Commentary on Youth Leadership.
"...why is our nation still buried underground? Because we still fail to realize the reality that we cannot depend on the youth to change a phase. As ugly as it may seem to sound, young people only base their thoughts on what is empirical, not exactly on what is actually happening. How then, can they be credible enough in order to change anything? The youth, yes, is the hope of the fatherland but how? Education and experience. And who has more of these? Those who are actually sitting in position, they who can analyze all possible sides of the situation. What can the youth do?.."
-Some columnist.
I beg to disagree. Yes, youth are inexperienced when it comes to, say, city or nation governance. The experience we derive our thoughts from are not only empirical, though. I guess it is safe to say that being the victims of those political stains is more than enough to let us be aware of what is actually happening.
Another thing is this: it mentioned that education and experience help in the credibility of changing a phase. Yes, exactly. So how do we become credible? Experience and awareness. A college degree is not the only proof of this. These are all technical knowledge, although I'm not saying it doesn't help. I say though, the situation at hand does not only require an approach that is derived from the conventional stuff we learn from books. Many times, practicality is more important, as the decisions made are based on the situation. Analysis. Adaptation and knowing how to act upon a problem. The youth can change a phase. We just need to be heard.
In my place, there is a time when selected student leaders are given a chance to take over the city as city officials for a week. This is how we are givem the experience and awareness we need in order to at least change something in the city. And you know what? A lot of the approved laws and propositions in my city are made by these student leaders. With this, the Interact club was formed, a club that is made up of those who participated in the youth city governance program. The government considers the youth as a vital part of society and therefore helps this club by hearing them out and helping them understand what is happening and giving them the opportunity to think of possible solutions, (which they also actually consider).
With the Interact club, the city was able to build 1 hospital, 3 day care centers in strategic places in the city, and even contributed to the funds that aimed to provide a new route in the city. While this is underway, they even proposed an alternative route for the public utility vehicles to take so as not to deal with traffic caused by the construction. It works.
Youth works. If given the chance, we can do things. We can affect change.
