By Arham Saeed
Opinion.
The 32nd president of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt, once stated, “We cannot always build our future for our youth, but we can build our youth for our future.” Regardless of your views on politics, it’s undeniable that this quote highlights the importance of the role of youth within our society. Similarly, celebrities, scientists, and other leaders worldwide have highlighted this point for centuries.
The youth of today will literally make the future, a future as soon as five years from now. If the state of youth right now reflects the future, it’s clear that youth development is an urgent matter.
What is youth development?
Before discussing its significance, we must first understand what youth development is. Youth development comes in various forms, and some examples include mentoring, sports, and volunteering.
My experience of youth development came from getting involved with Dare To Be Youth (DTBY) charity as a Community Youth Council (CYC) member. This involvement allowed me to help my community and work toward youth support and betterment. The initiatives I’ve helped with taught me about community, teamwork, and overcoming challenges. Moreover, it built skills like leadership, responsibility, and resiliency.
An opportunity for immense growth and evolution opens itself when you get involved with community events and activities. It builds values, character, and helps you find what really matters to you in life. As mentioned earlier, youth development varies, so there are slight differences in what you attain from it. Nonetheless, you’ll always grow as an individual, gain experience, and become a better and more capable individual. The outcomes of youth development are fantastic, and it’s not difficult to get involved with these initiatives, especially within Halton.
The importance of youth development
Now that you know what youth development is, it’s essential to understand why the need for youth development is so vital to our society. In short, youth development directly reflects the future of our society a couple of years from now.
For example, let’s say there’s a multitude of negative trends present within society right now. Ten years from now, these trends will be prevalent in society, impacting politics, organizational work, peace, and the overall climate of a community. For this reason, it’s essential that the youth of today are moulded with characteristics and values that lead to the development of contributing citizens of society.
Unfortunately, youth development isn’t a major focus within our society. Some organizations are working towards this cause, like DTBY; however, our education system fails to do this. Ideally, youth development should be integrated within school systems and curriculums, but it isn’t. Most students are unaware of the programs in their communities that offer this service, so they don’t get involved with their communities either. It ultimately results in a gap in the growth and experiences a child should receive.
What now?
So now that you know what youth leadership is and why it’s important, it’s finally time to move on to the main takeaway, of how to apply it this knowledge. Regardless of your age, everyone should be working towards youth development, so let’s get right into how you should start.
The need for adult and senior involvement within these programs is critical. Organizations such as DTBY and many others around Halton always need adult volunteers. In the start, adults handle these organizations to develop the youth. Eventually, as time passes, the youth take over as they grow. If you’re capable and comfortable in doing so, you can even offer to attend a session as a guest speaker to offer insight and mentorship. Most importantly, if/when you have kids, it’s vital to help them find youth development programs they are interested in.
The impact of youth development, which ultimately decides our future, comes down to today’s youth. We need youth to recognize the importance of developing themselves into capable individuals. It’s vital that youth connect with our communities’ programs and activities to grow and develop themselves. The Halton area has many programs that work toward this cause, including DTBY. You should consult your local town or city websites, community centres and libraries to discover activities and initiatives offered in your community.
Youth development is critical as it significantly impacts our future. It’s essential that people of all ages become involved with youth development to ensure a brighter future than the reality we reside in now. It’s now up to all of us to work together towards a common cause, as only after we recognize the importance of teamwork and youth development can we convert our hopes into reality.
Arham says: Hey, I’m Arham! I’m a grade 12 student at Bishop Reding CSS in Milton, ON. My favourite hobby is basketball, and I love Star Wars! I also have a passion for helping my community, which I do in many ways. One example is my involvement with Dare to Be You charity as a Community Youth Council member.
Sources:
Roosevelt, F. September 20, 1940. Address at University of Pennsylvania. The American Presidency Project. Url: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-university-pennsylvania#:~:text=We%20cannot%20always%20build%20the,are%20being%20forged%20and%20shaped. (accessed Mar. 13, 2023).
