CHALLENGES FACING THE YOUTH IN OUR PRESENT SOCIETY

CHALLENGES FACING THE YOUTH IN OUR PRESENT SOCIETY

Globalisation is a new historical reality that is propelled by knowledge and technological advancement. The rapid expansion of markets across national boundaries and the socio-political effects it brings, has grave implications for developing countries including Nigeria. There is a consensus that less developed and technologically advantaged countries shall be unable to take advantage of the increased opportunities that globalisation provide and are to be increasingly powerless and marginalised.

Evidently, successful integration into the global economy shall be a tall order for Nigeria, considering the perceived challenges that confronts majority of Nigeria’s overwhelming youth population. These include; restricted access to functional and qualitative education

Despite enormous progress made in educational outcomes, there are still many young people who lack basic skills needed to support their post-school life. Though high enrolment are reported in many states under the UBE scheme, early dropouts, grade repetition and poor education quality mean that many enter adolescence poorly prepared and ill-equipped for work and life.

Early stage of life. It is the stage of constructing the self-concepts. The self-concept of youth is influenced several variables such as peers, gender, culture, economic, and religion.

Challenge: a demanding task or situation. Problems arising. Challenge is a contemporary word used for “problem”, replaced with problem. As generations shifted from “industrial” to “information” or “knowledge worker” age, every aspects of life change alongside. Challenges facing the youth are never new to concerns but as change remains the constant law of life, these challenges increase with varied approaches. The paramount challenges facing the youth remain the same over time age. Such challenges are termed “global” which are not subjected to time, space, race, and religion. These challenges include:

    Drug abuse

    Sexuality

    Poverty

    Single parenting

    Obesity

    Education disparity

    Materialism

    Violence in school

    Shifting economy

    Unemployment

On other hand, challenges that are restricted to time, space, race, age and religion are characterized “new challenges”. In the recent time, challenges have evolved which never exist in the past centuries. These new challenges include

    Hopelessness

    Negative impact of ICT (media, social networks)

    poor educational system

YOUNG TREE THAT WILL BECOME STRONGER THROUGH LIFE’S STORM

This story is about a young tree. It faced many storms through its young life. The powerful winds, torrential rains, famine, ice, and snow would lie across its branches. At times, the young tree questioned its maker asking, “Why have you let so many storms come into my life?” his maker whispered, “You will understand one day, stand firm, you will make it through the storm of life.” “The challenge will pass, keep this in mind.

The tree questioned its maker, “If I go through one more winter the snow will surely break my branches, if I face any more powerful wind I will surely be uprooted and moved away.” Its maker whispered, “stand strong, dig your roots deep into the soil, you will understand someday.”

Somehow the young tree kept the positive thoughts in its mind and managed to survive and make it through even the toughest of storms. Somehow, even in the toughest of times, when the things it went through should have broken it down, it found a way to stand firm even through the worst of storms. As the young tree grew taller, stringer, and matured the tree realised the storms of life had made it stronger.

Life is not all about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

Young people are sure to meet these challenges in their quest for comfort, freedom, and living. The motivation and encouragement is that the challenges only make them stronger fitted for adulthood.