Opinion | Y-20 – Platform for Youth to Prove Their Mettle! 

Y-20 which actually stands for Youth 20 regarding which the calendar for organisation of activities and awareness programs has been issued w.e.f 11th April to 27th April for High and Higher Secondary Schools of UT of JK through directorate of School Education Kashmir. This is India’s youth centric efforts to provide an opportunity for Indian leadership on these issues to both global and domestic audiences and to fulfill India’s vision by making the G20 Summit truly participative in nature. Under the Y20 India summit it would be the valuable opportunity to highlight the issues and challenges of youth across the globe. Keeping in view the dynamic and vibrant youth population significant efforts have been undertaken in order to support the enable them to participate in curricular and extracurricular activities. The youth is the future of politics, economy, technology and medical science lies in the hands of youth. The issues the globe is mainly experiencing include famine, Joblessness, climate change and population explosion. The future generation has solutions to all of these issues. In any nation the youth represent the most vital and energetic element of the population. The survey indicated that developing nations with sizable youth populations might see significant development in all areas of their economies if they invest in young people’s rights, education and health.

The youthful brains of today will become leaders, inventors and innovators of tomorrow. Indian youth hold the key for the advancement of  and also for the entire world to an . Youth must be encouraged and given access to excellent health, training and education Under the initiative of Y20 it would act as to sensitize the youth regarding the need for robust healthcare to meet the health related issues and challenges from the infancy stage to both rural and urban areas.The form under G20 also prioritize the approach towards holistic model of care and support. Youth play a critical role in nation building and under the India Presidency of G20 the platform of Y20 would give an opportunity for youth to articulate and formulate ways to find the solution of climate change. Climate change is a burning issue and everyone should find ways to come up with solutions. Research is the key to understanding the complex processes and systems that contribute to climate change. We need to know what is causing earth’s climate to change and what are the crucial impacts affecting our society and economy. When we drink water from plastic bottles we don’t realise that five minutes of our satisfaction we are degrading our environment for 500 more years to come. So we must be watchful towards the climate changes which can be proved very much disastrous if we are not aware of our conscience. Today India is one of the youngest nation in the world with more than 62℅ of its population in the working age group and more than 54℅ of its total population below 25 years of age. This gives us the demographic dividend over other countries. The youth of today is increasingly becoming restless and struggling to remove the disparities. However, more effort needs to be put in if we are to become free from the vicious circle of poverty, malnutrition, unemployment, corruption etc. The effects of climate are creating profound devastation across the globe. The incessant and unprecedented natural calamities like floods, rising temperatures, melting of glaciers etc and air contamination has never been taken under keen consideration. India is the second largest populous country of nearly about 135 crore population and to maintain the balance between the population and their daily based activities, economic activities, their aspirations is not an easy challenge. Now it is upto the nation builders of secondary and higher secondary schools to go through the calendar issued by DSEK to inculcate the importance of the youth at morning assemblies from time to time so that students get fully aware about the aim of Y20 and the presidency of G20. While highlighting the issues the main focus should be the climate change. The responsibility lies on the shoulders of teachers, masters, and lecturers to give the elaborative dissemination on climate change at morning assemblies. The programs related to it should be implemented in letter and spirit. We can’t deny the fact that youth of the present is having numerous challenges and to overcome these responsibilities lies on the elite class of the society. Debates ,group discussion, question answer, dramas, related to the Y20 should be conducted at school levels as per schedule already notified.The activities related to Y20 should be done at school levels first followed by the Zonal level and cluster level facilitated by the Principals, Zeos, HOIs.
The Y20 India Summit 2023 would be a valuable opportunity for the global youth with these following themes:
1) Future of Work industry 4.0, Innovation and 21st century and Skills
 The 4.0 is actually the fourth industrial revolution. The artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming from how factories are run to how services are delivered and how people contribute to the economy. Under this theme it is aimed at gearing up youth for taking on the challenges of the coming generation of work opportunities. It is quite evident that Research and innovation is the way of life and India did grow in the new sectors such as defence, renewable energy, and electrical vehicles etc. The Mudra initiative by banks to establish the micro enterprise as well. India’s digital revolution and its aim is to bridging the digital divide and work from home during the peak covid.
2) Climate change and disaster risk reduction, Making sustainability a way of life
The global challenges like rise in the price of commodities, possibilities of major recession, threat of regional conflicts, climate change causing devastation, unprecedented floods, rising temperature etc and despite this India has taken some pioneering steps like international Solar Alliance, banning of single use plastic and making electric vehicles viable.
3) Peacebuilding and reconciliation: Ushering in an Era of No war
We know that war conflicts are arising across the globe and there is an urgent need to create peacebuilding and reconciliation. Youth can play a positive role in peacebuilding and reconciliation and prevention from extremism. India is the largest democracy in the world , the conflicting situation has been efficiently handled with a highly empowering model of peacebuilding and reconciliation. India aims at socio economic development. India has made tireless efforts to end the conflicts and insurgency in Kashmir. The Naga Peace Accord, The Assam Accord, etc are noteworthy instances to end the conflicts. The financial enhanced facility has been made for supporting the peace building and reconciliation. Peace building in kashmir has proved to be a model for democratic means to end the conflict.
4) Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance
Under democracy and governance the main focus is on Youth. The participation of youth in democratic practices is vital and important. The need of the youth In the shared future is essential. Tailored efforts to inform and communicate with youth are needed to promote an open government culture and include  youth as active factors in open government strategies and initiatives. India time and again presents for dynamic leadership and offers youth across a whole range of organisational and institutional diversity. Digital India and digital governance allowed the broader participation of youth through easy access and enabling innovation. Student centric governance helps the youth in the involvement of the governance system. Policy sector is an active site which helps the youth participate in good governance.
5). Health, Wellbeing and sports: Agenda for Youth
The health and wellbeing of the youth became a profound priority especially after the post COVID-19. This pandemic has greatly suffered especially the youth and their job, education, trade etc.and familial relations and friendship  as well. India as president is doing good for benefit as well as welfare of Youth with regard to mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. The organisation like PATH has been enabled to redress the issues and challenges faced by the youth population. The Young Health Programs (YHP) is doing a tremendous job especially for those who have diseases like Cancer and diabetes. The Y20 can lead an Indian example of being vocal about mental health, increasing the health problems seen after the pandemic. The India’s vibrant and dynamic youth population and the promotion of sports fulfills the vital need. The Indian government has established sports academies across the country to promote the sports and be easily accessible within the country. The Indian vision Sports For All would act as an empowering force for the youth to recommend G20 members to cater the physical and mental wellbeing. The Y20 draws the Indian example for promoting sports through inclusive schemes for increasing mass participation.
– The writer, a teacher by profession teaching at BHS Diver Lolab, can be reached at farhaanqysar@gmail.com