Global Dialogues

Old men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.

Even though this was said by Herbert Hoover in 1944, more than 80 years later, the quote remains relevant to the state of our world today, as young men are drafted to fight a war that sees no end in Ukraine, and small children are recruited by armed actors in Congo. The youth of today face many problems, from inheriting climate change consequences of the very industrial policies their forefathers enacted, to facing an era of great political upheaval, as waves of far-right extremism sweep across the world. Last but not least, the burgeoning development of technology, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, seems to stop for no one, bringing with it many complications. 

With this era of the world being so new and harboring so many issues, the youth have great matters to deal with right from the start. However, it is precisely because of emerging social matters, the current state of global politics, and the never-before-seen accessibility to social media platforms we have today, that the young generation is marked by political activism. Never before in history have young people from all corners of the earth—whether it be Africa, Asia, or South America—been able to get their voices heard so loudly, and with such wide-reaching extent. This activism, and the situation that they find themselves in, makes youth perspectives unique and important. Even though young people are the least responsible for the current issues of the world, they are the most exposed to the long-term consequences of such problems. This gives them a sense of awareness that distinguishes them, making them politically and environmentally conscious in anticipation of the future that awaits them.

Despite the importance of youth perspectives, young people are often not taken seriously regarding decision-making. We often see on television and media reports how young people are protesting in favor of this movement, or marching against that policy, but we hardly see decision-making bodies take into consideration their contributions. A popular example of this is climate activism, with popular figureheads like Greta Thunberg speaking at many United Nations climate conferences, but disregarded by certain influential individuals as "irrational" or "naive". Youth activism is frequently seen as more symbolic rather than visibly impactful in the eyes of many.

In order to elevate young voices, we need to put them in spaces where they can become more informed, such as those where there are scholars, experts, etc. From my own experiences, a lot of young people have the right intentions, but they do not have a solid understanding of how to carry out the right decisions. We need to prepare youth and arm them with knowledge, so that they can move beyond activism and become policymakers. In this world of ours which is so divided and has so many challenges, young perspectives matter more than ever, and are crucial to policymaking so as to create meaningful and progressive change.

Hoang Ho (SFS'29) is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Qatar.