WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
Each year, this day, that is, August 12, is celebrated worldwide as International Youth Day in honour of the great qualities and endless potential that the global youth possess, and whose constructive utilisation can lead to exponential acceleration in national and global development.
International Youth Day, as adopted by the United Nations, focuses on the complications and difficulties faced by young minds and makes contribution of the young generation towards community expansion its cynosure.
The United Nations General Assembly, in 1965, began to make efforts towards creating a positive impact on the lives of young people across the globe leading to the adoption of a recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in the year 1999 to celebrate the first International Youth Day on August 12, 2000.
While it is true that time and tide wait for no one, the young and aspiring minds in every nook and cranny of the world are the ones who have maximum zeal and potential to become big time achievers. However, for their dreams to come to fruition the route does not seem to be that simple.
Youth, everywhere, are facing tremendous issues – physical, mental, psychological, social, economic and many more. A few key challenges include – coming from single parent homes, disturbed personal environment, alcohol and drug addiction, violence in social settings such as at school and college, becoming victims of bullying, elevated stress on multiple fronts, time management, health complications, educational inequality, obsession with materialism, shifting economic trends, unemployment, coping with difficulties, peer pressure and so on. The list is endless! Thus, the need of the hour is to find peace amidst the chaos.
According to the World Youth Report, today, there are about 1.2 billion people in the 15 to 24 age-group. That makes for almost 16 per cent of the world populace. The United Nations has recognised active involvement of the youth in sustainable development efforts as being central to the realisation of the objectives of Agenda 2030 which identifies youngsters as the focal point of global success by the year 2030. A few top Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified by this Agenda include – no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable energy, economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructural success, peace and justice, etc.
In this context, this International Youth Day, the theme happens to be ‘Intergenerational Solidarity – Creating a World for all ages.’ The message from the theme is quite clear – amplify the requisite action across all generations to achieve the SDGs and raise considerable awareness on sensitive global issues such as unity amongst generations and ageing that impact both young and old people on a similar footing.
Practically, there seems to be just one glaring issue that stands in the way of our youth and their success – OPPORTUNITIES. However, the lack of openings obviously seems to be having a detrimental effect on youth progression. On this front, the Government of India has kick-started its ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission and following suit is our Goa Government that has made ‘Swayampurna (self–reliant) Goa’ and specially ‘Swayampurna Yuva’ (youth), its central policy for the years of governance to come. Undertaking these initiatives is a plus point on part of our governmental organisations as they would encourage the younger generation to step forward and take charge of their lives and hit target after target while on course to achieving self-sufficiency in the long run.
On that note, International Youth Day 2022 must be celebrated not just as one of the several such occasions we commemorate, but it is time to take the youth issues seriously and work towards fixing the snags that cause hurdles in the path of their triumph.
Government offices, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), youth wings and ancillary bodies must organise events and workshops to promote this day with a view to empowering the youth by inculcating in them the idea of showing solidarity with one another and also with people across generations. After all, the world is your oyster. Pave your path to find the pearls!
