€Å"What can be more dangerous to youth than bad company; what more fatal to all moral rectitude and feeling than influence of bad example. Bad company ruins good moral. It will be highly recommended youths can be involved in authentic friendship. John Chidi once classified friendship into 3: 1. Friendship based on unity 2. Friendship based on Sexual pleasure 3. Good griendship Youth should be encouraged to get involved in good friendship I =n which a man and a woman can be close friends without any sexual intercourse whatsoever. 0 Foul Language, noisy Music, Obscene Dance, pornography Music is an ancient means with which God’s people adored, exalted His Holy name and praised his majesty. This is still God’s expectation from us today. However, Christain music of today has assumed a new dimension from what obtains in the bible. Most Christain music today are emotional, sensual and noisy. The musical instrument soun d than the wordings as obtained in worldly music. Such songs do not give any inspiration, and it lacks modesty and moderation. So also is the obscene dance that accompanies the music. Flee from such music and from every apprearance of evil. 11. UNEMPLOYMENT There is a high rate of employment in this country. Many youths who had managed to go through thick and thin to obtain a university degree or other degrees are out there on the streets roaming about in search of anything to do for living. His has been the concern of both youths and their parents. Many parents have lost inetrest in investing into education of their children. This has increased the number of youths without any formal education or vovational training. One sees them in high dense areas/cities milling around motor parks, marj=ket places, in hide outs, practically doing nothing meaningful. Their daily existence depend on how much they can steal, extort from people or just waste away. Some engage in menial jobs that can hardly take care of them, while others become preys in the hand of evil men who take advantage of them by providing debase jpbs such as drug trafficking, prostitution. The self employed are faced with problems of generating power for tjose whose jobs require electricity. The question is, for how long then can we watch the leaders of tomorrow waste away. We all must rise up to this challenge and fight corruption, injustice that have premeated into the whims and caprices of this nation. 12. Marriage Many youths today are faced with the problem of getting a wife or a husband. This could be attributed to a number of factors such as parental influence or control, self, sin and the devil. Youths becomes so obsessed with their inability to be married that they now abadom God. To every man there is a wife and to every woman there is a man. Therefore wait on the Lord, and He will provide. THE WAY FORWARD In handling the problem of our youth and the difficulties confronting them in this perverse generation, parents, churches, society and the youth themselves have specific roles they must perform to bring sanity to our world. Let us reflet on the role of the youth themselves. The youth who desires life and the fruits of happy life must desire God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteous and all other things will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). To the youth who had turn away from the Lord, I say â€Å"come back with a repentant heart and the Lord will receive and have you back as his own. Repentance involves: a) Admitting your weakness, being sorry for your weakness b) Renouncing your weakness The Lord tell us in Issaiah, â€Å"come now let us reason together, says the Lord through your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become loke wool† (Is. 1:18) Go for sacramental reconciliation. Having regained your relationship with God, He wants you to live a spotless life even in this era of godlessness. You are to stay unpolluted and unperturbed in the constantly changing world where you dwell. The unchanging God will substain you, for he has said. :For I am the Lord, I change not† (Malachi 3:6). This implies that God’s children have no excuse to allow themselves to be swayed by the rapidly changing world around them. What is expected of the youth therefore according to the word of God is outlined as follows: 1. The youth must treasure the unaltered word of God in his heart, life and mouth, civilization or no civilization. 2. He must constantly and diligently with prayer guard his soul so that he is not overtaken bythe whirlwind of globalization and modernization. . Must be resolved to live a holy life. This involves daring to be different with a resolution not to look back. 4. Depend on the grace of God. Paul tells the Ephesians, â€Å"for it is by Grace you have been saved through Faith and this is not from your selves, it is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) In the sane vein, Jesus tells us in Jn15:16 not to rely on our own strength but yo abide on the Vine 5. Invite the Holy spirit, the sanctifying power of God into your life. It is the spirit that gives life. In all thid fullness, live in the spirit. So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires swhich is contrary to the spirit and the spirit which is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that do not do what you want† (Gal5:16-17) 6. Associate with thos who love and fear God. Meditate on the passage â€Å"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and Idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk amongthem, and I will be their God, and they will be my people† 7. Plunge into unlimited opportunities: The Lord urges us to plunge ourselves into unlimited opportunities that he has set us. Like Joshua, He was to be strong, courageous and to observe the word of God. Joshua did as God commanded and he prospered. Today God is saying to us that he has given us great opportunities to succeed in life and have all our needs met. However, many go through life dejected, defeated, defrauded, dominated and at the end doomed. you are a child of God. For success to come your way, start now. Do not be idle. You can still go back to school and get education; you can re-write your papers and improve on them. Are you unemployed, apply to place no matter how little, or you can create a job yourself. You need not suffer, the sky is the limit. Finally, do not stay away from sacraments (Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation). Heaven is real. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of soul. Challenges of Youths in Our Contemporary World Youth does not want to give up in the face of difficulties†¦ Youth believes in a better world and is determined to do something to help bring it about†. ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD The youth has great strength, vigour, good health etc. These features should be channeled towards the propagation of the gospel. Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for such belongs the kingdom of God (Lk. 18:16). In the church, the youths have the responsibility of evangelizing. It is their duty to witness Christ to their peers and to the remotest areas where Christ has not been preached. Anthony Aja, quoting the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II wrote: â€Å"The Church needs your energies, your enthusiasm; your youthful ideas in order to make the Gospel of life penetrate the fabric of the society†. â€Å"Besides, the Pope re-emphasized the part that youth can play in the call to evangelize the world as he addressed them in these words. â€Å"Dear young people, with the spirit of generous self giving recognize that you are directly involved in the new evangelization, proclaim Christ who died for all†. Where are our Youths today? Out there in search of worldly pleasure or working for the Lord. (Ref. to the past). To be good evangelizer, witnessing must be accompanied by good example, being like Christ in all ramification. The bible recorded many dynamic youths worthy of emulation. Two of such youths will be considered in this text. They are Joseph and David. Joseph had an encounter with God. He reverenced God. The fear of God was in his heart. Portipher’s household prospered because of the presence of Joseph. How about you? He hated sin. He successfully resisted the temptation from his master’s wife. To the sin-laden wife of his master Portipha, he asked, â€Å"how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God†? (Gen. 39:9). To escape the wrath that might befall him as a result of this great sin, he ran and fled from this great evil, sin of fornication. Godless youth would take advantage of this immoral opportunity and yield to the temptation. It takes a heart that has been washed by the Blood of The Lamb, a youth who has experienced the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, a sanctified person and Holy Ghost filled to overcome such temptation. For the bible says â€Å"for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world†. Titus 2:11-12. David the son of Jesse, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, rose and worked marvels for god right from his youth. He killed a lion, a bear and conquered the veteran warrior Goliath. He overcame the evil spirits that tormented Saul by his anointed fingers on the musical instruments. He was able to do all these exploits for God because of his personal knowledge of God and the power of the Holy Ghost that was upon him. Through the youngest of Jesse’ sons, his fear of the lord and his close relationship with God, made him to do the chosen one of God. †Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord came mighty upon David from that day forward (1Samuel 16:13). Above all learn from Jesus Christ, who from childhood went about doing the father’ business, â€Å"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other citizens also, for I was sent for this purpose? Make yourself available for noble use. Challenges Facing the Youth Today The general state of youth reveals spirituals, social and psychological crises and confusion. They are being affected by the effects and influence of the society, peer groups, parental neglect and the evil one. Many of our youths blindly follow the dictates of the secularization of Western culture. The effects of secularism on most people have even made them argue that churches should accepts the society’s new directions. To them, if the society accept the society’s new directions. To them, if the society accepts pre-marital sex, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, sex education, use of condoms, lesbianism etc. hey cannot see why the church has to keep calling them sins. The youth sees the youth state as a period of fun and freedom. However, they forget to recognize that this stage is important and transitory – a stage between childhood and adulthood. Mistakes youth make at his stage in life could be detrimental bearing with it a lifetime consequences. For example, Youths who take to armed robbery, prostitution, drug trafficking, political thruggery, and a ll manner of violent practices carry over such nefarious activities from their youthful stage into adulthood. At adulthood they become a problem to themselves, the society and invariably their children who may take after them. What a wasted life! In fact, they are unable to build a worthwhile foundation on which to rest their future. Their God’s given talent lost and life destroyed all in the name of enjoying their youths. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he admonished Timothy in these words: Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue Righteous, faith, love and peace, Along with those who call on the Lord Out of a pure heart† 2Tim:22 The youthful stage when properly managed can lead to disaster. All youths should heed to Paul’s admonition to timothy. Flee from all evil desires and run after righteous. Many of our youths are compromising with worldly ideals. Compromise with the world brings corruption. It destroys the child of God’s testimony and makes his light grow dim. Learn from David and Joseph, the way to upright living. The youth is being influenced and challenged today in the following areas: 1. INFLUENCE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY Modern technology had led to the invention of personal computer, the satellite, Digital television, the internet, mobile phone (GSM). These devices had in no small measure made the world a global village. However, the challenges facing our youths (Christian youth) is how to use them without abusing them. The truth is that these devices rather then being used for the advancement of knowledge which is capable of making the world a better place have become powerful tools in the hands of Satan for the perversion of morals. For example, the computer has both simplified and speeded up the operation in many fields of human endeavor – data storage, medicine, architecture, music and broadcasting industry. These are interactive computer software for learning of virtually any subject. The mobile telephone has made communication easy. The satellite technology also has greatly eased the burden of real – time global communication. The internet is a great source of information, Books; encyclopedias on any subject, theses, revise, online news, libraries are now available on the internet. Various school activities which were manually carried out in the past, such as purchasing of admission forms, payment of school fees, access to course outlines, result etc are now done online. Sources of information and different educational operations are now available on the internet. However, one must not lose sight of the evil associated with these devices (internet, GSM and computer). Many (including children, youth and even older people) are introduced to do world of deceit, indecency, immorality crime, sexual perversions, violence and many other vices through the use of these inventions of modern technology. The computer and the internet have more damaging influence on the youth. Youths spend long hours watching digital videos (DVD) or playing violent, even bloody and demonic computer games. Some youths spend hours or the whole night browsing forbidden site on the internet thereby getting exposed to inappropriate materials, such as pornographic and erotica because some youth get initiated into Satanism, Spiritism and other esoteric region. The TV and internet have taking over the place of the bible and prayers in a good number of homes. Youth treasure their wide exploration of the internet in place of reading their books and other intellectual activities. This a leading to a dramatic decline in the academic performance of the youth and a high rate of unproductively of the youth in all spheres of life. Wise parents should rise up to this challenge, and set up corrective measures to arrest this trend of self – destruction of the youth. 2. THE FILM INDUSTRY Many youths spend long hours watching the television denying themselves of meaningful activities that will promote heathy living and advancement in life. The danger of the film industry today is that it present a distorted African culture which negages godly virtues. For example, pre-marital sex is against God an abominable thing in African culture, but the film industry today presents it as the norm and what must follow or be part of a relationship. Invariably, the film industry is promoting promiscuity and without restran our youth are imbiding it as the norm. Similarly, traditional idol worship and allegiance to the devil which have been overtaken by Christainity is gradually being brought to light and encourage by the film producers. What about movies dominated with violent operations?. This negates God peaceful co-existence among men. Parents must therefore rise up to control what their children watch on the television. 3. NEGLECING OF HARD WORK Many youths want to go the easy way of life. No work but wants to be rich. They wish for success in life without paying the price of diligence. You need to see the coutless number of youths at the cyber cafe, browsing the internet looking for innocent preys to devour of thir hard earn money. Some Pentecostal pastors are not left out in the craze for prosperity through miracle galore at the expense of diligent labour. 4. SEARCH FOR GREENER PASTURE Many youths run the risk of searching for illegal means to go out of this country for better life. Experiences of those who attempted leaving this country reveal the agony many had to go though traveling through waste land to cross over to their â€Å"promised land†. In the process many had lost their lives and their sense of value of life. Those who made it to their dreamed land are out their doing menial jobs and worst still are out into crimes of various degrees. 5. Domestic Problems Many youth are confronted with Domestic problems ranging from hostility from parents, strife between their fathers and mothers, parents inability to provide the basic necessities of life. Youths from such homes run away from home, get involved in all forms of crimes such as 419, armed robbery, thuggery, prostitution or hired assassions. Parents should wake up to their responsibilities and make sustainable plans for their children. 6. INDECENT DRESSING AMONG YOUTHS We have been wonderfully made by God. Praise the Lord! Let us trace our dressing to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they realized that they are naked. They sewed fig leaves together to make themselves aprons (Gen3:7). This covered only a part of their bodies. This is fact was not proper clothing and so the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them. This implies that the lord God covered their nakedness. Therefore, any clothing that does not cover the body fully is an indecent cloth. Let us also consider the demoniac in St. Luke’s gospel Chapter 8 ;26-35). The demon possessed man was naked. The bible described him as â€Å"a man from the city who had demon; for a long time he had worn no clothes, and lived not in a house but among tombs’. With encounter with Christ Jesus, he was delivered from the legion of evil spirit, he was clothed and he was in his right mind† (Luke 8:35). This implies that only people who are not in their right mind would go about without clothes not big enough to cover their nakedness. The modern day christains especially youths are without estrain imbiding and embracing worldly principles, values, culture and customs without making refence to the word of God. The bible says: â€Å"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is inworld, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world†. I John2:15. Unholy attitudes or worldliness has become the culture of the church. Some church members tell you what you wear does not matte, after all religion is in the heart. However, they forget that there is a link between the state of man’s heart and the outward appearance. In fact, one’s outlook is greatly influenced by the condition of the heart. It is not uncommon today to find different kinds of immodest and indecent dressed worn by the majority of young people and some older people in the society, even in the church of God. These ladies wear transparent and body hugged clothes under the guise of fashion and civilization. In fact, you see girls of cheap and easy virtue wearing provocative or seductive apparels that partially expose sensitive reas of their bodies such as breast, navels, abdomen and thighs, such youth are not left out in their heavy make-ups. Their make-ups are so excessive and outrageous that the girls are not less than masquerades and cannot but be mistaken for prostitutes. Why would a Christain woman or lady imitate Jezbel? â€Å"When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it and she painted her eyes, and adorned he r head and looked out of the window† 2King9:30. Some ladies dress in such way that they stimulate lustful desires in men. The harlot dresses shamefully only to advertise, comete and seduce the opposite sex. They wear revealing clothes which create in men some immoral desires. Mini-skirts are symbolic of those ladies who want to seduce men. Every mini-skirt is a fuel that sets the mind of a man to imagine the most debased thoughts. On the other hand, ladies who are seductively dressed are more likely to be harassed by men. In the actual sense, a lady who is immodestly dressed is simply adverstising herself, telling the male folk that she is available. No wonder, today that the rate at which women are raped is exceedingly alarming. The men folk are not left out of this craze for fashion. They fry their hair (jerry curls or perm0, weave their hair, wear earring, leave their shirits unbuttoned, exposing their beareded chest, have funny styles of hair cut, apply make up just to prove themselves as â€Å"senior guys†. 7. Sexual Immorality/ Fornication Many youths do not see sextual immorality/formation as sin. They see it as a way of expressing their love to a person of the opposite sex. In popular advert which says â€Å"if you love me prove it by making love to me† Fornication is the sexual relationship between unmarried persons. God condemns fornication; Do you not know that your body is a temple of he Holy spirit, who is in you whom you have received from god? You are not your own, you were received with a price. Therefore, honour god with your body (1cor 6:19-20) Anyone who destroy the temple of the Holy spirit which you are will face wrath of God. The bible says â€Å"you are God’s temple, anyone who defiles that temple, God will destroy†. Some youth who engage in fornication (pre-marital sex) tell you they are in search of happiness, pre-marital sex has brought shame, disgrace and to many, unfulfilled destiny and untimely death. According to Ibid: Pre-marital sex has many adverse effects surrounding it. By so doing expose themselves to many risks such as: pregnancy, abortion, death, death, veneral disease, fear, shame, disrespect, sterility, uncompleted career are grievous sins against God, your creator. These are what we risk ourselves for, Just a mere pleasure which does not last. Similarly, punch Newspaper had on one of its publication pointed out that †Pregnancy is just one of the ways one can reap on unpleasant harvest from fornication†¦ It is better to avoid pre-marital sex†. 8. Wild Ambition Youths, no doubt are very ambitious. Being ambitious itself should be commended. But when the ambition becomes obnoxious, wrong signals are elayed. It is not uncommon today to find youhs engage in all manner of nefarious activities that are opposed to Christain virtues in a bid to acquire great wealth, fame and success. They are usually recruited as political thugs, fake drug peddlers, armed robbers, hostage takers, murderers, assassins while others become cultists, prostitutes and so on. Some become involved in dubious and undefiled business. The bible tells us to flee from all appearance of evil. Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any paise, think on these thing (1 Cor10:31. Phil 4:8) Do not get involved in any activity that is contrary to the tenents of God. Anything contrary leads to hellfire. 9. Peer Group Influence Many Youth have been led astray by those they regard as friends. The influences of peers can bring about a positive or a negative change in one’s life. But today, such influences have been found to destroy the lives of those who keep had company. Thomas Martin as reported by Stan Ilo had this to say â€Å"What can be more dangerous to youth than bad company; what more fatal to all moral rectitude and feeling than influence of bad example. Bad company ruins good moral. It will be highly recommended youths can be involved in authentic friendship. John Chidi once classified friendship into 3: 1. Friendship based on unity 2. Friendship based on Sexual pleasure 3. Good griendship Youth should be encouraged to get involved in good friendship I =n which a man and a woman can be close friends without any sexual intercourse whatsoever. 0 Foul Language, noisy Music, Obscene Dance, pornography Music is an ancient means with which God’s people adored, exalted His Holy name and praised his majesty. This is still God’s expectation from us today. However, Christain music of today has assumed a new dimension from what obtains in the bible. Most Christain music today are emotional, sensual and noisy. The musical instrument soun d than the wordings as obtained in worldly music. Such songs do not give any inspiration, and it lacks modesty and moderation. So also is the obscene dance that accompanies the music. Flee from such music and from every apprearance of evil. 11. UNEMPLOYMENT There is a high rate of employment in this country. Many youths who had managed to go through thick and thin to obtain a university degree or other degrees are out there on the streets roaming about in search of anything to do for living. His has been the concern of both youths and their parents. Many parents have lost inetrest in investing into education of their children. This has increased the number of youths without any formal education or vovational training. One sees them in high dense areas/cities milling around motor parks, marj=ket places, in hide outs, practically doing nothing meaningful. Their daily existence depend on how much they can steal, extort from people or just waste away. Some engage in menial jobs that can hardly take care of them, while others become preys in the hand of evil men who take advantage of them by providing debase jpbs such as drug trafficking, prostitution. The self employed are faced with problems of generating power for tjose whose jobs require electricity. The question is, for how long then can we watch the leaders of tomorrow waste away. We all must rise up to this challenge and fight corruption, injustice that have premeated into the whims and caprices of this nation. 12. Marriage Many youths today are faced with the problem of getting a wife or a husband. This could be attributed to a number of factors such as parental influence or control, self, sin and the devil. Youths becomes so obsessed with their inability to be married that they now abadom God. To every man there is a wife and to every woman there is a man. Therefore wait on the Lord, and He will provide. THE WAY FORWARD In handling the problem of our youth and the difficulties confronting them in this perverse generation, parents, churches, society and the youth themselves have specific roles they must perform to bring sanity to our world. Let us reflet on the role of the youth themselves. The youth who desires life and the fruits of happy life must desire God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteous and all other things will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). To the youth who had turn away from the Lord, I say â€Å"come back with a repentant heart and the Lord will receive and have you back as his own. Repentance involves: a) Admitting your weakness, being sorry for your weakness b) Renouncing your weakness The Lord tell us in Issaiah, â€Å"come now let us reason together, says the Lord through your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become loke wool† (Is. 1:18) Go for sacramental reconciliation. Having regained your relationship with God, He wants you to live a spotless life even in this era of godlessness. You are to stay unpolluted and unperturbed in the constantly changing world where you dwell. The unchanging God will substain you, for he has said. :For I am the Lord, I change not† (Malachi 3:6). This implies that God’s children have no excuse to allow themselves to be swayed by the rapidly changing world around them. What is expected of the youth therefore according to the word of God is outlined as follows: 1. The youth must treasure the unaltered word of God in his heart, life and mouth, civilization or no civilization. 2. He must constantly and diligently with prayer guard his soul so that he is not overtaken bythe whirlwind of globalization and modernization. . Must be resolved to live a holy life. This involves daring to be different with a resolution not to look back. 4. Depend on the grace of God. Paul tells the Ephesians, â€Å"for it is by Grace you have been saved through Faith and this is not from your selves, it is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) In the sane vein, Jesus tells us in Jn15:16 not to rely on our own strength but yo abide on the Vine 5. Invite the Holy spirit, the sanctifying power of God into your life. It is the spirit that gives life. In all thid fullness, live in the spirit. So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires swhich is contrary to the spirit and the spirit which is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that do not do what you want† (Gal5:16-17) 6. Associate with thos who love and fear God. Meditate on the passage â€Å"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and Idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk amongthem, and I will be their God, and they will be my people† 7. Plunge into unlimited opportunities: The Lord urges us to plunge ourselves into unlimited opportunities that he has set us. Like Joshua, He was to be strong, courageous and to observe the word of God. Joshua did as God commanded and he prospered. Today God is saying to us that he has given us great opportunities to succeed in life and have all our needs met. However, many go through life dejected, defeated, defrauded, dominated and at the end doomed. you are a child of God. For success to come your way, start now. Do not be idle. You can still go back to school and get education; you can re-write your papers and improve on them. Are you unemployed, apply to place no matter how little, or you can create a job yourself. You need not suffer, the sky is the limit. Finally, do not stay away from sacraments (Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation). Heaven is real. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of soul.