Tanki Kotelo
From climate activism to economic empowerment, the youth of today are leading the way in redefining what it means to be a global citizen, driven by a passion for social good and a determination to leave the world a better place. In a world where the stakes have never been higher, inaction is no longer an option. As we commemorate International Youth Day, let us rally behind the passion and vision of our youth, supporting them in their quest to create a more just, sustainable, and inclusive world.
In 2024, where the use of digital technology for sustainable development is more pertinent than ever, collectively, let us empower the next generation of digital leaders, equipping them with the resources, skills, and opportunities they need to invent pioneering projects, grow their entrepreneurial enterprises, thrive, and drive real, lasting change
The theme for International Youth Day 2024, commemorated on August 12, is “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.” This theme underscores the crucial correlation between digitalisation and accelerating the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stressing the significant contributions of young people in this transformational development process.
Around the world, many nations are still forging ways of living after the COVID-19 pandemic. This can be evidenced through their adoption of all-inclusive policies that prioritise citizens’ wellbeing, enacting democratic bills meant to promote security, freedom, and autonomy, and establishing economic ventures that prioritise people first.
Faced with the threat of depopulation, nations are realising that excluding and dispatching the youth to the margins in key issues will continue to hold development back as the youth is the future of tomorrow. In Lesotho, particularly, the youth are now demanding inclusion in key decision-making spaces. From organising protests tackling the status quo to collaborative economic ventures with the aim of curbing unemployment, the youth are aggressively declaring themselves as agents of change with the potential to foster a far better, more inclusive Lesotho.
Lesotho’s youth unemployment is estimated to be around 25%, making them the most unemployed faction in the country. Without adequate financial, educational, and skills resource support, as well as a lack of youth-first policy implementations and ventures, the future is uncertain, and unfortunately, the unemployment rate will persist and widen.
There is a pertinent need for equipping the youth with digital skills and creating platforms to have ground-breaking conversations on how to better exploit the skills, participate, and discuss what young people can bring to the table.
Through the following guidelines, we unpack some ideas, not only for the government but for every responsible institution to grow the power of young people to impact sustainable revolution:
• Meeting young people where they are and prioritising the needs and urgencies of young women and vulnerable youth with diverse identities and those from poor conditions.
• Encouraging youth’s visualisation of politics and their participation in democracy while prioritising their chosen main concerns and plights for political reforms.
• Backing and financing the youth’s economic ventures and aiding them to grow their informal and formal start-ups to participate in the national economic movement.
• Lastly, supporting youth’s exercise of emancipative principles to shape their sustained commitment to a freer and more tolerant society.
The next decade is for the youth. And so, this calls for a more deliberate and cohesive approach. It calls for collectivism and vigorous participation. History tells us that no revolution has been won without bloodshed. But maybe the next revolution requires an unorthodox perspective. Amid the eminent anxiety, chaos, and uncertainty in the world, maybe our torches and swords should instead become values of humanism, demands of accountability, and non-complacencies of policies devoid of social inclusion.
How then can we purposely become the change we seek? By adopting crucial digital technologies, speaking our truth and walking majestically in it, immersing ourselves in key decision-enacting spaces, organising peace marches, and showing up at voting stations and defending and demanding that democracy be upheld. Out with the old, in with the new! Power to youth!
Bloom Communications is a Lesotho-based consultancy specialising in best-in-class media-driven communications, professional writing, public relations, social media management, and marketing for individuals, corporations, and micro, small, and medium-sized brands. For feedback, contact: info@bloomcommunications.co.ls.
