“Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake … and to face the challenge of Social change.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The slopes of social participation have been slowly changing. The bureaucratic barriers of politics have been slimmed. The direction of national development is now more decentralized. And the rights of the once unheard are now in the ladder of mainstream attention.
Each of these things symbolizes the political revolution that the youths of today are experiencing. The facet of empowerment now trails to the grassroots of the community, catalyzing the strength of a social agenda by vibrant participation.
Technology: Benchmark in Harnessing Youth Potentials
The advancement of technology earmarks the new generation of transformational youths. The digital age has been a living combat to the accusation that a commoner will always remain unheard. As we continue to cave the path of social innovations, we give voices to people who have an unbiased view of the socio-political landscapes in status quo. Technology abridges youths to be instruments of national development with their fresh ideas and unique innovations. With social media, we engage more people to become more responsive to national issues because we can prop information in the open.
Corollary to that, we can utilize a rich multimedia content to facilitate awareness programs through websites and graphic creations. That way, we’re harnessing human potentials and talents to educate people about different advocacies. And a perfect example of which is on how Twitter and Facebook can be used to improve transparency in elections. Through the use of mobile phones and its applications, youths are empowered with rights to protect their votes through facilitated reporting of electoral violations. With more accountability and transparency in governance, we can inadvertently seal a better promise to development through active civil vigilance.
(taken from http://infworm.com/become-a-young-leader)
Participative Youths in Social Innovations
In development, the best way to move forward is to learn from our history. And it is the history of having a centralized power that hinders us in becoming involved in the process of carving solutions. With the borderless ideas that we have in a more globalized world, we also have a platform of infinite possible solutions to the diverse problems.
And we have more empowered youths in the micro-scale who are taking their own initial steps to improve their communities. We have community projects about liter of lights, flood barriers, artificial coral reefs, awareness programs to handicapped people, and many more. These projects should be profiled by the state and be tied-up with private corporations who are willing to fund these community programs. In this manner, we empower genuine solutions to problems in grassroots level.
Investment to Youth for Labor Force and Knowledge Production
Scholarships and subsidies to state universities return a promise of national progress. The state should continue to offer vocational and non-vocational programs for the youths with varying interests. The state’s role is to offer options for the youths to harness and improve their raw talents to be able to contribute to the state in the future. In a way, youths will be developed individually with their fueling desire and passion.
If we open our eyes in seeing what youths can do, we will realize that we’re keying in an eminent social driver who will rule the change to development. If we re-live the youth of the past, awaken the youth of today, and empower the youth of our future, we will live in a community that is more responsive to the global challenge of making development a social culture.
