The Unstoppable Force Of Youth: Why Young People Must Be Involved In Politics And Society

By: Silas Mwau­dasheni Nande 

Worth Not­ing:

• To ensure mean­ing­ful par­tic­i­pa­tion, it is essen­tial to bridge the gap between pol­i­tics and young peo­ple. One way to do this is through polit­i­cal lit­er­a­cy. Edu­cat­ing youth on how gov­ern­ment func­tions, how poli­cies are made, and how to exer­cise their demo­c­ra­t­ic rights empow­ers them to make informed deci­sions. Addi­tion­al­ly, polit­i­cal par­ties and civ­il orga­ni­za­tions should cre­ate plat­forms that delib­er­ate­ly tar­get and engage young peo­ple.
• Social move­ments through­out his­to­ry have been dri­ven by young peo­ple. The Civ­il Rights Move­ment, anti-apartheid strug­gles, cli­mate change activism, and recent pro-democ­ra­cy protests have all drawn strength from the pas­sion and per­sis­tence of youth. Their ener­gy and readi­ness to chal­lenge the sta­tus quo make them for­mi­da­ble agents of change.

In every gen­er­a­tion, youth have been the van­guard of change. From spark­ing rev­o­lu­tions to pio­neer­ing inno­va­tions, young peo­ple have shaped soci­eties and altered the course of his­to­ry. Yet, despite their inher­ent pow­er, many young indi­vid­u­als today remain on the periph­ery of polit­i­cal and social activ­i­ties. As the world faces unprece­dent­ed challenges—ranging from cli­mate change and polit­i­cal polar­iza­tion to eco­nom­ic dis­par­i­ty and social injustice—there is an urgent need for young peo­ple to step up and take charge. Their involve­ment in pol­i­tics, vol­un­teer activ­i­ties, and broad­er soci­etal engage­ments is not just desir­able but essen­tial for shap­ing a sus­tain­able and inclu­sive future.

The Pow­er of Youth Engage­ment in Pol­i­tics

Pol­i­tics shapes poli­cies that affect every aspect of our lives—education, employ­ment, health­care, and beyond. How­ev­er, many young peo­ple feel dis­con­nect­ed from polit­i­cal process­es, often view­ing pol­i­tics as an are­na reserved for the old­er gen­er­a­tion or elite fig­ures. This mis­con­cep­tion needs to be dis­man­tled. Youth engage­ment in pol­i­tics is cru­cial because it breathes new life into gov­er­nance and deci­sion-mak­ing process­es.

Young peo­ple make up a sig­nif­i­cant por­tion of the glob­al pop­u­la­tion. In Africa alone, about 60% of the pop­u­la­tion is under the age of 25. This demo­graph­ic advan­tage presents a gold­en oppor­tu­ni­ty to reshape the polit­i­cal land­scape. Involv­ing young peo­ple in pol­i­tics means incor­po­rat­ing fresh per­spec­tives, pro­gres­sive ideas, and the ener­gy need­ed to tack­le per­sis­tent chal­lenges. More impor­tant­ly, it fos­ters account­abil­i­ty among lead­ers, as youth tend to chal­lenge out­dat­ed norms and ques­tion entrenched prac­tices.

Bridg­ing the Gap: Youth Rep­re­sen­ta­tion and Polit­i­cal Influ­ence

To ensure mean­ing­ful par­tic­i­pa­tion, it is essen­tial to bridge the gap between pol­i­tics and young peo­ple. One way to do this is through polit­i­cal lit­er­a­cy. Edu­cat­ing youth on how gov­ern­ment func­tions, how poli­cies are made, and how to exer­cise their demo­c­ra­t­ic rights empow­ers them to make informed deci­sions. Addi­tion­al­ly, polit­i­cal par­ties and civ­il orga­ni­za­tions should cre­ate plat­forms that delib­er­ate­ly tar­get and engage young peo­ple.

Pro­grams such as youth par­lia­ments, lead­er­ship acad­e­mies, and civic edu­ca­tion work­shops can also inspire polit­i­cal ambi­tion and pre­pare the next gen­er­a­tion for lead­er­ship roles. Beyond mere par­tic­i­pa­tion, young peo­ple must be encour­aged to con­test for polit­i­cal posi­tions, there­by increas­ing youth rep­re­sen­ta­tion in leg­isla­tive and deci­sion-mak­ing bod­ies. Coun­tries like Namib­ia, Ugan­da, and South Africa have made strides in pro­mot­ing youth lead­er­ship, but more efforts are need­ed to remove bar­ri­ers that hin­der youth from active­ly par­tic­i­pat­ing in main­stream pol­i­tics.

The Impact of Youth Vol­un­teerism on Soci­ety

While polit­i­cal engage­ment is cru­cial, com­mu­ni­ty involve­ment through vol­un­teerism is equal­ly vital. Vol­un­teerism allows young peo­ple to address soci­etal issues direct­ly and build con­nec­tions with their com­mu­ni­ties. From envi­ron­men­tal clean-up cam­paigns to tutor­ing pro­grams and human­i­tar­i­an aid ini­tia­tives, vol­un­teer­ing cul­ti­vates empa­thy and a sense of social respon­si­bil­i­ty.

Build­ing Social Cap­i­tal Through Vol­un­teer Work

Social cap­i­tal, the net­works and rela­tion­ships that enable col­lec­tive action, is strength­ened when young peo­ple vol­un­teer. Through com­mu­ni­ty ser­vice, youth acquire skills such as team­work, prob­lem-solv­ing, and lead­er­ship. These skills are invalu­able in both per­son­al and pro­fes­sion­al spheres. More impor­tant­ly, vol­un­teer­ing fos­ters sol­i­dar­i­ty and a sense of own­er­ship, enabling young peo­ple to under­stand the issues that plague their com­mu­ni­ties and take part in craft­ing solu­tions.

Vol­un­teer activ­i­ties also help bridge gen­er­a­tional divides, as youth col­lab­o­rate with old­er com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers. This inter­gen­er­a­tional exchange of ideas fos­ters mutu­al under­stand­ing and respect, break­ing down stereo­types and bias­es. Fur­ther­more, young vol­un­teers often intro­duce inno­v­a­tive solu­tions to long-stand­ing prob­lems, thanks to their expo­sure to mod­ern tech­nol­o­gy and glob­al per­spec­tives.

Youth Pres­ence in Every Spec­trum of Soci­ety

To max­i­mize their impact, young peo­ple should be present in every spec­trum of soci­etal activ­i­ties. Whether it is busi­ness, arts and cul­ture, edu­ca­tion, sports, or social move­ments, youth pres­ence injects dynamism and inno­va­tion. A soci­ety that val­ues youth involve­ment becomes more resilient and adap­tive to change.

Youth and Social Move­ments: The Pulse of Change

Social move­ments through­out his­to­ry have been dri­ven by young peo­ple. The Civ­il Rights Move­ment, anti-apartheid strug­gles, cli­mate change activism, and recent pro-democ­ra­cy protests have all drawn strength from the pas­sion and per­sis­tence of youth. Their ener­gy and readi­ness to chal­lenge the sta­tus quo make them for­mi­da­ble agents of change.

How­ev­er, being vocal and active on social media alone is not enough. While dig­i­tal activism is cru­cial, it must trans­late into tan­gi­ble action. Whether through peace­ful protests, peti­tion­ing author­i­ties, or mobi­liz­ing for com­mu­ni­ty projects, young peo­ple must lever­age both online and offline plat­forms to advo­cate for change.

Youth in Busi­ness and Entre­pre­neur­ship

The eco­nom­ic sphere is anoth­er area where young peo­ple must take the lead. Youth entre­pre­neur­ship not only tack­les unem­ploy­ment but also fos­ters eco­nom­ic growth and inno­va­tion. Gov­ern­ments and pri­vate enti­ties should there­fore invest in youth-cen­tered incu­ba­tion hubs, skills devel­op­ment pro­grams, and access to cap­i­tal. By becom­ing entre­pre­neurs, young peo­ple reduce depen­den­cy and cre­ate job oppor­tu­ni­ties for them­selves and oth­ers.

Chal­lenges to Youth Involve­ment and How to Over­come Them

Despite the unde­ni­able poten­tial of youth, numer­ous chal­lenges ham­per their involve­ment in pol­i­tics and soci­etal activ­i­ties. These include:

1. Polit­i­cal Mar­gin­al­iza­tion: Many polit­i­cal struc­tures are dom­i­nat­ed by old­er gen­er­a­tions who may be reluc­tant to cede pow­er or men­tor young aspi­rants.
2. Lack of Finan­cial Resources: Pol­i­tics and busi­ness often require sig­nif­i­cant cap­i­tal, which many young peo­ple lack.
3. Edu­ca­tion­al Gaps: With­out ade­quate polit­i­cal and civic edu­ca­tion, youth may feel ill-equipped to par­tic­i­pate in mean­ing­ful ways.
4. Cyn­i­cism and Apa­thy: Dis­il­lu­sion­ment with cor­rupt lead­er­ship and bro­ken promis­es can lead to polit­i­cal apa­thy among young peo­ple.
5. Social and Cul­tur­al Bar­ri­ers: In some com­mu­ni­ties, cul­tur­al norms dis­cour­age young peo­ple from speak­ing out or par­tic­i­pat­ing active­ly in pol­i­tics.

Strate­gies for Empow­er­ment

1. Men­tor­ship and Train­ing: Estab­lished lead­ers should men­tor young peo­ple, equip­ping them with the knowl­edge and skills need­ed for lead­er­ship.
2. Eco­nom­ic Empow­er­ment: Offer­ing grants and loans for youth-led busi­ness­es and com­mu­ni­ty projects can bridge finan­cial gaps.
3. Civic Edu­ca­tion: Gov­ern­ments and schools must incor­po­rate polit­i­cal and civic edu­ca­tion into cur­ric­u­la to nur­ture polit­i­cal­ly con­scious youth.
4. Youth Quo­tas: Imple­ment­ing youth quo­tas in par­lia­ment and local coun­cils ensures rep­re­sen­ta­tion and deci­sion-mak­ing influ­ence.
5. Mobi­liza­tion and Sol­i­dar­i­ty: Young peo­ple should form alliances that tran­scend polit­i­cal affil­i­a­tions and focus on shared aspi­ra­tions for devel­op­ment and jus­tice.

The Way For­ward: Cre­at­ing a Lega­cy of Youth Involve­ment

As the cus­to­di­ans of tomor­row, young peo­ple can­not afford to remain pas­sive. Their involve­ment in pol­i­tics, vol­un­teer work, and soci­etal activ­i­ties is indis­pens­able for cre­at­ing sus­tain­able change. Youth must be delib­er­ate in seiz­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties and chal­leng­ing the sys­tems that exclude them. It is equal­ly impor­tant for old­er gen­er­a­tions to acknowl­edge the poten­tial of youth and cre­ate spaces where their voic­es are not only heard but respect­ed and act­ed upon.

The jour­ney to youth empow­er­ment is not easy, but it is nec­es­sary. By invest­ing in polit­i­cal lit­er­a­cy, fos­ter­ing com­mu­ni­ty involve­ment, and pro­mot­ing youth lead­er­ship, soci­eties can unlock the full poten­tial of young peo­ple. It is time to move from rhetoric to action—building soci­eties where youth are not just spec­ta­tors but key play­ers. Let us chal­lenge the norm and set a prece­dent for future gen­er­a­tions: a soci­ety shaped, dri­ven, and sus­tained by the ener­gy, pas­sion, and com­mit­ment of its youth.

Con­clu­sion

The call to action is clear: young peo­ple must not only be seen but heard, not just heard but involved, and not just involved but lead­ing. When youth take the reins of pol­i­tics, busi­ness, vol­un­teerism, and soci­etal engage­ment, they cre­ate lega­cies that inspire and sus­tain devel­op­ment. Let us empow­er young peo­ple to rise above apa­thy, embrace respon­si­bil­i­ty, and steer the world toward a brighter, more inclu­sive future. The time for youth involve­ment is now.