Youth

YOUTH Guide - Our Youth, Our Future

Youth represents growth, optimism, and the future. They are key drivers of change and progress. During this phase, young people experience dramatic physical and mental changes. They develop their personality, their world view, and have many challenges to contend with.

Our platform for youth boasts over 1,000 resources on important topics which today's young people are faced with. Divided into separate categories Better World Info has collected the most important information for young people, children, boys, and girls - we are sure you will find what you are looking for.

Connect with excellent organisations dedicated to adolescents, and those focused on younger children. Find a collection of philanthropic foundations and donors dedicated to helping children most in need. Learn more about the excellent work of UNICEF who are dedicated to upholding children's rights, providing protection and safety for children in 190 countries, and helping them to reach their full potential.

As an important tool for youth networking, the dissemination of reliable knowledge, and raising awareness of important topics, Better World Info supports campaigns such as International Day of the Girl and International Youth Day - learn more about both here.

What Issues do Young People Face?

Children's rights are vitally important in upholding the dignity of children and highlight the importance of ensuring their wellbeing and development. All children have the right to health, education, a safe and loving home, recreation time, and to be free from abuse, harm, or exploitation.

Despite this, 60 million children of primary school age are not in education. 20 million children do not have access to essential health care. 45 million children endure severe malnutrition, and hunger is responsible for the death of 3.1 million children every year.

Learn more about the issues that affect those growing up in developing countries, and the initiatives working hard to improve conditions in our international development category on youth. Special sections featured include street children, children in conflict, child soldiers, child labour, trafficking, prostitution, FGM, hunger, child marriage, and girls' education.

The children of today face rising insecurities in all aspects of society. Children are exposed to racism, sexism, extremism, economic inequality, and discrimination all from a very early age. Rising inflation, economic crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the global climate crisis are all challenges which weigh heavily on the minds of young people.

Youth unemployment is huge global issue. Informal employment, irrelevant training, low rates of pay, lack of experience, and a weak labour market have all contributed to the 13% global youth unemployment rate. 3 times more likely to be unemployed than an adult, we must remove barriers and promote economic empowerment in youths.

Better World Info is the place for information on many vital topics impacting today's youth. Discover comprehensive guides on bullying, sexual health education, teen pregnancy, girls' empowerment, partnership issues, childhood obesity, transgender children, and gun violence in U.S. schools.

Having the courage to be different is an important part of growing up. Many young people just want to blend-in, and while being accepted as part of a group or community is important, it is equally important to accept and value yourself as an individual. Be sure to check out our essential help and advice category which covers a variety of topics, and extra resources on empowerment, young people with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, migrants and refugees, and online bullying.

Why is Youth Empowerment so Important?

With today's young people facing so many challenges, the importance of youth empowerment has never been greater. 70% of people aged 16-25 are very concerned about the climate crisis. As a result, participation in youth activism has never been higher. Role models such as Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future climate campaign have inspired young people to get involved in the issues that will affect them the most. Check out our category on climate change for children for more information.

This increase in youth engagement has forced politicians and world leaders to listen, shifted the focus onto sustainability, and improved political participation of young people. Learn more about the importance of the youth voice and young leaders. Be sure to check out our comprehensive categories on politics, environment, and sustainability which cover essential information on future-related global issues.

An excellent way to make positive changes in your community, or further afield is via volunteering. Young people who volunteer tend to be more engaged with society, adopt leaderships skills early on, and understand about the needs and challenges that we are facing today.

There are many ways in which young people can get involved, explore the options here, and learn the importance of encouraging and supporting young people to get involved in these types of social projects.

Social media is an important part of life for young people today. Through platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, they can network with friends and express their personality. Our social media guide will show you how you can use social media for campaigning and advocacy, improve your media literacy skills, learn how to navigate through fake news, how to stay safe online, how to protect your personal data, and the impact of algorithms and filter bubbles.

Make sure to start following Better World Info’s Twitter lists where you can find carefully collated lists on the issues that matter to you such as climate, environment, sustainability, social justice, peace, and of course youth.

Better World Info's Afterthoughts on Youth

Indian children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi said, “The faces of young people are the faces of our past, our present and our future. No segment in society can match with the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the young people.”

As the next generation, young people hold the key to shaping our future. We must ensure that they are heard, are supported, and are given every opportunity to reach their full potential. A future-oriented education for ALL children is essential.

Raising boys responsibly is vitally important in ensuring a more gender equal world, ending gender violence, toxic masculinity, and a host of other issues. We must end the ‘boys will be boys’ culture and ensure early on that they are taught to show equal respect, support, cooperation, and value to girls and women.

If children are taught tolerance, acceptance, kindness, and generosity, and know that their opinion counts, then we can raise socially and environmentally conscious adults who will play an important part in helping to make our world a better place.

Better World Info aims to inform, inspire, and empower young people around the world. Get involved today!

For our German speakers, be sure to check out our sister site Bessere Welt Info and their category Jugend for extra insight.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 27.03.23

For further reading on Youth see below  ⬇️