Young people are vital assets in any society and are major contributors to change and development. They can drive change in different spheres of social life, economy, and politics. The formation of a nation is broken down to a very large extent by the ability of the youth to take part in the developmental processes a nation goes through. With the current globalization, technological development, and changes in societies’ values, the contribution of youths in enhancing change in the global society is more valuable than before.

Young people are pivotal in driving societal, economic, and political change globally through advocacy, innovation, and active participation.

Young people are some of the most active participants in most social reforms and human rights issues that affect everyone. As a result, they can challenge the existing practices and ideas which in turn makes it possible for positive societal changes. The youth raise major societal concerns such as climate change, education, and mental health through advocacy, awareness creation, and lobbying.

More cases from around the globe include climate strikes and protests against discrimination conducted by young people to apply pressure on authorities and other organizations. In addition, youth volunteerism and other related community services assist in responding to local social vices.

It is common to see so many youths engaged in non-governmental organizations, charitable organizations, and humanitarian duties by volunteering to help deprived parts of society. Volunteering and charity work in advocacy of literacy, health, and the environment has a lasting, constructive change in communities.

The nation’s overall economic development factor depends much on the level of youth contribution to the field of enterprise and invention. Thanks to technology and schools, young people in present-day society are opening start-ups, creating innovations, and improving economic productivity. The new digital era has offered them a chance to build businesses that navigate regular industries toward new approaches to the economy.

Young people are now creating jobs in technology, e-commerce, renewable energy, and artificial Intelligence among other industries besides solving the world’s problems. However, youths are interested in the gig economy freelancing, and remote work that is disrupting traditional employment trends. They are flexible in new paradigms of working; thus, they have opened up economic spaces for employment. The youthful businesspeople with their ideas and willingness to take chances provide for wealth generation besides nation-building.

The youth have been instrumental in political activism, voter mobilization, and shaping democratic societies.

Its involvement in politics is very crucial to the development of a democratic society. It can be recalled that youth leaders and activists of the past have been instrumental in the political transformations of entire countries. Young people’s participation in politics is more important now than ever before because they have new ideas on the way the government can address problems.

So, there are many examples when youth engage in political processes, including joining political parties, political campaigning and even forming their parties, engaging themselves in political decision-making. It guarantees that decisions made impact the lower generations because the representatives occupy the appropriate positions. Also, young people have engaged in political activism by voter mobilization enhancing the representation of democracy through higher electoral turn-up.

Today political awareness especially among the youth has been greatly boosted by social media. Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are used in the conduct of political discourses, advertising, and canvassing.

The current generation of youths is the generation that is fully invested in IT and technology advancements. From software to artificial intelligence, young talents are leading the way to the future of the digital world. Their professional knowledge of code programming, secure internet connection, and how data science plays a role in different fields including healthcare, finance, education, and entertainment are the key to technological enhancement.

Technological developed through the youth have enhanced and expanded how individuals convey data and ideas to one another and they have brought the world closer together. In reference to the aspects of social media influencers, content creators and digital entrepreneurs prove that youthful people play an essential role in the digital economy. Taking YouTube and TikTok or Instagram as examples, new generations of creators have been able to share knowledge, entertainment, and social messages across the world.

Innovations by young entrepreneurs in technology and AI are transforming traditional industries and creating economic opportunities.

Furthermore, youth are also valuable in cybersecurity and digital ethics. Due to prevalent cyber risks or privacy breaches, modern young professionals are aiming at applying safe technology products for individuals or companies. Not only they have provided value by advancing the technological revolution with further convenience but affairs of security and inclusion as well.

Education is the tool to transform, Youth are both; the learners and educators in the process. There is little doubt that the younger generation has to be willing to learn, research, and innovate to come up with solutions to numerous problems our world faces today. Through college and post-college education and research, young scholars are advancing the field of medicine, renewable energy, environmentalism, and space exploration.

In health, agriculture, and industries young people contribute significantly towards research and development. Climate change has seen many young scientists and researchers find solutions to sustainable farming and disease control. Their discoveries and inventions are influencing policies and procedures that create a green future.

Educational reforms driven by youth activism aim to make learning inclusive, affordable, and skills-focused, addressing contemporary challenges.

Furthermore, the role which indeed youth should play in educational reforms is to increase the chances of opening education to every individual. Students’ activism has been fruitful in initiating reforms in learning institutions to fight for better education, cheap tuition, and skills-based education. The young learners who are currently in school need more digital platforms and effective methods of teaching hence demanding this.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.