Power in our Youth
Nepal is a land of beauty and mountains. As far as you can see, there are rolling mountains with tons of greenery that make the beautiful scenery of the land of Nepal. While it’s easy to label Nepal as the home of Mt. Everest, there is so much more to this small country. There are big movements happening and it is all starting with the youth.
In contrary to the old age of Mt. Everest, Nepal’s population is fairly young. 61% of the population is between the ages of 15 and 64 years old. During my time in Nepal, I was able to talk to numerous people from several different backgrounds.
I was able to meet several diplomats at the U.S. Embassy, I met young farmers and those within the agriculture profession, as well as local citizens from shops and tourist spots. All of them spoke of the current issues of Nepal, and how the government and the people are working to address these issues.
But what was powerful to me, was seeing how they truly implemented the youth and their voice as a solution to these problems. While Nepal still has a fairly older audience within their government, the youth knew and understood their responsibility to share their voice.
The Youth of a Nation are the trustees of prosperity.
The power in the youth. That is ultimately what I was able to see these past few days. I saw youth making initiatives and starting movements for their peers and their country.
And very much so, I saw the same passion that many of the youth in America have. I think it is important to note the change in the times. As a younger generation, we are no longer waiting around until a seat opens up at the table.
As a matter of fact, we aren’t even just bringing a seat to the table, but we are changing what that table looks like. After meeting so many people from these various backgrounds I learned so much about leadership.
Many times we view leadership as someone who has to be older with such wise experiences that we tend to forget what the youth has to offer. We tend to downplay their experiences and their wisdom simply due to their age. These last few days have demonstrated to me that leadership is not defined by age, but by character, vision, and passion.
As mentioned before, during this week I got to meet some young professionals within the agricultural field. They were a part of an organization that is working on spreading knowledge of the importance of agriculture in Nepal and the careers available to the youth of the area.
When I first heard about this movement, I immediately thought that this was something for farmers. After interacting with the youth of the movement, I soon learned that there is a wide range of aspects that go into agriculture, including technology.
At that moment, they demonstrated to me the importance of having fresh, young minds who are able to break those barriers and think outside the box. These professionals and so many others showed me that I don’t have to wait until tomorrow to make an impact or even share what seems like my crazy idea. But I can create that opportunity for myself, today and now.
