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Change and Youth


The young have taken to the streets world over and taken the charge for leading change.

The youth has taken to the streets all over the world for issues they sense are vital to their future. Increasingly, the younger generation has taken lead roles on the world stage in public protests and advocacy related to environment, corruption, rape, censorship, campaign for gun control in the US, issues of citizenship and extradition as in Hong Kong, and recently in India, in support of the continuing secular spirit of the nation.

It is natural that the youth should be concerned, as they are the ones who hold the future in their hands. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Nobel Prize winner Malala  Yousafzai are universally recognized faces of youth activism. However, there are thousands of other young people working for various political, social and economic causes.

Adults dominate the  political discourse, but young people have demonstrated that today’s youth are informed and concerned citizens who can be trusted to advocate for change.

What has changed ? Nothing actually. India is no stranger to youth activism. Whenever the need has arisen, students have been at the forefront of political and social movements – the Young Bengal Movement of 1830s, the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920, the Emergency in 1975, the Anti Mandal agitation, candlelight vigils for violence against women, and now protests against the citizenship amendment act, and the national register of citizens.

The one change is in the impact and reach of protests. Technology makes communication far more effective, not just for organizing movements, but also for disseminating information and raising awareness. Technology and digital media have given youth activism a new boost.

The first step  towards change and a better future is awareness. Then comes dialogue. But what follows dialogue has to be a show of solidarity and action. Everyone must do what he/she can. Action does not necessarily mean taking things in your own hands or trying to force immediate change. Even stepping up to share your views, or raise your voice to create solidarity, is action. And that is where digital media helps all youngsters feel they finally have a voice and arm as strong as that of any adult.

Adults sit up and take notice when their children protest or take out procession and expose themselves to threats and danger. In today’s technologically advanced environment, Greta’s simple, solo act snowballed into a global wave of school strikes for the environment, taking her to the UN climate talk in Madrid.

Not every youth activist needs or will get the attention that Greta did. Not everyone needs to be at the forefront of protests and movements. But every child and young person needs to, and must remain connected and aware. From Vietnam War, Tiananmen Square, Arab Spring, young people have always been at the forefront of protest and change. The world’s leading philosophers and thinkers have always stressed the importance of social and political consciousness amongst the youth.

Spreading awareness is action, on whatever platforms they have access to. And for this one does not need big stage or spotlights. Greta, too, started very small !

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