Young People Should Have More Power
Young people could vastly benefit the world, if only they were allowed to give their opinions on issues and suggest solutions to problems. Instead, they are often overlooked.
Pic: Unsplash Creative Commons /Rob Walsh
Young people are all too often seen as immature and lacking in knowledge, yet I firmly believe that they e should have more power over their own lives. They should also have more influence on significant decisions that affect the world.
Although the lazy and childish stereotype is true in a small number of cases, it does not mean that all young people are incapable and unable to improve our world.
Young people will have to live in the future
In my opinion, it is incredibly unfair that the younger generation has no control over the things that will affect them the most for the rest of their lives. Many political leaders alive today will not have to live through the damage their decisions may cause, so it is unjust for them to have complete control over what happens in the future.
Instead, people still in school will be affected most by the changes that occur right now. They will be the first to experience any changes to the education system, for example, and will eventually start work with new laws and changes in place.
The decision for Britain to leave the EU was one that will affect Britain forever. 61% of males and 80% of females aged 18-24 voted to remain. The decision to leave was made mostly by older people, even though younger people are the ones who will experience these decisions in the future.
It can be argued that the younger generation cannot be trusted to make these decisions as they cannot fully comprehend what a change will do for a country. I am not advocating for all of the power — just some. Older people may know how to do some things better, but there are also aspects of the world that younger people are better at.
By working together, everyone could improve the world for a more significant proportion of people. This would ultimately lead to a better world than there ever has been before.
Pic: Pexels Creative Commons / Element5 Digital
Young people understand the modern world
The world today is very different than it was 100, or even 30, years ago. Economic change, secularisation, the LGBT community and multiculturalism means that a lot of past social norms no longer exist. No one understands this more than young people.
Some members of the older generation struggle to adapt to a lot of the changes that have happened in the world. Therefore, they will not be able to adequately accommodate all of the different types of people that exist now that weren’t as prominent in the past.
Voicing opinions
The right to express your opinions, and having free speech, not only increases confidence, but it also gives people a sense of justice and accomplishment.
Many young people don’t pay attention to political news as they feel it has nothing to do with them. Therefore, by involving young people in the decision-making process, more will feel included in what happens in the world. This will ensure that the future generation will be aware and conscious of the things that matter and things that happen around them.
Doing this will guarantee that the world won’t fall apart in the future, once the people in charge now are no longer around. In addition to this, more of the youth will aspire to be politicians and world leaders in the future if they start now.
There are many examples of educated and determined young people who are taking a stand to have their voice heard, for example, the March For Our Lives movement. This student-led movement is protesting for stricter gun laws in America. Giving younger people some control doesn’t mean that all power has to be stripped from the people in control right now.
I think that the world would be a much better place if young people were given more influence in the decisions. Not only would it widen the group of people who benefit from the changes made, but it would also ensure a sustainable future for everyone.