The Youth Must Pay Attention to Their Social Perception and Environment

by Nkhensani Valoyi

So much is happening amongst the Youth of Africa, the high unemployment rate, the “poverty line” that we are living below, the conflicts in Africa and the hopeless Youth just to mention a few. The major stumbling block amongst the Youth though is the perception of the social environment that we are living in, the consequences of social imperialism and Low self esteem which hinders the ability to implement our dreams successfully.

It is not that the Youth of Africa can’t think but the symptoms of historic brain wash that make us to still doubt our abilities, be scared of implementing our dreams and even be comfortable in entertaining poverty. It is time to assess the self and its impact on the social environment that we are living in, time to murder the fear that is stealing from this continent’s future, time to believe that we can foster sustainable transformation. Failure to do this will result in more consequences for the future generation. The social environment that we create today and amuse is what the children will learn from us and carry it through to the next generations BUT if we change it; our continent will change as well.

Today we still dwell on what the colonists stole from us, how our countries are over indebted and some of them failing to pay the world bank, how the youth is unemployed, how we wait to be rescued by other continents, well, not that we can ignore all of this but maybe it’s time to look at the type of environment we create by dwelling on that only. We need to create a positive social environment.

This Africa day, I urge the Youth to start thinking about the self and the environment that it create, to start exploring the wealth of Africa and how it can be utilised to foster sustainable transformation, to start changing the system of the mind for when it is willing and innovative, that is when change will emerge. Politics are a system just like the economy,  but the difference between the two is that to break through Politics one probably has to be part of that system and carry all its baggage but to break through economically, one has to be creative and start changing his/her surroundings. This can improve the economy around the lives of ordinary people while the global economic trends proceed as they are. What we strive for, is what the African Union Youth Charter strives for as well which is the right to social, economic, political and cultural development with due regard to their freedom and identity and in equal enjoyment of the common heritage of mankind.

“One of the most critical tasks ahead of us namely to recognize and take very seriously our obligation to promote the scientific advance of the social sciences in Africa. Of course what we want is not the scientific development of just any science but rather that of a social science that will bring social change. Happily there is no dilemma here, for it is the firm commitment and vigorous pursuit of this type of Social Science that we are most likely to advance the Social Sciences scientifically. Our creativity as social scientists will get the most stimulus when we are in the front-line of our people's struggles to find themselves and to master their destiny."Prof. Claude Ake.

The sooner we change our perception, the faster Africa will transform. The system that we have to change is that of the mind.

Nkhensani Valoyi

Founding Partner and Managing Director: UpRoot Development
Procurement Administrator: Mindset Network
Blogs Manager: Student Brands

Read more about Nkhensani and her view on being a futurist.

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