Informed Youth

The Youth Quake seminar was held on 2 August in Windhoek. “Do you know your rights?” This was the question asked to a gathering of youngsters attending.

A quarter of the crowd raised their hands in agreement. The pause and uncertainty to the question demonstrated that majority of the youth, including me, don’t know their rights. I believed majority of the attendees went to do their homework to save themselves from further embarrassment.

Youth falls between the ages of 18 to 35. If the youth is the most active and productive age group, then they should use their energy while they can. It was the youth who pioneered the liberation movements in the past to earn Namibia’s political independence.

Today the youth have to fight challenges such as unemployment and their laughable representation in decision-making positions. Their success thus depends on having information to initiate the most wanted goal of every youth.

The power invested in the youth is observed in their demonstrations, particularly the famous NSFAF marches which form faultless petitions of facts. The youth has a strong voice in developing a new wave of doing things. Acquisition of information is needed to create knowledge of doing certain things in our modern society.

For instance, how many of the youths reading this article are aware of their rights in the first place? Most youths with handsome visions die in vain – they go mission unaccomplished because they lack information to drive the success of their visions.

The internet is resourceful. It has plenty of information and answers to the plight of an uninformed person. Even though the youths claim accessibility to the internet, majority still think the internet is only social media, Instagram and Twitter. There is more on the internet to keep a youth informed than merely social media.

Information must be available in order to educate society on getting things done. Not being informed is a shortcoming to an individual wanting to perhaps study abroad or venture into a new business. For instance, most of us only know the Harambee doctrine by word of mouth, but never even read or have a bright understanding of the governing theme of our country.

Lack of information within the youth lies in their nature of juvenility. Young ones are considered to be less critical. They are amateurs in life situations. As it appears in homes, elders tend to mingle with their age mates, chatting about the economy, politics and the weather, whereas the youths mingle in their age circles too, not chatting about the economy and current affairs but rather entertainment.

Bringing information closer to the youth engages society to operate much easier. Let’s imagine the ills lack of information inflict on a society. There could be someone out there at age 20 who will probably not vote because he/she is unaware that the voting age starts at 18.

David Junias writes for leisure in his free time. Email him at davidjunias@gmail.com.

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