Youth Empowerment: It’s a must!

 The unemployment rate among Indonesian youth is alarming. From the results of data collection conducted by Central Statistics Agency (BPS), productive age group of the unemployment rate reached 6.32 % or about 7.61 million people by May 2012. Among the Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia ranked as the seventh most unemployed people.

            If there is no appropriate measures immediately, the unemployment rate will continue to rise and will be a source of social problems in the community. Criminal index and sexual abuse are likely to increase quickly unless some brilliant ideas occur to resolve these crucial problems. Mentally, young people are still relatively unstable. Therefore, not a few bad things happened to them as a form of outlet for their powerlessness.

            One important thing is how to keep the young generations empowered as our focus. According to Ministry of Youth, there are many programs in the areas of youth empowerment. This is clear evidence that the government intends on ensuring that young generations can continue to struggle despite it couldn’t be disseminated evenly.

            I also believe if ‘almost everything that is great has been done by the youth’. Instead, Soekarno, the first President of Indonesia ever stated something referring to youth as well. He said, “Give me ten youth, surely I changed the world”. Those words are credibly demonstrating the powerful of us as adolescence. For example, dealing with social media expansion, most of them were created when the founder was still nineteen. Something that’s simple but able to connect the world and ease to spread information. That’s why; young people extremely have to be empowered earlier.

Youth is the source of brilliant ideas happened
Photo by http://blog.eerlings..com

            One of thing should be developed is invigorate the creative economy as youth assessed tend to have the ‘wild’ mindset or somebody says ‘out of the box’. Through youth entrepreneurship development, provide more scholarships or bursaries for continuing their study or perhaps build the youth development center to organize and collect any related information for young people. It probably stimulates them to work within their capabilities and high willing.

            Youth, is the cornerstone of the world future existence. Youth, is the source of brilliant ideas happened. If they look commonly encountered, what will come into being at some eventual time in the future?

Don't Be Yourself

“justru saya ga setuju dengan pepatah be yourself, tapi be your best self”

Kalimat diatas ialah petikan kata Merry Riana saat doi tampil di program Just Alvin Metro TV pekan lalu. Dipikir-pikir, akhirnya gue berkesimpulan, that was totally right. Kenapa?

Gini deh, banyak orang bilang ‘ah gue mah be yourself ajah’. Dulu, jaman masi alay  kalo ditanya motto hidup trus bingung ya gue jawabnya pasti be yourself alias jadi diri kita sendiri, mainstream kan. haha. Setelah beranjak dewasa, baru sadar lah siapa gue dan mulai mengenali manusia seperti apakah gue ini. Karena tulisan ini bukan ditujukan untuk tes rekruitmen perusahaan atau organisasi, maka gue ga akan ngomongin kelebihan. Yes, beberapa hal yang menjadi momok sekaligus bumerang dalam diri gue adalah sifat moody, males, dan procrastinator yang udah akut.

Terus gue mikir lagi, kalo motto ‘be yourself’ tetep dipertahankan sampai sekarang, bakalan jadi apakah diriku, hiks. Udah moody, ditambah males dan suka nunda-nunda pekerjaan. Ketiganya sangat berkaitan dalam menyerang potensi seseorang atau kalo bahasa kerennya mah attacks human potentials..hati-hati. Makanya kata-kata Merry Riana diatas sedikit banyak mengubah perspektif gue tentang bagaimana menjadi berbeda dengan orang lain tapi tetap menggunakan kebaikan yang ada dalam diri kita. Sekali lagi, don’t be yourself, but be your best self ;)