This article focuses on the importance of the youth in our society. We have chosen this article not only because the afro youth is the main target customer of our products, but also because young people are indeed a crucial part of any nation.
As a brand focusing on the Afro youth, we deem it ideal to highlight the importance of these actors and how they impact the society we live in.
Of course, it's a common mantra that the youths are the future of tomorrow, and nothing could be truer. They are creative, talented, and energetic, and can change the world with their innovative ideas.
However, all of that potential cannot be realized if these youths are shoved into a corner and not adequately invested in. In light of that, it's society's role to educate the young ones of today as they will become the adults it will look up to tomorrow. Youths should also be given a chance in relevant positions in society. Sadly, discrimination, especially against the girl child is a glaring threat to that future.
This article discusses our point of view regarding the youth's relevance and why they should be given the attention they deserve.
THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE YOUTH IN OUR SOCIETY
The best time to get the youths involved in their communities is during adolescence. This is when most people develop convictions, belief systems, and an understanding of how the world works.
And notably, teamwork and respect are two values adolescents must be taught; this will help shape their mindset, which they will take into adulthood.
TEAMWORK
Why does it matter? Instilling teamwork is pivotal because we must make young people understand that, to develop a better world, they must work together. A tree cannot make a forest. It would be challenging to go on a one-man mission to change one's society with every other person working against you. Your effect wouldn’t be very significant. It would be like a drop in the ocean or having others soil the path you've already mopped, simply because you didn't take them along.
It is therefore important to teach the youth how to unite and work together to facilitate collective progress in society. Of course, we can liken it to people who joined sports clubs where they had to play as a team. They must get to know each other and set up collective strategies in order to defeat their opponents.
Location : Durban, South Africa - Source : Unsplash
RESPECT
Respect, they say, is reciprocal. It's helpful for young people to learn to respect others in society as that can help them earn the respect they deserve.
Respect is a fundamental value in any society. It is a regard for others, and this regard can help establish favorable moods between people, creating a conducive atmosphere for teamwork.
However, the greatest involvement of the youth in society remains in "voluntary" form. This is most noteworthy due to the fact that nothing is free nowadays. But thanks to volunteer programs, young people are given a chance to help others without desiring anything in return. That is the true spirit of selflessness, and youths are using their vigor to advance their communities. If more people can follow this path of developing their society without necessarily looking for financial rewards, the results would be immense.
THEY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Model: The Brandy K Photographer: Kieana Rochelle Mainor - Source : Unsplash
Some people are incredibly talented and have ingenious ideas, and it is in their youth that they get to impact the world with their gifts. Whether in the music industry, entrepreneurship, or politics, we find young enthusiasts dedicated to success. This success is not necessarily theirs, as it eventually contributes to the advancement of society.
It is now far easier to affect our world than decades ago. We now have technologies that didn't exist before, and young people know how to use them pretty well. Youths are all over social media and blogs, commenting on national and global issues. As noted above, young people are endowed with many talents and some leverage music as a tool to speak on worrisome situations occurring all around us.
Offset on stage - Source : Unsplash
The music of young people today speaks a lot, carrying inspiring and stimulating messages.
APPARENT DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN YOUNG GIRLS AND YOUNG BOYS
In some parts of the world, the girl child is deprived of education. In such societies, sadly, a woman is considered confined to household duties and therefore incapable of changing the world. This gender discrimination has led to higher rates of illiteracy among females as parents would not take their girl child to school, regarding it as a waste of money.
As of 2020, 132 million girls aged 6 to 17 years are still out of school, 63% of illiterate adults in the world are women, and 64 million girls are coerced into forced labor (source: PLAN INTERNATIONAL). Indeed, the numbers are alarming.
Educational deprivation of the girl child results from various reasons, including cultural beliefs, traditional gender roles, poverty (most low-income families will deem it more valuable to educate their boys), and early marriages/pregnancies. Of course, early marriages and pregnancies typically force girls out of school, whereas their partners can continue schooling.
This education deficiency causes a handicap for young girls who become inferior to boys. Illiterate females will also find it challenging to land high-paying jobs, making it twice difficult to get out of poverty. This can have serious consequences on their mental health.
But most notable is that this deprivation results in a vicious cycle. When the girl child is education-deprived because she's believed to end up as a housewife, she is rendered incapable of going beyond that. When she finally ends up as nothing but a housewife, the belief is reinforced in such parents, thinking they were right after all, not knowing they were responsible for their child's limitation. And in such a society, most parents would become averse to sending their girl child to school because of what they see. But they can never be more wrong.
If given a chance, women can effect significant global change just like their male counterparts.
It's a shame because today, we have women at the head of high institutions. For example, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was in 2006 the first woman elected to the universal suffrage at the head of an African state. There's also Michelle Obama, who was a lawyer and then senator in Illinois, and, as you very well know, became the first African-American First Lady in the United States when her husband Barack Obama won the presidential elections in 2008.
Michelle and Barack Obama BY PETE MAROVICH/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES - Source : Vanityfair
We believe that the role of women in our society should not be limited to maintaining a home. Like young men, young women have their place in the community and global advancement. The world is changing, and we hope mindsets will change alongside in order to eradicate this discrimination between boys and girls not only in education but also on the societal level. And it all begins with the parents' perception of their girl child.
In this article, we have shown the potential and importance of youth in the development of our society. Every young person today is the adult of tomorrow, hence the importance of acquiring a good foundation from an early age in order to prepare to lead and change the world.