“This world demands the qualities of youth; not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the life of ease.”
-Robert Kennedy
Youth are the foundation of any society. Their energies, resourcefulness, character and orientation define the pace of development and security of a nation. Through their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant strides in economic development and socio-political attainments. In their dreams and hopes, a Nation finds her motivation; on their energies, she builds her strength and purpose. And as a result of their dreams and aspirations, the future of a nation is assured.
Youth power is a recognized force in the whole world. They are the building blocks of every developed nation. The stronger the youth of a country, the more developed that country. Youth are filled with tremendous energy and towering ambitions. They are a powerful force to be reckoned with in any Nation where its government is mindful of its future. Youth is that powerful resource, which can either construct or destruct the whole nation. With no doubt, the youth represents the most vibrant and adventurous group in any society. The responsibility of youth towards national development cannot be over-emphasized given the fact that they are the backbone of any society that wishes to prosper in terms of economy and culture. The energy, the liveliness, the swiftness of thought and indeed, the physical manpower are the characteristics that make the youthful age more interesting than any stage of human existence. Youth population is the life wire of any society and the force behind a developed nation. Culturally, the youth are the inheritors of the society heritage and custom. Therefore, if the skill of this agile population is positively harnessed, a nation can be said to be on the path to progress because there is a definite link between the prosperity of a nation and its youth development systems. However, in many society, certain issues stand as obstruct in the wheel of progress of the youth; thereby making it difficult for them to maximize their relevance in the society.
Nevertheless various thoughts of youth are threateningly dangerous and non-productive. They learn from the bad examples of the leaders as evident in violence and fraud that characterize students' union election and large scale embezzlement of funds in unions and youth forums. To really enhance the youth and make him or her contribute meaningfully to nation building is a duty for all, the government, parent and youth themselves. The energy and brightness of the minds of youth act as torch bearer for national development. The society which utilise their youth in positive direction are more developed. The youth of nation are the trustees of society. Any nation that denies its youth the necessary enabling environment to participate in nation building process does so at its own risk.
The role of the youth in nation building cannot be under-estimated or be over-emphasized. It remains a mere potential until they actively participate by contributing their very best in whatever capacity they choose to help the nation grow and by demanding same from the political leaders. Indeed from the Bible we learn that many youth were used by God to build Israel as a Nation. Young Joseph was used to save Egypt and Israel from famine. David was also used by God to deliver Israel from Goliath and the Philistines onslaught. God used young Queen Esther to save the Jews in Babylon from total extermination. In the eighties, in Beijing, China, during a powerful demonstration, thousands of Chinese youth sacrificed their lives in order to bring Democracy in that autocratic state. During the riots against Mandal Commission in India, thousands of college students agitated in the streets of the cities. The massive youth movement in Czechoslovakia succeeded against the military invasion of their country. The histories of Kampuchea, Korea, Cuba, France and Myanmar provide evidences of their invincible might.
The leadership cadre is filled with many aged politicians who have enjoyed enduring career and retired from government service and who think nation building is their exclusive preserve and as such youth should not be given a chance. Perhaps, their stand explains why though youths are said to be a leader of tomorrow, that future never comes. This is the unfortunate mind-set that has informed the pattern of successive leadership. This formula in some way has sedated almost all youth and created in them a sense of reluctance in participating and taking up roles and responsibilities that will help in nation building. They are mostly engaged during elections and turn them into electoral thugs instead of building enough schools and creating adequate employment opportunities.
It is to be noted that most of the problems we face are also because of youth. They are ideologically bankrupt and in a state of confusion. Several youth have chosen violence instead of peace and mutual coexistence. Many youth chose the comfort of the moment instead of striving for self-sacrifice that will guarantee the freedom of the society. Many youth has chosen the highway for robbery instead of class rooms. They choose guns, knives and axes instead of pen, paper and hard work. They avail themselves all kinds of dirty jobs during election. Many youth lack character and morality. The qualities of tomorrow's leaders lie in the characters of today's followers. The youth are supposed to be the bright and excellent ideas of our society, but they have been employed by our public leaders to commit violence against their opponents in order to remain in office. Politics which is supposed to be the vehicle for social engineering has given birth to new set of destructive generation that sees bombing, kidnapping, advanced fee fraud, robbery, raping, unabated taxes, militancy, and extremism as virtues. What we have today is a political class being driven by personal gain, materialism, personal exaggeration and destructive principles. Again negative image by the youths have been created in the area of organized crime and other vices. The Internet, which is one of the greatest inventions in human history, has been converted to avenues that were channeled to bad ventures. The years of maladministration from successive government has a direct result in poor management of youth population, which in turn resulted into a low intelligence proportion for which our youths are known when it comes to national building. The future of supposed tomorrow's leadership occupants could not even be predicted anymore.
Today, the whole nation is going through another phase of freedom struggle. Separate state agitations, caste based politics, rampant corruption in government institutions, communal riots, militancy, terrorism; all these in the 21st century.
However what about our society? We leave them to the corrupt system, which no one cares to clean. Can it be cleaned?? Obviously NOT, but the fight against the selfish people should continue for which, capable selfless leaders need to make a lot of sacrifices. Will this wash away demands and corruption? No. But it will prevent the bad and corrupt people. They would still of course continue corruptions. At least corruption for overdoing a job is better than corruption for doing a job. This seems a possible scenario provided selfless youth take up responsibilities in the government. And for the rest of the society, it is time that all citizens should think beyond donating a part of earnings to needless social cause, religious activities or NGO's. It is time to take up the job of uplifting our youth to the power of self-confidence and courage. Evil habits, is a hip in today's world. It is impossible for anyone to escape from these until and unless they are self-confident to control themselves. Self-Control is the only measure to save oneself from evil habits. Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, undesirable sexual activities etc., also hinder nation's building. If the youth gets addicted to any of these activities, one can easily predict that, the destruction has started not only for the person but also harms the nation which needs young blood to run and/or construct it. One has to realize the necessity of being healthy in almost every aspect of life.
Youth power is a recognized force in the whole world. They are the building blocks of every developed nation. The stronger the youth of a country, the more developed that country. Youth are filled with tremendous energy and towering ambitions. They are a powerful force to be reckoned with in any Nation where its government is mindful of its future. Youth is that powerful resource, which can either construct or destruct the whole nation. With no doubt, the youth represents the most vibrant and adventurous group in any society. The responsibility of youth towards national development cannot be over-emphasized given the fact that they are the backbone of any society that wishes to prosper in terms of economy and culture. The energy, the liveliness, the swiftness of thought and indeed, the physical manpower are the characteristics that make the youthful age more interesting than any stage of human existence. Youth population is the life wire of any society and the force behind a developed nation. Culturally, the youth are the inheritors of the society heritage and custom. Therefore, if the skill of this agile population is positively harnessed, a nation can be said to be on the path to progress because there is a definite link between the prosperity of a nation and its youth development systems. However, in many society, certain issues stand as obstruct in the wheel of progress of the youth; thereby making it difficult for them to maximize their relevance in the society.
Nevertheless various thoughts of youth are threateningly dangerous and non-productive. They learn from the bad examples of the leaders as evident in violence and fraud that characterize students' union election and large scale embezzlement of funds in unions and youth forums. To really enhance the youth and make him or her contribute meaningfully to nation building is a duty for all, the government, parent and youth themselves. The energy and brightness of the minds of youth act as torch bearer for national development. The society which utilise their youth in positive direction are more developed. The youth of nation are the trustees of society. Any nation that denies its youth the necessary enabling environment to participate in nation building process does so at its own risk.
The role of the youth in nation building cannot be under-estimated or be over-emphasized. It remains a mere potential until they actively participate by contributing their very best in whatever capacity they choose to help the nation grow and by demanding same from the political leaders. Indeed from the Bible we learn that many youth were used by God to build Israel as a Nation. Young Joseph was used to save Egypt and Israel from famine. David was also used by God to deliver Israel from Goliath and the Philistines onslaught. God used young Queen Esther to save the Jews in Babylon from total extermination. In the eighties, in Beijing, China, during a powerful demonstration, thousands of Chinese youth sacrificed their lives in order to bring Democracy in that autocratic state. During the riots against Mandal Commission in India, thousands of college students agitated in the streets of the cities. The massive youth movement in Czechoslovakia succeeded against the military invasion of their country. The histories of Kampuchea, Korea, Cuba, France and Myanmar provide evidences of their invincible might.
The leadership cadre is filled with many aged politicians who have enjoyed enduring career and retired from government service and who think nation building is their exclusive preserve and as such youth should not be given a chance. Perhaps, their stand explains why though youths are said to be a leader of tomorrow, that future never comes. This is the unfortunate mind-set that has informed the pattern of successive leadership. This formula in some way has sedated almost all youth and created in them a sense of reluctance in participating and taking up roles and responsibilities that will help in nation building. They are mostly engaged during elections and turn them into electoral thugs instead of building enough schools and creating adequate employment opportunities.
It is to be noted that most of the problems we face are also because of youth. They are ideologically bankrupt and in a state of confusion. Several youth have chosen violence instead of peace and mutual coexistence. Many youth chose the comfort of the moment instead of striving for self-sacrifice that will guarantee the freedom of the society. Many youth has chosen the highway for robbery instead of class rooms. They choose guns, knives and axes instead of pen, paper and hard work. They avail themselves all kinds of dirty jobs during election. Many youth lack character and morality. The qualities of tomorrow's leaders lie in the characters of today's followers. The youth are supposed to be the bright and excellent ideas of our society, but they have been employed by our public leaders to commit violence against their opponents in order to remain in office. Politics which is supposed to be the vehicle for social engineering has given birth to new set of destructive generation that sees bombing, kidnapping, advanced fee fraud, robbery, raping, unabated taxes, militancy, and extremism as virtues. What we have today is a political class being driven by personal gain, materialism, personal exaggeration and destructive principles. Again negative image by the youths have been created in the area of organized crime and other vices. The Internet, which is one of the greatest inventions in human history, has been converted to avenues that were channeled to bad ventures. The years of maladministration from successive government has a direct result in poor management of youth population, which in turn resulted into a low intelligence proportion for which our youths are known when it comes to national building. The future of supposed tomorrow's leadership occupants could not even be predicted anymore.
Today, the whole nation is going through another phase of freedom struggle. Separate state agitations, caste based politics, rampant corruption in government institutions, communal riots, militancy, terrorism; all these in the 21st century.
However what about our society? We leave them to the corrupt system, which no one cares to clean. Can it be cleaned?? Obviously NOT, but the fight against the selfish people should continue for which, capable selfless leaders need to make a lot of sacrifices. Will this wash away demands and corruption? No. But it will prevent the bad and corrupt people. They would still of course continue corruptions. At least corruption for overdoing a job is better than corruption for doing a job. This seems a possible scenario provided selfless youth take up responsibilities in the government. And for the rest of the society, it is time that all citizens should think beyond donating a part of earnings to needless social cause, religious activities or NGO's. It is time to take up the job of uplifting our youth to the power of self-confidence and courage. Evil habits, is a hip in today's world. It is impossible for anyone to escape from these until and unless they are self-confident to control themselves. Self-Control is the only measure to save oneself from evil habits. Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, undesirable sexual activities etc., also hinder nation's building. If the youth gets addicted to any of these activities, one can easily predict that, the destruction has started not only for the person but also harms the nation which needs young blood to run and/or construct it. One has to realize the necessity of being healthy in almost every aspect of life.
Youth in order to make his/her society developed, has to sacrifice not only their lives by protecting their country at the borders but also has to protect from internal threats, and make the society a healthy place to live in. It is possible only if the youth realize to stay healthy by sacrificing selfishness, laziness, evilness etc., and by thinking dedicatedly for the growth of nation. It is not very difficult to mobilise the youth for nation- building tasks provided that one has the requisite honesty, intelligence and leadership. Once they are genuinely involved, their interest in constructive work would be aroused. They would be prepared to work sincerely for the welfare of the country.
It is true that youth have got energy, skill, hopes, and dreams and along with those the determination and enthusiasm but they also lack proper and critical thinking. Thus youth which could have been the pioneer of some world-changing act may very well become world-destroying terrorists. Thus, here lies the role of a nation and its government in guiding the youth to the correct way of living and in utilizing their vital energy and desire for the betterment of the nation. For this, proper education system and good political situation is required. Moral education is a must for this as well. If youth can be motivated and educated the right way, they surely can spearhead the progress of a nation and make the world a better place to live in.
The prevailing unemployment situation among the youth is one of such. In order to really maximize the nation-building potentials of the youth, a lot need to be done by relevant stakeholders to create the enabling environment for the youth. Much need to be done in the area of reduction of unemployment, empowerment of the youth and enhancement of the capacity of unemployed graduates. As a nation we need to put in place policies and programmes that can put our youth on the right lane. The government needs to establish youth vocational and empowerment programmes to develop the skills of youth in various fields of human endeavors.
Emphasis must be laid on technical education as well as courses that de-emphasise the craze for non-existing white collar jobs. Similarly, we need to promote social entrepreneurship among the youths. This could be done through the establishment of internship programmes aimed at giving youths the opportunity to learn valuable skills in contemporary fields such as information communication technology, fund development, public relations, program development, management and much more. Equally, corporate organisations, NGO's, individuals and government institutions should be committed to mentoring of the youths.
Good education prepares one to impact positively on self and society, because the philosophy of the classroom in one generation is the philosophy of government in the next generation. Provision of jobs and employment opportunities are leverage for the youth to properly and conscientiously channel their energy and talent towards nation building. Service and sacrifice to society in the spirit of true patriotism must be a front burner in the heart of every youth. This means the society's peace, sanity and orderliness should be the utmost desire of every youth. Youth must be agents of change and the change everyone desire in others must start from the youth. Youth must use all of their talent to serve their country. Youth must also help government at all levels in the implementation of policy. Youth must resist all forms of exploitation by individuals and groups for in this they take away the voice and right of youth and take the youth away from the big picture. Youths must seek to participate in government, politics and policy formulation. Youth must shelve aside their responsibilities of joining mainstream politics and forming healthy and progressive alliances among themselves and participating in all issues of society interest. This way, the voices of youth will be heard and their views will be considered.
However, the youth equally need to work on themselves if they must actually be the change mechanism for our dear nation. The youth that would be relevant in nation building must be the ones that are ready to take responsibilities and live responsibly. The present trend where youth act irresponsibly would not predict well for the nation. The youth need to reposition themselves as agents of positive change.
Working for one's nation with total devotion and commitment is an obligation for every citizen thus the need to have orientation events for our youth to teach them what national service is all about. However, to help our youth get to where they want and enable them become effective contributors to nation-building all hands must be on deck in achieving this objective, as the youth need support and motivation. Also to enhance the` participation of youth in national development, they must be given the opportunity to effectively participate in decision-making processes, especially on issues affecting their lives, since youth are strong forces in social movements. They are problem solvers. Our nations need them to resolve most of our problems. The nation is facing a lot of problems. Youth are capable of solving them. They just need to be given a chance to prove themselves. Youths have the power to unite individuals' ethnic groups. Racism is an ongoing issue around the world. Individuals are fighting against each other because of the complexion of their skin and the texture of their hair. Religion is another issue, where youth can convince their fellow man to live in peace and love. All of us are one and we should not allow these little differences to push us away from each other. The vision of our country lies in the hands of our youths. It will be a great wastage of human resources if these youths are not given an opportunity to exercise their talent. This beautiful land needs these youths in order for our soil to become a brighter one.
Having said that, it is also essential to note that young people must also believe in themselves; that they can become a big asset both individually and collectively to national development if they work hard. The continued over-dependency phenomenon cannot take our youth anywhere, nor can it help them to meaningfully contribute to national development as expected. Youth must have a change in character and value; they must flush out and cleanse themselves of all qualities unfavorable to society development. For a man who wants equity must come with clean hand, so goes the saying. Youth need the wisdom of the old because if the energy of youth is left unchecked, it indicates imminent danger. It is time for the young generation to stop seeing themselves as too young. All youth have something positive to offer to the society.
In brief, the role of the youth in the nation building is crucial. They are problem solvers, have a positive influence on other young people and the nation, and are extremely ambitious. They have the ability to create an identity for themselves and move the nation forward. However, they will not be able to do this without the support of their Government and fellow youths. So the youths can make their beautiful land flourish and shine in success.
It is true that youth have got energy, skill, hopes, and dreams and along with those the determination and enthusiasm but they also lack proper and critical thinking. Thus youth which could have been the pioneer of some world-changing act may very well become world-destroying terrorists. Thus, here lies the role of a nation and its government in guiding the youth to the correct way of living and in utilizing their vital energy and desire for the betterment of the nation. For this, proper education system and good political situation is required. Moral education is a must for this as well. If youth can be motivated and educated the right way, they surely can spearhead the progress of a nation and make the world a better place to live in.
The prevailing unemployment situation among the youth is one of such. In order to really maximize the nation-building potentials of the youth, a lot need to be done by relevant stakeholders to create the enabling environment for the youth. Much need to be done in the area of reduction of unemployment, empowerment of the youth and enhancement of the capacity of unemployed graduates. As a nation we need to put in place policies and programmes that can put our youth on the right lane. The government needs to establish youth vocational and empowerment programmes to develop the skills of youth in various fields of human endeavors.
Emphasis must be laid on technical education as well as courses that de-emphasise the craze for non-existing white collar jobs. Similarly, we need to promote social entrepreneurship among the youths. This could be done through the establishment of internship programmes aimed at giving youths the opportunity to learn valuable skills in contemporary fields such as information communication technology, fund development, public relations, program development, management and much more. Equally, corporate organisations, NGO's, individuals and government institutions should be committed to mentoring of the youths.
Good education prepares one to impact positively on self and society, because the philosophy of the classroom in one generation is the philosophy of government in the next generation. Provision of jobs and employment opportunities are leverage for the youth to properly and conscientiously channel their energy and talent towards nation building. Service and sacrifice to society in the spirit of true patriotism must be a front burner in the heart of every youth. This means the society's peace, sanity and orderliness should be the utmost desire of every youth. Youth must be agents of change and the change everyone desire in others must start from the youth. Youth must use all of their talent to serve their country. Youth must also help government at all levels in the implementation of policy. Youth must resist all forms of exploitation by individuals and groups for in this they take away the voice and right of youth and take the youth away from the big picture. Youths must seek to participate in government, politics and policy formulation. Youth must shelve aside their responsibilities of joining mainstream politics and forming healthy and progressive alliances among themselves and participating in all issues of society interest. This way, the voices of youth will be heard and their views will be considered.
However, the youth equally need to work on themselves if they must actually be the change mechanism for our dear nation. The youth that would be relevant in nation building must be the ones that are ready to take responsibilities and live responsibly. The present trend where youth act irresponsibly would not predict well for the nation. The youth need to reposition themselves as agents of positive change.
Working for one's nation with total devotion and commitment is an obligation for every citizen thus the need to have orientation events for our youth to teach them what national service is all about. However, to help our youth get to where they want and enable them become effective contributors to nation-building all hands must be on deck in achieving this objective, as the youth need support and motivation. Also to enhance the` participation of youth in national development, they must be given the opportunity to effectively participate in decision-making processes, especially on issues affecting their lives, since youth are strong forces in social movements. They are problem solvers. Our nations need them to resolve most of our problems. The nation is facing a lot of problems. Youth are capable of solving them. They just need to be given a chance to prove themselves. Youths have the power to unite individuals' ethnic groups. Racism is an ongoing issue around the world. Individuals are fighting against each other because of the complexion of their skin and the texture of their hair. Religion is another issue, where youth can convince their fellow man to live in peace and love. All of us are one and we should not allow these little differences to push us away from each other. The vision of our country lies in the hands of our youths. It will be a great wastage of human resources if these youths are not given an opportunity to exercise their talent. This beautiful land needs these youths in order for our soil to become a brighter one.
Having said that, it is also essential to note that young people must also believe in themselves; that they can become a big asset both individually and collectively to national development if they work hard. The continued over-dependency phenomenon cannot take our youth anywhere, nor can it help them to meaningfully contribute to national development as expected. Youth must have a change in character and value; they must flush out and cleanse themselves of all qualities unfavorable to society development. For a man who wants equity must come with clean hand, so goes the saying. Youth need the wisdom of the old because if the energy of youth is left unchecked, it indicates imminent danger. It is time for the young generation to stop seeing themselves as too young. All youth have something positive to offer to the society.
In brief, the role of the youth in the nation building is crucial. They are problem solvers, have a positive influence on other young people and the nation, and are extremely ambitious. They have the ability to create an identity for themselves and move the nation forward. However, they will not be able to do this without the support of their Government and fellow youths. So the youths can make their beautiful land flourish and shine in success.
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