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Youth in the Changing World. How Do We Build Youth Policies for a Better Tomorrow?
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Written by Yurii StechyshynMember of EDYN Ukraine
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Earlier in May, I had the pleasure of joining New Direction, a conservative Brussels-based think tank, at their annual event.
This year’s conference was called “Freedom in the Changing World,” and I was selected as one of the panelists to speak about the engagement of young people (“youngsters”) in politics in general, and in center-right organisations in particular.
In the following lines, I’ll briefly elaborate on the key points I raised during the panel.
1. Feeling Left Behind in the Digital Era
Many young people feel left behind, even in the current Digital Era, despite generally being more eager and quicker to adopt new things. Nevertheless, it’s hard to keep up with the modern pace of life.
2. Education and the Skills Gap
Education is my second concern: not only is it often irrelevant to what employers actually need, but overqualification is also an issue. Having a diploma from a prestigious university or college does not guarantee meeting the market conditions for labour and employment.
3. Housing Affordability
Housing policy is my third concern: many young people have given up on the dream of owning their own apartment or house, while rental rates are skyrocketing—especially in areas with good employment opportunities.
4. Social Media and Algorithmic Influence
My fourth concern is the socials: algorithms tend to make choices for us, even though we genuinely don’t know what’s hidden behind them. Socials are no longer about being democratic tools; instead, they are about clicks, engagement, ad revenue, and bubbles. Bubbles create isolation and mistrust. They foster uncertainty.
5. Political Disengagement
This leads to my fifth concern: disengagement from politics. For many youngsters, politics feels hostile—it’s a place to avoid, despite the fact that it affects our lives tremendously, from the very local level to national (and even multinational) levels.
Let’s Support the Doers
My general recommendation for the audience was this: Let’s support the doers! Active people are always in the minority, but they exist—we just don’t reach out to them in the right way.
Young people should be given opportunities to run for office, and political parties must be willing to open merit-based calls for applications to attract active youth who are ready to commit their time and efforts to serving others. Importantly—and as one of my colleagues from the audience rightly objected—“we’re not building political careers, but we’re serving people.”
I like the motto, and I also believe that together, we can!
I thank EDYN and New Direction for offering me the spot and kindly assisting with accommodation and other logistical matters along the way. Your work is tremendous, relevant, and impactful.
