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International Youth Day : young People Facing Multiple Challenges

youth day

“The hopes of the world rest on young people. Peace, economic dynamism, social justice, tolerance — all this and more, today and tomorrow, depends on tapping into the power of youth,” says the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. 

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There are currently 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the world. It is the largest youth population ever. In Mauritius, the number of youth between the ages of 10-19 is 189,516. Today, our youngsters are facing endless challenges. From unemployment through violence to drugs, they have to live in a constant state of struggle. 

Sociologist Dr Pavi Ramhota reveals that today, we are truly in the age of youth. “Everybody wants to be connected with the youth. The bulging of the young population has its resonance across a range of fields. They drive the economy as employer, employee and consumer. But, the invention of youth is a result of modernity: a social construct that changes over time. Childhood was invented, followed by adolescence, as formal and institutionalized time spans, with the development of school education and gradual separation from family.” 

Dangers 

Sociologist Dr Pavi Ramhota explains that nowadays, the young get so much addicted with innovations such as Smartphone or tablets that they seem uninterested in the places they visit, at times even when it comes to holidays and instead, they focus all their energy on clicking pictures.  “At times on returning home, when parents or other folks ask about what they saw during their trips, they could only remember whatever they have captured in pictures, like the hotel and the food. Usually, they even forget the names of the popular spots, as they never attempt to memorise them in the first place.”

As highlighted by Dr Pavi Ramhota, psychiatrists came up with a new term, ‘Selfistis,” classified as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatrist Association (APS), that says that in this “Selfitis,” a person develops an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) of clicking selfies. “With the advent of internet facilities, the young has ceased to buy books. Many have not even touched a book for years. Around the world, young users are increasingly turning to the internet as source of information, communication, socializing and entertainment. Due to these phenomena, there is no place for human values and traditions.” 

One of the main dangers that our youth is facing is pornography, says Dr Pavi Ramhota. “Pornography is easily available on the internet and this has impacted on young people, which has led to unmarried mothers, child mothers, rape, and through online shopping, many sex toys are making their entry into society. The rate of divorce and gender based violence among the youth are on the rise.”  

Another issue is prostitution. As underlined by the sociologist, many young people are involved in prostitution, for instance having sex with foreign workers is rampant. “The flesh trade is very cheap here. The sex workers have to earn money at any cost.”

Moreover, a new phenomenon has unveiled over the past years, called “Facebook Depression,” as underscored by Dr Ramhota. “Facebook Depression is on the rise and it is defined as depression that develops when pre-teens, teens and youth in their twenties live and inhabit this space for too long; they spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook or WhatsApp, amongst others. This interaction raises their self esteem, as it allows them to express themselves without any inhibition and many a times incognito.”

Anas M. K Shufoodin, Immediate Past President of Rotaract Club of Port-Louis, argues that the challenges today start right at the tender age of primary as well as secondary school, where we have easy access to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. “Further up the educational ladder, youngsters are then faced with the hard competition of finding a job, and if they cannot get hired, they end up on the street or jobless, which leads to higher crime rate and depression.” 

President of Rotary Club Vacoas, Nishta Jooty avers that another danger our young ones faces is alcohol and drug abuse. “Most of the youth are greatly influenced by their peers. They start with cigarettes and end up taking hard drugs. There is an alarming rise in synthetic drug intake in Mauritius.”

Violence is another problem we should tackle for our youth, says Nishta Jooty. “Young people are turning more and more violent and they want to prove that they have a certain power. They are exposed to violence in the media, on the Internet, on TV, in video games, at home, at school and even from our National Assembly. One of the ways to overcome this problem would be to promote sports activities for youth or to get them involved in social work.” 

How to create a better environment?  

International experts are claiming that it is now time to create a safer environment for the youth around the world. Dr Ramhota agrees with them and believes that our perspectives should be re-oriented towards a more rational and scientific way to know the role that should be played as being young. “The difficulty of our youth is employability. The level of frustration ebbs high when they are unemployed. In Mauritius there is no good politics. The system does not encourage our youth to be more efficient. For instance, all new vacancies, when advertised, ask for a certain amount of ‘Experience’. If the person does not have any experience, his or her application will be eliminated, thus rendering the job hunt very difficult. Another problem is that one should be a mediator of the ruling party to secure a top job. The caste system is another barrier.” 

Furthermore, according to him, there is need to introduce Youth Studies. “They do not exactly know what the term ‘youth’ means, what their rights and duties are. Children are playing the role of mothers and fathers at a very tender age. They have to be given proper direction about how to become better citizens. There is no sense of patriotism among the youth. They should think in terms of nation building and character building.” 

Anas Shufoodin believes that the issues should be tackled at the root itself whereby the youth are raised and modeled for a peaceful society through responsible bodies such as schools, colleges and universities. “Teachers, administrative staff, as well as maintenance workforce will all need to be trained as well so as to develop the abilities to listen to all, including the minorities and promote inclusiveness. After all, they will be the agents of peace and of positive change. School administration will also need to have keen eyes and ears for students who are bullied and the student who bullies. Special therapy session will need to be allocated to both of them, and that follow-ups are to be done at both school and family levels.” 

He also adds that “educational institute, organization and centers around Mauritius have to prepare programmes that promote respect of individuals with different origins and cultures. Those activities should be present at school, in the schoolyard, and in buses all the way till home. Thus, our educational curriculum needs to be reviewed and amended so that it is omnipresent in the daily life of a youngster. They will have to implement a structure that channels the youngsters to organizations where he or she will develop certain skills and prepare them for the real world. Some youngsters who don’t excel in the main areas at school might be good at sports, art, music or other less mainstream fields. ”

Nishta puts much emphasis on creating awareness of the risks that alcohol and drug use entails and to make the youth understand how the consequences will affect their lives. “There are more and more young people suffering from depression. They can be sad, frustrated or angry and might withdraw from social life. They become more exposed to alcohol and drug use. They cannot handle stress and anxiety in a positive way. Depression can even lead to suicide. One solution would be to consult a psychotherapist and to follow a treatment.”

She believes that the children of the Generation Z grow up too fast. “We need to educate both parents and children on these issues. These dangers touch all young people, whatever their background or social status. Nowadays, the family dynamics have changed. Both parents work and are often absent. There are more divorced couples. Also, today’s parents are more lenient and the young ones are less disciplined. There is a communication gap between parents and children. The children are the ones who suffer from these societal changes and become most vulnerable to all these dangers. It is crucial to protect our youth and to create safe spaces for them, as they are our future and the hopes of the world rest on them.”


Karuna Rajiah : “Young people must learn that doing any job is not a disgrace”

karuna rajiah

Psychologist Karuna Rajiah argues that safety is one of the needs that all human beings need. It is one of the factors that contribute to the personality of an individual. “Undoubtedly every individual needs to feel safe in order to function normally. For the youth, their voices have to be heard and they should know that their voice matters. We ought to understand that if they feel valued, they will feel free to express themselves, share their worries and happiness. Too many restrictions may create barriers to communicate with young people.”

She believes that young people must be given the right guidance under the right conditions. “Too many rules may lead to rebellion. Elders in the surrounding of the young people should pay heed to them, gain their trust and should also try to gain their trust. But a major component is that elders should not be judgmental. Remember before becoming older, we were once young persons, too.”

She states that parents should refrain from imposing their choices or preferences. “Teachers should encourage learning to take place based on prior knowledge, encourage children to make their own choices and guide them where need be. Career guidance is not about imposing choices on young people but helping them make the right choices. However, young people must learn that doing any job is not a disgrace.”

Undoubtedly every individual needs to feel safe in order to function normally. For the youth, their voices have to be heard and they should know that their voice matters. We ought to understand that if they feel valued, they will feel free to express themselves, share their worries and happiness."

International Youth Day 

12th August was first designated International Youth Day by the UN General Assembly in 1999, and serves as an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change, and an opportunity to raise awareness of challenges and problems facing the world’s youth. The theme for this year is “Safe Spaces for Youth.” Youth need safe spaces where they can come together, engage in activities related to their diverse needs and interests, participate in decision making processes and freely express themselves. While there are many types of spaces, safe spaces ensure the dignity and safety of youth. Safe spaces such as civic spaces enable youth to engage in governance issues; public spaces afford youth the opportunity to participate in sports and other leisure activities in the community; digital spaces help youth interact virtually across borders with everyone; and well planned physical spaces can help accommodate the needs of diverse youth especially those vulnerable to marginalization or violence.

 

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