Youth, Leadership and Children
Leadership, Youth, and Children
The Youths of Today Are the Leaders of Tomorrow
In my school back in Nigeria, we usually debate on Thursdays, and I believe the debate happen every week of the school year. I remember when my teacher, who I will call Mrs. O., came in the class, I was both excited to be chosen and scared and because I wanted so badly to be chosen- I was going to make my class so proud- I stared at her for so long that she did choose me. I feigned the pretense of being shocked and inability to perform, but I was however excited until I got on the stage and I froze. The only thing I was able to say was “My name is … and I am in J.S.S.3 (Junior Secondary School 3) and my Topic is …,” I repeated that for about two or three times and then the bell rung; my time was up.
Of course, I was embarrassed, and when I got back to my own seat, all the ideas and examples I could have said came to me; I always remember that day, and that maybe I will get another chance one day to redo or say my spoken essay and so I will write this that most often when we talk about leadership, when we talk about the people who are leading, it is always the older individuals, almost like when children gather around an elderly person to listen to a tale. This is not to say that the older ones are not a perfect fit for the seats they sat or the roles they are given, but however, this very practice that has been going on for ages took away from the topic I was given. I remember that day that I was going to say that, “How should I talk about youth and leadership if I haven’t any experience, any major or significance impact it should have on me.” I could talk about problems and remedies but not leadership; at least not leadership that produces outcomes that benefit me and doesn’t hurt me.
I think that the youth leadership, adult leadership stem out from cultures and family structures and even educational systems. Although children might be given roles to go to farms, groceries, babysit and all that but at what time do you stop giving them these minor roles. I am not saying that let put the children on the seat, but however let’s put them beside someone who is on the seat so that they can also be the driving force that projects their own vision of what they want the world to be like for themselves when the adult leaders do leave.
The Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, but whose step do we want them to follow? Theirs, Adults, or a new way?
Do we want them to follow revolving, existing systems or should we put them beside those in power so they can help create the world they want and then be its leaders?
So in a sense, what I am saying is that the Youths of today will be its leaders tomorrow if they create this tomorrow; otherwise, we are just leaving in the dreams, lands and the tomorrows of the leaders of the past.
And so, if I may restate the topic I chose 9 years ago; that, The Youth Of Today Are The Leaders Of The Tomorrow They Created Not The Existing One They live In. In other words, some if not many of the leaders today have realized their dreams, as in personal dreams; and some of the global dreams have also been realized. But as we all attend schools to realize out our personal dreams, what are our futures and global dreams; I mean we all see what economy is like and the conflicts among, within nations and people.
Youth and Children, these are questions that we should ponder on. Do we want a globe where hunger, thirst, racism, tribalism, wealth disparity, revolving economic recession, wars, terrors, violence on women children, men, kleptocracy and all that draw the world backward to persist, or do we want a different one and what does this “different” looks like?
The tomorrow-land is with the children, the youth.
A concept that I realize, looking at the family structure and the hierarchy of power which disintegrated from the societal views and ways is that of elder/older/appointed individuals ruling; parent knows best; elders know best which by many standards, this is right considering the fact that they have acquired more knowledge and experiences. But we must not forget that many children today also have experienced too many that could be shared and it would be a disadvantage to them and us if they are deprived of sharing what they know. So in order that the adult leadership do not take away from empowering the youths to also know the best, to also know the right way to go, to also wanted or be told that they are indeed right and in fact they can indeed be guided to be what they want or what they want their world to be like. And also to build a better one than the preexisting, or the existing one.
Different philosophers shared different perspectives on how economic, society, health should be, just as well, the concept of creation, as in the origin of living things. These differences knowledge also exist in many religious texts and faiths. Many things are usually common in these works, especially, the overlaps; and these overlapping ideas are usual what bring people together
And so because I was once a youth, and because I been affected by poor governance and society downturn, I believe that my dream at least would overlap many youths like me all around the world. And these youths like myself probably devise a way they should or could change or rebuild things to better things for themselves once they reach that age they can be on the seat and be known as leaders; and with that they would or could extend the courtesy to the youth of their or should say our own days.
It is true that many atrocities like wars, attacks, slavery had deeply damaged many communities, and those are injuries, injuries that could become marks and scars if we let them, and not provoke or poke them. Some histories landmarks are injuries and marks, and those cannot be rewritten to better fit or calm those that impacted; but this time, this era can be a time when remedies are provided and can be a history that we are proud of, globally.
The Youths of Today Are the Leaders of Tomorrow
In my school back in Nigeria, we usually debate on Thursdays, and I believe the debate happen every week of the school year. I remember when my teacher, who I will call Mrs. O., came in the class, I was both excited to be chosen and scared and because I wanted so badly to be chosen- I was going to make my class so proud- I stared at her for so long that she did choose me. I feigned the pretense of being shocked and inability to perform, but I was however excited until I got on the stage and I froze. The only thing I was able to say was “My name is … and I am in J.S.S.3 (Junior Secondary School 3) and my Topic is …,” I repeated that for about two or three times and then the bell rung; my time was up.
Of course, I was embarrassed, and when I got back to my own seat, all the ideas and examples I could have said came to me; I always remember that day, and that maybe I will get another chance one day to redo or say my spoken essay and so I will write this that most often when we talk about leadership, when we talk about the people who are leading, it is always the older individuals, almost like when children gather around an elderly person to listen to a tale. This is not to say that the older ones are not a perfect fit for the seats they sat or the roles they are given, but however, this very practice that has been going on for ages took away from the topic I was given. I remember that day that I was going to say that, “How should I talk about youth and leadership if I haven’t any experience, any major or significance impact it should have on me.” I could talk about problems and remedies but not leadership; at least not leadership that produces outcomes that benefit me and doesn’t hurt me.
I think that the youth leadership, adult leadership stem out from cultures and family structures and even educational systems. Although children might be given roles to go to farms, groceries, babysit and all that but at what time do you stop giving them these minor roles. I am not saying that let put the children on the seat, but however let’s put them beside someone who is on the seat so that they can also be the driving force that projects their own vision of what they want the world to be like for themselves when the adult leaders do leave.
The Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, but whose step do we want them to follow? Theirs, Adults, or a new way?
Do we want them to follow revolving, existing systems or should we put them beside those in power so they can help create the world they want and then be its leaders?
So in a sense, what I am saying is that the Youths of today will be its leaders tomorrow if they create this tomorrow; otherwise, we are just leaving in the dreams, lands and the tomorrows of the leaders of the past.
And so, if I may restate the topic I chose 9 years ago; that, The Youth Of Today Are The Leaders Of The Tomorrow They Created Not The Existing One They live In. In other words, some if not many of the leaders today have realized their dreams, as in personal dreams; and some of the global dreams have also been realized. But as we all attend schools to realize out our personal dreams, what are our futures and global dreams; I mean we all see what economy is like and the conflicts among, within nations and people.
Youth and Children, these are questions that we should ponder on. Do we want a globe where hunger, thirst, racism, tribalism, wealth disparity, revolving economic recession, wars, terrors, violence on women children, men, kleptocracy and all that draw the world backward to persist, or do we want a different one and what does this “different” looks like?
The tomorrow-land is with the children, the youth.
A concept that I realize, looking at the family structure and the hierarchy of power which disintegrated from the societal views and ways is that of elder/older/appointed individuals ruling; parent knows best; elders know best which by many standards, this is right considering the fact that they have acquired more knowledge and experiences. But we must not forget that many children today also have experienced too many that could be shared and it would be a disadvantage to them and us if they are deprived of sharing what they know. So in order that the adult leadership do not take away from empowering the youths to also know the best, to also know the right way to go, to also wanted or be told that they are indeed right and in fact they can indeed be guided to be what they want or what they want their world to be like. And also to build a better one than the preexisting, or the existing one.
Different philosophers shared different perspectives on how economic, society, health should be, just as well, the concept of creation, as in the origin of living things. These differences knowledge also exist in many religious texts and faiths. Many things are usually common in these works, especially, the overlaps; and these overlapping ideas are usual what bring people together
And so because I was once a youth, and because I been affected by poor governance and society downturn, I believe that my dream at least would overlap many youths like me all around the world. And these youths like myself probably devise a way they should or could change or rebuild things to better things for themselves once they reach that age they can be on the seat and be known as leaders; and with that they would or could extend the courtesy to the youth of their or should say our own days.
It is true that many atrocities like wars, attacks, slavery had deeply damaged many communities, and those are injuries, injuries that could become marks and scars if we let them, and not provoke or poke them. Some histories landmarks are injuries and marks, and those cannot be rewritten to better fit or calm those that impacted; but this time, this era can be a time when remedies are provided and can be a history that we are proud of, globally.
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