International Youth Day

I was intrigued when I learned that there would be a group blogging about International Youth Day; a time when the world recognizes the potential of youth and celebrates their achievements.

George Bernard Shaw once said “youth is wasted on the young.” We can think of young people who have everything going for them. Physically they are in the best health they will ever be in. Their minds are sharp and clear. As someone who is in my 30’s I am reminded every day that I am not as young as I think I am. My body doesn’t bounce back as quickly as it once did, and staying up all night isn’t an option as it was while I was in college. Shaw implies though that the youth is wasted because the young lack patience, understanding and wisdom which results in so much wasted effort.

Recently, I attended a summit on drop out prevention. I live in a community with a high number of student drop out of school each year. I live in a community where there is high unemployment and there is little hope for the future. So I was intrigued when people started talking about what individuals can do to help prevent drop-outs. People started to say that the drop-out rate is not just a school problem — it’s a community problem.

The possibilities ahead of the youth today are endless. While there are many difficult challenges that they must face, other generations have had challenges too. They are just different ones.

Somehow, we must help the youth of today see that they aren’t the future, but the present. They bring a new view to the world that is needed to help make the world a better place. Each generation has value and something to contribute to society. We need to spend time mentoring because that can make a difference. Indiana Mentoring Partnership gives examples of what a difference an adult can make in the life of a young person. Our youth are talented and smart people, they just need someone to encourage them to be all that they can be. I am amazed at what young people are doing in their daily lives. As adults, we need to encourage them because the youth are changing the world.