Only the other day, on August 12, governments and citizens around the world marked International Youth Day and once more brought attention to the problems faced by those in the 15-24 or 18-30 age bracket.
Beyond doubt, the youth, in the Philippine setting, nearly 40 percent of the already registered voters for the May 2022 elections, can be a positive force for development with the knowledge and opportunities they need to use in the runup to the right of suffrage.
Worldwide, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 percent of the global population, with projections suggesting that by 2030 the number of youth would have grown by 7 percent to nearly 1.3 billion.
Back home, the youth of the Philippines, as defined by the National Youth Commission, are facing challenges, particularly this time of the coronavirus pandemic and the forthcoming general elections in May 2022, when a new national leadership would be chosen by the projected more than 60 million registered voters from the 110 million population.
The National Youth Commission has stressed now and then its three objectives:
Improved enabling conditions for youth participation in governance, society, and development;
Increased contribution of and benefit for the youth in the attainment of Mid-Term Development goals;
Improved access to quality basic services and social protection through enabling policies.
Today, the Filipino youth stand at the crossroads of the country’s history, the challenges high on their eye range, as they mobilize their force to help battle against the pandemic—with infections and deaths rising, with their acquired talent and other skills while confronting the challenges of volunteerism.
Note, for instance, that in the Philippines, which has the largest generation of young people in its history, 30 million young people between the ages of 10 and 24 account for 28 percent of the population:
68 percent of the interviewed youth indicated their participation in political matters is that of a follower and 62 percent said they seldom act as the leader-initiator of resolutions.
Only one out of four youth indicated that they are protest-initiators or activists in political issues, the majority (89 percent) of the young people feel that they have to be informed, involved, and consulted by adults and youth leaders on matters related to youth development.
The youth can properly be a positive force in helping disseminate the importance of participation in the presidential elections next year.
They owe it to themselves and the generations after them to encourage people to register and vote. The country’s future is in their hands.