My hope of the future lies in the youths of character, intelligent, renouncing all for the services of others, and obedient – good to themselves and the country at large. – Swami Vivekanandha

A segment of a population called Youth plays a very important role in the development of a nation. They are so young, educated and rational with full of energy. Fresh revolutionary thoughts spring in mind of young people that shape the world we live in.

Sadly, in the new-age society youngsters enjoy more attention than their yesteryear kids. Despite being advantaged they are a troubled species surrounded with innumerable problems which makes them turn rebellious. Individualism, a sense of freedom or growing peer-pressure can be the most alarming and disturbing reasons for some of the basic problems faced by today’s youth.

We have been noticing an adverse increase in single-parent homes lately. Even though the child is raised in a healthy way they are sometimes deprived of proper parental guidance in a divided home. This results in inviting an unwanted number of problems such as alcohol, drug abuse, school dropouts and teenage pregnancies.

Violence at school is yet another common problem modern-day youth faces. Increase in the number of criminal cases in school brings chills to our spines. Minor cases of bullying have advanced to serious full-fledged crimes like stabbing, fights, killing and suicides. On the other hand, discrimination of educational quality characterised by financial status takes a toll on the perception of the youth.

With all the things made available at their demands no wonder, the young generation is so much obsessed with materialism and substance abuse. A college-going fresher feels bashful if he doesn’t own a pricey bike. Holding a cigarette having a bottle of beer and zooming in the most flamboyant and expensive cars with young girls around has become the hottest trend. Youngsters literally hang around booze. Raise in organizing rave parties involving weed are all around the corner. Apart from crippling their own health they also risk the society doing several anti-social activities.

When I was a kid my childhood was cherishing and memorable being myself. With the advent of the satellite and internet, today’s kids are bombarded with loads of information. Kids are like sponges and are usually attracted to what an adult keeps them away from. They are exposed to various content on the internet which is not at all conducive to their delicate minds. Accidently, they fall prey to cyberbullying, online grooming, sexting, radicalisation and online pornography throwing their childhood to be problematic.

Of all the above-discussed challenges youth unemployment and poverty top the list. A few decades ago, education was not everyone’s forte. Today youngsters are well educated. They have multiple degrees in hand but are unable to fit into a job with good pay to afford a decent lifestyle. The scenario of unemployment is directly related to poverty.

It is very upsetting to see the number of challenges young minds have to undergo. Eventually, they have to face the bitter attitude of society. However, we as a society should value the ideas and energies of young men and women who are the stakeholders of tomorrow’s society. Engaging youth in youth development and empowerment programs will open doors to take charge of their own lives by transforming their consciousness through their belives, values and attitudes. For, youths are the pillars of social, economic and political development of a nation.