How Can Young People Make Change Using their Skills?
“Change is about everyone taking responsibility”
By Adam Poole, Researcher, at We Make Change
Young people are the future of global society: the more we invest in them now, the stronger our world will be in the future. If we want to tackle the most pressing problems of today, such as climate change, disease, poverty and war, then young people must be provided with the tools to do that, and to create a brighter future for the planet. COP26 has highlighted the importance of action needed by young people to achieve climate change goals - in particular Netzero by 2030. But how can young people make change with limited resources?
ISSUES YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FACING
Young people are being hit hard at the moment in terms of opportunities for beginning and building a career, and this trend is only being made worse by climatic effects. The ongoing pandemic has strong ties to environmental change, given the increased interactions between humans and other species in our modern world. The disparity of the impact of the associated restrictions on young people was clear to see. The decrease in employment for all adults in 2020 was 3.7%, compared to 8.7% for young people (over double the impact). As we begin to move beyond the pandemic, alternate effects of climate change on young people’s opportunities become more visible as the focus of our society shifts. Take Hurricane Ida as an example: an estimated 30,000 jobs in September were lost due to subsequent effects of the storm in Louisiana alone. And this is only one state, in one month, following one natural event magnified by climate change. And who will be hit by these job losses first most likely? Young people, given the precocity of common sectors in which they work, and the associated low wages and job insecurity.
This demonstrates the sheer impact of climatic changes on young people. Perhaps this is what it takes for us as a whole society to take note. Young people are especially vulnerable given they are more often than not employed in lower wage, more insecure sectors. Furthermore, those in education have been significantly set back by impacts on their schooling, such as damage inflicted on facilities due to natural disasters in parts of the world, or enforced closures over the last two years. These impacts create subsequent difficulties to stand out in an already competitive job market to gain valuable entry level and internship opportunities. We can only hope that following COP26 on beyond, leaders push for more productive changes in their respective nations.
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF YOUNG PEOPLE
1) SKILLED VOLUNTEERING
Making change today does not require a lot of time, resources, or location limitations. With a move away from ‘traditional’ volunteering, there are opportunities allowing youth to use their skills to make an impact - known as skilled volunteering. Skilled volunteering focuses on the individuals skills whether that be in marketing, research, business development, law, media, the list goes on. Often these skills are sought out by employers and educational institutions for jobs or academics meaning young people can enhance their skills through volunteering and create an impact.
2) CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Just as much as young people have the responsibility to make change, so do employers and educational institutions. Organisations must demonstrate their commitment to a sustainable and ethical environment for employees and society. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is more than stating it within the company's policy or website. Like a goal to achieve social impact, action is needed to help support their employees/students in creating change. Some may opt for long term CSR programmes but change can be made in one day. Change Days are online volunteering events that enable organisations and their employees to develop their skills while volunteering to support Social Enterprises changing the world. Young people can get involved through their organisations systems to ensure their causes are aligned with their profession. Change is about everyone taking responsibility, not just young people.
3) EDUCATION
One factor ties both sides of the debate: education. This is both the education of organisations and authorities for why it is essential to lay the foundations in society, and the education of young people themselves on both how and why they can upskill themselves. This can be as simple as reading more into what you know you are passionate about. Interested in ongoing youth-based projects in your local area? Have a read of community blogs, social media pages and news articles to educate yourself. Talk to people who you know who work or volunteer in this field, and ask for contacts if you don’t. Education is our tool to make a difference. Educating ourselves on all the Social Enterprises fighting for the different causes, and educating yourself on their stories and reasons why, can help direct young people to the causes they care about. One of the first starting points to learning about causes is reading up on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Education is our tool!
OVER TO YOU...
Young people have the future in their hands, from both the direction that global employment takes over the coming decades, to social norms, to tackling the climate crisis. It is essential that both older generations recognise the need to provide the platforms for this to occur, and young generations recognise the need to build the skills needed to effectively use these platforms to make change.
GET INVOLVED
If you would like to use your skills to volunteer, you can join a project here.
If you are running or starting up a Social Enterprise or Non-governmental organisation dedicated to making a change, you can find the skilled volunteers you need to grow your impact for free here.
Contact us to find out how your employees can make a difference and create a lasting change in your organisation here.
Read more latest news, features and notes from the We Make Change Team below:
