Empowering youths in today’s society

YOUNG people matter in shaping the society of tomorrow, so it is imperative to understand the current situation of youth development. The impact of Covid-19, the global economic downturn and rising unemployment have left the youth with a bleak future.

In many cases, today’s youth in Malaysia lack vision and career paths. We have seen how school-leavers are uninterested in further studies but become involved in illegal activities like drugs and “rempit”. Thus, many are wasting precious time on futile activities.

The underprivileged youth, in particular, have sacrificed their dreams to care for their sick parents or family members. And rising unemployment and low wages have only exacerbated their problems. No help avails them, and there is not much left to thrive on.

The sheer lack of youth participation or involvement in public discourse has prevented them from being able to express their thoughts and ideas on various issues. Suppressing their thoughts has only instilled them with fear and mistrust of society. This is associated with other problems such as ignorance, rudeness and apathy.