If empowered well, the youth can become agents of change and peace, says Neil Binoy
It’s important to note how the young ones have started to recognise issues, which need immediate attention. From climate change, corruption, racism and gender to education and technology, they are initiating necessary dialogues. Until now, most of them have lived in the dark. Through this column, I hope to bring light to the issues that thrive in the darkest corners of our world, feeding off children’s silence.
Young minds have been scarred by everyday strife and conflict. Bullying, violence, discrimination — you name it and at least, one child will have witnessed it firsthand. The issues we face, as children, are often swept under the carpet. Our voices have been drowned out in the deluge. There are hardly any platforms where we express our views and anguish.
Our voices are young and yet, they are powerful. Today, we see child activists like Malala Yousafzai, Marley Dias and Greta Thunberg speak up and make those around them listen. A 14-year-old Greta has inspired thousands of children and adults to protest against the sluggishness of global leaders in protecting the environment. With her rousing speech in the United Nations, Greta made the world’s leaders sit up and listen as she raved about how they had robbed the youth and the next generations of their future by destroying the environment. She set an example, showcasing the difference children can make, and in many ways, we, as children, are as capable as any adult. We all know how the photograph of her ice-cold, piercing stare at the former US President Donald Trump went viral.
Well now, a fresh shift in power means a potential change in diplomatic relations with various countries across the world, including India and China. The US President is the singular most powerful man in the world with enough power to make or break other nations. More importantly, if he wants to etch out a successful run as president, he needs to build a more inclusive and a sustainable environment. In this era of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and environmental damage on an irreversible and increasingly dangerous scale, we require the power to shift towards a more people-friendly approach, one that helps prevent discrimination. Not only that, but we need a leader who knows how to listen, especially to us, as children, as the youth.
The world has had many leaders who stood for the youth. One such leader was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He who valued children’s endeavours and was a leader who knew the best to understand the youth and nurture the leader in them. He had said, “Children are like buds in a garden. They should be carefully and lovingly nurtured as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow.”
History is evidence of how time and again young leaders have shaped the future and brought a revolution. Maharaja Shree Chithira Thirunnal of Travancore took the reins at a young age, creating a renaissance for the State through his innovative reforms in education, administration and the industrialisation of the city. His ground-breaking Temple Entry Proclamation to eradicate untouchability — a decision he took when he was 12 and implemented at 17 when he took over as the king — is the most remembered act of courage till date.
If empowered well, the youth can become agents of change and peace. Young voices matter, their action could change the course of history. A nation that fails to nurture its youth is destroying its future. In this 21st century, as the future beckons, the young voices matter. As Mary McLeod Bethune said, “We have a powerful potential in our youth and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.”
(The author is a teen student activist.)