Youth must move and be optimistic looking to the future

by Yemima Paendong

As a young generation, I feel like it is improving for me to understand and interpret the meaning of movement. I am sure that some of us still don‘t understand why they have to move. Moving in this case is not just moving like ordinary humans do. Through our actions, we arw be able to create a new meaning, new benefits, new hopes. Moving means we can make a change that is meaningful no matter how small. I quote Kofi Anan above which shows that even we are still young and we feel like no one would believe in us, our voices aren‘t heard. But we are capable enough to make a change.

I was 16 years old back then, when I first volunteered in an organization, which works to empower youth and raise awareness about how important education is. At that time, I realized that it is not that difficult to move and take action.

How many of us are actually aware about the crisis that we are facing in our society now? The threat of climate change, political issues, social injustice, cybercrimes and many more. However, how many of us are also having a thought that we can do nothing about that. We are just waiting about what is going to happen in the near future without contributing anything. This problem would remain if there were no movement of youth to empower each other to move. I also feel the same before I decided to join volunteering activities, with my migration background I used to be ashamed to involve in those kind of activities. Nevertheless, as I live in Germany alone, I learn more about myself and what I really want to do.

There are some points, which really describe my intention, why is it important for me to act despite my cultural, religion and migration background:

1. It is about surviving

It is always hard to start something, but we have to realize that a great nation will survive because there are youths who move and carry out positive activities for the betterment of their nation.

It bothers me to hear about cyber bullying, and mostly the victim is a minor. How can I act to fight against cyber bullying? Where do I start? This is when I start to think that a modernization agent who is pioneer of any renewal in the era of sophisticated technology, it is important for me to help to introduce technology with various impacts in it so that there is no more misuse of technology.

Do not let young generation be caught up in unproductive activities that will actually destroy their future.

2. Maintaining peace in diversity

With the provision of education, I know that I have the potential and the spirit to create innovation to advance the nation and country. That is also the basis of maintaining the plurality and the peace in diversity with an attitude of mutual respect and upholding tolerance between religions, tribes, nations, as well as between cultures.

3. Information and communication

The creation of an information and communication network among young people is important in building cooperation and potential as a creative, productive young generation that is useful for building and advancing the life of nation and state. The youth should not only be critical but must also be able to convey solutions to existing problems, very good critical attitude, but conveyed well and politely in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Many young people now choose to become silent majority. In other words, prefer to be indifferent to various conditions of the nations, both in online and offline world.

When there are people who tear apart the unity of the society. When there are minority groups being persecuted, protest against the religions, individuals who steal state and people‘s money and various other cases. Those must be silent. The young must get up; we must get up, make a sound and move.

Yemima Paedong comes from Indonesia. As a foreigner, she tries to invest herself socially and politically as much as possible in Germany. She was involved in the organizations committee for the preparation of the YOU:KO conference, organized by the FGYO and the bpb in Cologne.

Yemima Paedong

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