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Youths are often perceived as a troublesome and problematic group by the society at large. Programs are often established “for youth”, and plans are drawn up “to help youth”. Hence, many youths begin to ignore about the society and what is happening around them. The youngsters who dropped out of society do not seem very interested in climbing back in. According to UNESCO (1969), much of youth refuses to participate in public life. There is also no denying the sad fact that much of youth does not care about world affairs. And, of all issues, ignorance ranked top 10 among youth issues globally (Global Youth Action Network, 2000). ... Youths continue to be ignorant and lack of concern about the society. ... According to Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, the Minister of Youth and Sports (2000), there are only 18 million of those aged between 15 and 40 had joined youth organizations whereas some 4. ... 8 million youths nationwide have not joined any youth organizations or political bodies. Furthermore, only 39 per cent of the 7,980 existing youth bodies nationwide are active. Youth organizations, from uniformed bodies to sports and social work oriented associations, are supposed to be one of the main avenues for the younger generation to channel their idealism and spiritedness. Thus, the lack of participation of youths in the society becomes a cause for concern as the youths are the ones who will be shaping the nation’s future agenda. ... According to Tan Sri Razali Ismail, chairman of Yayasan Salam’s board of trustee, our society’s evolution gives the impression that we are preoccupied with the material, and have little time and less inclination to volunteer. ...
Now, is this what we want our future society to be – ignorant, mind your own business? ... The one sad fact to be concluded from these phenomenon is that our society is becoming more and more materialistic. ... When someone does not even have time for his or her family and friends, what more about the society at large? ... The lack of concern and care had made the young generation not aware of everyday threats which actually exist in their community, society, nation and world. In fact, youth organizations could play vital roles in addressing the threats in their communities. ...
The third factor to be discussed here is the society itself. The society at large often have negative perceptions towards youths. ... Youth groups from UMNO Youth to Malaysian Youth Council had readily acknowledged the fact that Malaysian youth or Generation X has been somewhat neglected in the sense that their opinions are rarely sought and are even sometimes treated in a patronizing way. The adults in Government have this perspective of youth as leaders of tomorrow but until tomorrow comes, they are largely ignored. ... It used to be known as the generation gap but the last few decades have seen the emergence of a distinct youth culture which has invited all sorts of attempts at defining and comprehending it. ...
The factors why many youths are not members of any youth associations and other related organizations or even interested in signing up are that youth leaders of the 1970s are still in power today and some have the tendency of not giving opportunities to other people. ... There are also some leaders who are too caught up in politicking, where they see youth clubs merely as platforms to obtain other coveted positions. ... Thus, the youth clubs which do not evolve fast enough get left behind while some clubs become dormant when leaders move to other places. Another problem is that some of the youths who show good potential for leadership positions in youth organizations, such as undergraduates, do not return to their hometowns. Hence, their leadership skills and knowledge are not transferred back to society at youth associations in their hometowns. In addition, with youths now being pushed into the adulthood of a very economically conscious society, low involvement is also said to be due to the familiar catchphrase of the materialist: “What’s in it for me? ... Furthermore, youth organizations in Malaysia do not have aggressive publicity of their organizations and their activities. ... Also, participation in youth organizations is very related to still-in-school students. ... Therefore, how would we expect our young generation to apply their knowledge in their life, thus making them a better person in the society? ... In a nutshell, the education system must frequently revise its syllabus as well as teaching and learning methods based on current needs of the society. For example, current issues in the society, nation or world should be incorporated in the teaching and learning activities. This will eventually make the students more aware of their environment, society and life. ...
In the United States, there is a program called Youth Power. Youth Power is a community- and school-based program dedicated to the well being of children and teenagers.
Approximate Word count = 4024
Approximate Pages = 16.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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