Dixya Poudel

The youth today has to contend with a plethora of adversities such as climate change, unemployment, pandemic fears and a bleak future especially to the disadvantaged. Additional worries over mental and emotional health too take a toll on the young minds.
With age comes not just maturity but also hindsight. As one ages, one is free to reminiscence over the past and often get caught up in nostalgia. When a child, one doesn’t have to worry over financial and domestic matters. Children can remain carefree with as little responsibility as possible while they indulge in their imagination. It is when they grow up to be teenagers that they come to face reality. Childhood is often thought to be idyllic. Compared to it, teenage years are tumultuous, a stage where the mind and body are evolving constantly.

A teenager not just has to confront biological changes but also emotional, mental and psychological changes. Hormones are raging while the mind is stretched and hauled in all directions. It is at this stage that a teenager makes way for the future. Since it is a turbulent age, it requires much support from the elders. Teenagers are more likely to take part in risky behaviours such as binge drinking, smoking, driving under the influence and ruining their life for momentary pleasures.

The youth is therefore unwittingly plucked from the safety of childhood to the turbulence of teenage years. And once an adolescent, they confront further challenges of growing up. Between college, work, friends and family, adolescent age tests the mettle of the youth who are now granted not just freedom but also responsibilities. Twenties are the years to graduate from college, make a career and settle down in matrimony. Yet, not all youth go along the prescribed path. Some are thrown off track only to be begrudged with regrets. And the young generations today are more likely to follow unconventional paths.

Thirty is the new twenty. Now, youths marry late while taking their time to make a career. Even if they fail, it is advised that they consider failures and setbacks a part of life not a disappointment to carry like a heavy encumbrance. Then there are those whose life takes a dramatic turn due to catastrophic events. Such youth can learn lessons in their adversities.

Today there are over 1.8 billion young people in the world, among which about 169 million live in poverty. And according to UNESCO, over 258 million children, adolescents and youth aren’t enrolled in education. This is certainly a cause for concern. As illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, lack of opportunities and financial instability affect the youth adversely, mental health takes a setback. While they struggle to find their place in the world, the youth must learn resilience which is requisite to bounce back from failures and misfortunes.

Young minds are vulnerable to struggles, setbacks and fallouts which is why they need a support system and a loving social network to set them in the right path. From the birth, life presents trials and tribulations. Youth thus must be bolstered with not just their given rights but also a support system to rely on during trying times. While the older generations give way to the younger generations, it has become important to empower, educate, and sustain the youth.