Against the backdrop of HIV prevention trainings, young adults in Kenya have had ample opportunities to develop their life-skills. But are they aware of the wide spectrum of their character strengths and the opportunity to use and develop character strengths in their lives and career? A five-step assessment was carried out on the character strengths awareness among 20 young adults (aged between 18 and 30 years) selected for this study. The assessment set to find out if these participants were aware of their individual character strengths and how much they were putting them to deliberate use to advance their careers and social relationships. The findings of the study indicate a disconnect between awareness of strengths and the commitment to use them as a springboard for personal, relational and career development. Based on the data from this study, and on evidence from literature, the authors recommend introduction of strengths-based nurturing programmes for children, adolescents, and young adults towards discovery of strengths, strategizing their use, and experience of thriving.
Reference:
Churu, B.E., & Selvam, S.G. (2018). Young adults’ awareness and commitment to use character strengths: An examination of university students in Nairobi. In P. Aneesh Kumar, T.S. George, & N.T. Sudesh, Character strength development (pp.337-352). New Delhi: Sage Publications.
Link:
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/afr/character-strength-development/book265801#description
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