We all use term ‘youth’ very lightly in our day to day lives. So, let’s take a moment to first understand to whom are we referring to when we use the term youth?
The United Nations defines “youth” as anyone between the ages of 15 and 24 for statistical purposes. However, not everyone agrees with this definition. We view “youth” as a broad term because young people’s experiences can differ greatly between nations, regions, and even within the same country.
Furthermore, let’s be aware of the term ‘youth empowerment’. Youth Empowerment refers to the process in which children and youth are inspired to take reigns of their life in their hands. Now, why is youth empowerment important? There are various reasons for it. Some of them are listed below:
- Skill Development: Youth empowerment is necessary because it gives young people the skills that they require to control their fate. This brings about long lasting alterations that may impact multiple generations. It might include the capacity to obtain food, or it could be the possession of medical expertise and understanding of proper sanitation and cleanliness. In the near future, all these skills may result in higher standard of living for the community but in the long run it may be able to provide the youth of the society with the skillset that they need to increase their opportunities in the future.
Uttejana foundation works towards the developing of skills in the youth of our nation. For doing this, certain activities are carried out. For example, on teacher’s day , children were encouraged to make cards and write something related to the people who teach them. This activity helped in bringing the creative side of children out as well as made them and us aware of their artistic skills.
Besides this, food and beverages were also distributed among them which was a step to teach them the skill of sharing with others.
- Providing knowledge and education and not just information: Giving young people the confidence that they can positively impact both their lives and the lives of those around them might inspire them to study harder. A strong sense of the value of education can have a positive impact on educational standards generally, which can be advantageous for the nation as a whole. Young individuals learn things through education that they didn’t know before, and this increased level of knowledge helps them better grasp the world around them.
Uttejana as a foundation too focuses on providing the youth of nation with the knowledge and education that they require. Also, we as a foundation, not only provide the children with knowledge but also the means to gain it. For example, the funds that we receive through donations and collaborations, we utilise them to buy notebooks, pencils, colours etc. for children.
Also, the people who volunteer here, not only teach the curriculum to the kids, but general knowledge is also being provided to them. For example, the kids were made aware of the life of Mahatma Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanti.
- Getting involved and Participating: Youth empowerment offers young people the self-assurance to speak up in their society and take ownership of activities and decisions that have an impact on them. Getting young people actively involved in their communities and engaging in them enables them to take pride in confronting issues head-on. Youth involvement and participation fosters their engagement, which is extremely beneficial for the future growth of the community.
Recently, we conducted an activity where the children were asked to write something regarding their parents. This activity was performed so that kids could get an idea of what they think about their parents, as well as to allow them to speak freely about the life that they are living right now and how their parents positively play a major role in it.
At the end, we can conclude by realising the fact that youth empowerment is very important for the nation as well as for the people living in it as it aims to improve the quality of life.