The youth comprise a significant proportion of every society. Youth can be defined as a group of young people who are in the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood and are considered to be the most energetic. It is a stage during which the young people try to define their identity and prepare them for citizenship and adulthood (Shamsie, 2006). However, it has not been easy to fix the definition of youth in chronological terms. In most countries, the age of the youth is drawn at the time when an individual is treated equally under the law, normally referred to as the age of majority. Many countries place it at age 18 and beyond this age, one is considered an adult. It is therefore important to note that the definition of the term youth depends greatly on the socio-cultural, political, institutional, and economic factors of a given country. The working chronological age for the purposes of this essay is between the ages 15 and 29, which is used mainly by most National Youth Councils. This essay will discuss some problems facing the youth and why this crisis appears to be a major concern for adult society.
There are a number of problems encountered by the youth of today all over the world. Unemployment is one of the major problems facing today’s young generation (Shamsie, 2006). Every young person must be prepared to overcome the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. This means that he or she must engage in progressive experiences and activities which will, in turn, enable him or her to become socially, emotionally, morally, economically, physically, as well as cognitively competent. As one approaches the mid-20s, he or she starts experiencing the transition from schooling to work. Many young people at this age would be expected to secure a job and earn instead of the continued reliance on the parents or guardians. This trend in most instances is hampered by the lack of job opportunities for a large number of young people in society.
Difficulty in securing a place of work implies that the youth can hardly get a stable source of income for personal use and even for the other dependents like the parents or siblings. This is despite the fact that a lot of resources are injected towards educating them. The fact that many young people lack a stable source of income and yet they are the most energetic members of society is ridiculous. A number of youth resort to other alternative ways of survival like theft, forceful robbery, carjacking, and other illegal deals that will enable them to get the money that they desperately need. This is one concern that threatens the fabric of society especially the adult members of the society. The problem is worsened by the fact that there are many young people who are faced with the same problem and hence adding to the magnitude of illegal incidences. In most countries, therefore, the problem of unemployment among the youth has become a major concern of the adult society especially the governments (White, 1999).
Furthermore, unemployment can become the genesis of all other sorts of problems that face the youth. Young people who fail to prosper in society may end up despairing in life and may start smoking, using alcohol, and the use of other drugs. This is common among the youth who leave schooling at an early age and hence can get no meaningful employment. The use of drugs among the youth results in a less productive generation of young people who should otherwise be the building stones for a more stable society. Any adult society, therefore, ought to be concerned about this major problem that faces the youth since they are expected to be the society’s tomorrow.
For the female youth, difficult times at this particular stage may force them to engage in promiscuous activities like sex for pay, and these results in unwanted pregnancies and the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases. The general loss of morality among the young people can plunge the whole generation into enormous problems like increased psychological distress and other mental problems, HIV/AIDS prevalence among the youth, and criminal activities that may ruin a whole generation (White, 1999). These youth problems in many countries appear to be of major concern for adult society.
It is therefore paramount for every society to rise up and address the plight of the young people if it is to prosper to greater heights. This will call for the creation of job opportunities in society and empowering the youth through training on entrepreneurial skills. This will go a long way in ensuring that the society gets proper continuity through its youth.
Reference
Shamsie, S. J. (2006). Youth: Problems and solutions. Lea & Febiger.
White, R. (1999). The Australian youth subcultures: in the Mainstream and on the margins. Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies.