SLC-S29/W1-“Thinking and Ideas!| If You Were in Charge!”
If I were In Charge, I Will Cut Youth Unemployment, Involve the Youths in Making Economic Decisions
Wonderful fellow steemians, good to participate in this contest. Looking at the title, it is not such that one would not want to take part in especially, when you wish you could be given an opportunity to make certain decisions that affects the masses, for a short period of time one day. These decision is based on the fact that as a leader, you would use the position or office to implement decision that could have an influence or impact on the people.
So for me, this contest offers such an opportunity to express ideas on what I can do to improve the society where I found myself. So the host of this contest, @ninapenda, you made a thought-provoking challenge that commands the attention of a well- meaning persons to make their input.
I now come forward to express my views on what I could do if given such an opportunity to lead for a just short and limited time.
If I were given full authority for one year in my community or country, the first issue I would address is reducing youth unemployment in the land
Everyone would agree with me that youth unemployment is a serious issue that needs urgent attention to be solved. Youth unemployment is the issue confronting us across all corners of our society. It poses risks that could lead to various crimes. Some of the dangers which youth unemployment could cause include:
- Robbery
- Kidnapping
- Drug Peddling
- Human/child trafficking
- Cyber and financial crimes
- Cultism
- Political thuggery
- Suicide
These factors mentioned above have serious negative impacts in the society. These negative impacts include: - Social instability
- Reduced national/regional productivity
- Economic stagnation
- Poverty
- Loss of human capital just to mention a few.
Why I chose this issue over others
I carefully chose this issue over others because , it is painful to see millions of our youths been turned out across tertiary institutions as graduates roaming the streets without a job.
Every year, our youths who have spent a good number of years in the universities and have spent a lot of resources in the course of their chosen study, make it seem that education is a scam. This is so because the system could not absorb them in terms offering them job opportunities to enable inject their knowledge and get a sustainable reward or payment to take care of their needs.
Emphasies should be focused on creating and establishing industries with the capacity that will absorb these teaming youths graduating from the higher institutions.
The one difficult decision I would have to make
There are certain positive outcomes that would not just happen except hard decisions are taken.
To take such hard decisions, you have to step on toes to make the decisions that better the lives of many people.
Now for me, the difficulty decision I would make is to remove every member of my economic planning team above the age of 45 years. I have to do this to stop the recycling of the old “big wigs" who have lost ideas that would profer solutions to curb the problem of unemployment.
There a good number of our youths found in the streets who have the intellectual capacity and ideas to make favourable economic decisions that would better the lives of the populace. So have to bring these youths onboard to replace these old and selfish individuals that are making life hard for the youths.
The youths have a higher percentage of the population and yet, economic decisions and powers are centered on the few old privileged individuals who have found themselves in authority. This narrative would have to be changed as I will employ the youths into the positions of the economic sabotores.
How I would explain this decision to people who disagree with me
This decision wouldn't mean well to some persons especially, the older persons who have enjoyed being in authority for a long time without giving the youths a sense of belonging.
Statistics have shown that the youths are much more productive than every other class of persons. This is due to their energetic, vibrant, resourceful, and intellectual prowess to deliver solutions to emerging economic challenges.
A lot of them during their study in the higher institutions, were exposed to real world economic challenges facing the country. This were done by undergoing a thorough and practical research. They went to the field and sampled so many opinions and options on economic matters.
Take for instance, a country where an 80 year old man serves as the minister of information and technology development. At that riped age, what new invention or idea would he bring to synchronize technology with current economic realities? What could be his capacity to get exposed to the field to garther samples, figures, facts and opinions to better the economic lots of the citizenry? The older a person becomes, the less productive he or she becomes. The younger a person grows, the more productive he or she becomes.
If we must say the truth, puting the above picture in perspective, one would have to agree with me that the youths must be given the opportunity to make resounding economic decisions owing the fact that they have the capacity coupled with their age advantage to deliver solutions of better economic benefits.
I know this would be a hard nut for me to crack, though others may bluntantly disagree due to the fact that, they are benefiting from the crumbs of the old big wigs who may resist the change. But not withstanding, I would go head-long to take this hard decision.
Unemployment has ravaged the future of many youths. It has caused economic backwardness and loss of human capital. The society is still today, suffering from this cankerworm known as unemployment. The worst is that little or no attention is given to curb the menace of unemployment.
Getting the youths involved in economic planning and decisions accelerates economic activities and improved productive capacity which would now reduce unemployment.
If I were in charge, there are best hands among the youth that I would engage into my team,who would go all out to deliver economic prosperity by putting to bare, their exposure of practical ingenuity to provide economic solutions.