Firstly, the technical developments lead students to be independent. Life today is better than it was 50 years ago. Modern life is very different from life 50 years ago.
Some people think the changes were positive changes while some people thinks the changes were negative changes. It is true; life 50 years ago is simpler than life now. They could attend family occasions like wedding and Eid. Besides, 50 years ago, the living cost is lower than now. They just spend a few ringgits…. Is urban living better than rural living? Crime is rarely anything to worry about. The main reason is that in the search to find oneself, there are a plethora of opportunities in cities.
You can walk down one block and experience…. Is Life for us is better than it was for our forefathers? Day before Yesterday a mother got weepy when she wanted to see the face of her son, yesterday she weeps having son's photo in hands and today she can get a smile after clicking a button for video conferences. Long days before people were living in caves and eating raw foods.
They are the new force behind change. Youth have the capability to give visibility to marginalised groups by letting their voice be heard and changing the world together. It's only through making our voice heard that we need to show that we understand that there are decisions to be made regarding our future and we need to propose ourselves as the people who need to be piloting these decisions. Today, young people have changed the narrative through creating and founding non-profit organisations, and getting involved in different projects that allow them to change their environment and take social action.
Having a youth voice is important as it gives us a real presence. Youth voices are important because decisions and policies made today will directly affect us as we inherit the future. The youth today are empowered, informed and have the capacity to have our voices heard at the decision making table. Involving us is not just the right thing to do but the strategic thing to do. Youth voice in activism is important as it is instrumental in driving social change, advocating for the rights of women and girls, promoting access to quality healthcare, education and gender equality.
Thus, bringing about development in our society. Until African governments start treating youth as their most important asset, African nations will keep having shallow social, political and economic policies.
Youth voice and perspective is critical and every government that wants to build a strong future for her nation must value the importance of the youth voice. Policies affect the day-to-day life of all young people. The youth voice is therefore important in activism because our problems and our concerns may not be addressed unless we point them out.
After all, every decision our elected officials make will either affect us now or in the future. I published an open letter to the members of parliament of Uganda. In the letter, I wrote: "I urge you to give young people a chance beyond representation so that they can actively contribute to the future of their country. Currently, you are creating a future you may very well not be here to enjoy. When planning for the future, it is imperative to involve the people who are going to be alive in the future.
That is not the year olds. Rather, it is the 20 to year-olds. I believe young people have the highest potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. But it is only possible when we are given an equal and fair opportunity in every field including sports, education, employment, entrepreneurship or politics. Youth voice is important in activism because solutions or policy made at any decision table, has adverse effect on the youth and the consequences good or bad of that decision will be borne by the youth - hence the need to have our voice especially in education.
In addition to increased standards of living, the increase in spending on luxury and branded items amongst the young in Singapore today lead many to regard this as evidence that youth today have a much easier life as compared to before.
However, when one takes into account the circumstances and the new set of challenges that our young people have to face, the perspective that young people never had it so good before appears one-dimensional. The oldest millennials born in would have entered the workforce at a time when the global economy was suffering from an unprecedented collapse of the financial sector, and research by the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis go as far as to suggest that these millennials might be unable to accumulate sufficient wealth for retirement.
Younger millennials born in the s and s have to contend with economic uncertainties like the US-China trade war, the implications of climate change on supply chains, and rapid unprecedented rates of technological disruption to traditional industries. Furthermore, with the winds of globalization blowing strong today, competition between economies has intensified, making it imperative for local employees to constantly upgrade themselves to ensure that they can continue to value-add to their companies in order to remain employed.
Young people in Singapore today thus face greater pressure to remain competitive and employable, contrary to the perception that they lead smooth-sailing lives with their whole lives charted out for them. Additionally, while young people today are generally more educated than past generations, the overall increase in education standards means that there are greater expectations to do well academically and it is even more difficult for one to stand out amongst a sea of university students, especially when 4 in 10 Singaporean youth will eventually be degree holders.
Moreover, the influx of foreign talents in recent years has raised the bar for many graduates, making it more competitive in getting jobs. As a result, young people, despite being given more education opportunities, now face greater difficulty in getting their desired jobs, and often have to make do with jobs that do not match their qualifications or aspirations. This suggests that young people in Singapore may not necessarily be better off compared to past generations when we take into consideration the increasingly competitive and uncertain job landscape in which they have to survive and thrive in today.
Besides, the steadily rising costs of living in Singapore is another reason that Singaporeans today may not enjoy an easier life compared to previous generations.
0コメント