Young people have a vital role to play in building vibrant, progressive, and united societies. With appropriate education, encouragement, and opportunities to serve, youth can be empowered to become agents of constructive change in their communities.
Considering that half of the world’s population are aged 30 or younger, we need to reflect on how the immense potential of youth can be harnessed for the advancement of society. How can we empower them to become active participants in building a better and united world?
The Bahá'í International Community states that, “the rising generations will play a vital role in weaving a new tapestry of community life that can propel humanity’s evolution towards a period of maturity and collective prosperity”.
It further observes that “…young people have a significant role to play in transforming society. When youth are taken seriously and resources are channelled towards different programs that raise their capacity to become significant actors in processes of community change, the results can be striking”.
Youth are anxious to become partners in helping for betterment of the communities they live in. Yet current approaches to youth development often treat them as passive recipients of information rather than as active participants in shaping their communities.
Education is the most effective means to developing the values, attitudes, behaviours, and skills needed to create better communities and a united world. Thus, education should address not only intellectual development but also the moral empowerment of young people.
Academic knowledge and professional skills, important as they are, cannot make up for the absence of qualities such as trustworthiness, honesty, generosity, compassion, and a sense of responsibility towards others.
Preparing young people to build a better world, therefore, requires an approach to education that develops both the mind and the character. It should nurture in them an awareness of the oneness of humanity and a sense of responsibility as citizens of an interconnected world.
The Bahá'í International Community states: “To serve their communities effectively, young people should strive to understand with growing clarity the implications of the principle of the oneness of humanity. For too long, differences among human beings, both real and imagined, have served as obstacles preventing the progress of entire peoples and nations. This planet is our one, common homeland. We must all care for it. We must all have the opportunity to thrive in it. Regardless of differences in class, culture, ethnicity, belief, nationality, and gender, at our core, we share a common identity – we are all human”.
In an inter-dependent world, we need to nurture in our youth an appreciation for the richness and importance of the world's diverse cultural, religious, and social systems.
Encouraging youth to search independently for the truth leads them to personal conviction, rather than merely imitating others. It strengthens their ability to question prejudices and preconceptions that divide people and prevent constructive relationships.
Service to humanity is another important means through which young people can develop their capacities while contributing to the well-being of their communities.
According to Bahá'í International Community “service draws young people further into the lives of the members of their communities, they will strengthen bonds of trust and feel genuine care and concern for every aspect of one another’s lives, delighting in one another’s accomplishments and offering support through one another’s hardships”.
When young people are empowered to serve, cooperate, transcend differences, and work for the common good, they can become agents of constructive change, helping to build united and harmonious communities and a peaceful world.
* For feedback please contact: secretary.nsa@bahai.org.za or (011) 801 3100. Websites: www.bahai.org, www.bahai.org.za
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of IOL or National Media Group.