I was recently asked if the youth can really have an impact in the world as they are told.
Yes, I believe the youth can bring great change; they can change this world – as opposed to thinking they can only make an impact after getting a job.
The very first thing and best thing that we, as the youth, can do is to know our rights.
Know about your right to information, right to equality, right to freedom and other rights; these are important because they will assist you to recognise when your rights are being suppressed. You can even make people aware of their rights.
To change the world, you need to understand that the world and its people are complex.
To be able to fully understand this, education is important.
Every youth must be educated in one way or another – whether it is through school, mentorship or an apprentice.
Also, there are certain issues that are universal at all stages of life; gender and race-based stereotypes have always existed in our society.
We can make an impact by even stopping one small stereotypic comment. You can even educate the people that every person deserves equal respect in this world. Education also helps in breaking this stereotypic perspective and teaches that each individual is unique in his or her own way.
Just learning about various issues is not enough. We should speak up whenever we see anything wrong happening. We should speak up when we want to ask something. We should speak up even for others. We should speak up when we don’t feel well.
Suppressing thoughts and feelings will make us unhappy. Express your views and opinions confidently and clearly.
You can join organisations and groups as volunteers that share your views.
Organisations can have a strong influence on many people and society. As a volunteer, you can get access to people’s households and make the issues and concerns be heard by all the people and also gather direct feedback from them.
We all are aware of and affected by climate change. Together, we can combat and reverse it by taking small actions, such as not littering or polluting.
Today, we can even take action on digital platforms like Twitter, sharing posts or creating campaigns. Online campaigning is a new trend.
Basically, an easy and effective way to make an impact is to start at home – and the quickest way is to volunteer whenever you get a chance.
Volunteering helps various people and organisations.
We meet many people while volunteering. Each of our experiences is very special and they teach us something new. You will find you are not alone.
Olavi Popyeinawa
Twitter: @olavipopyeinawa
Email: olavipopyeinawa@gmail.com