Creating Change by Empowering Youth

Published 14/12/2019

It is often the youth of today that can be found at the heart of a mission for a brighter future.

From large scale issues such as climate change and human rights, to smaller scale issues that a school council might tackle, there is no denying that youth empowerment can a be a forceful vehicle behind positive change.

Through your involvement with children and the youth of Fiji during a project at Think Pacific, the power you have to make a positive difference to the lives of those people may have a longer-lasting impact than you may have first thought. You can help motivate, encourage and inspire young people, so that they can make their voices heard, take charge of their own lives and help to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities, long after you have left the islands.

This is why we wholeheartedly believe in volunteering projects that focus on empowerment, collaboration and a sustainable approach.

Here we delve a little deeper into the benefits of youth empowerment in creating positive change and how you can get involved.

The Importance of Youth Empowerment

1. Transferring Skills

Youth empowerment can give young people the skillset needed to take charge of their own destiny. This creates sustainable change, that can have widespread impact on whole generations. This may be the ability to source food or it could be medical skills and knowledge of good hygiene and sanitation. Or perhaps you will be involved with a building project at Think Pacific and give village youth the opportunity to learn useful trade skills from the Building Manager. Or equally, even just talking in English to them may help perfect their English and help them land their dream job.

All these skills can have the short-term impact of a greater standard of living for the community but in the long-term you can give the young people the skillset to broaden their opportunities.

2. Education & Knowledge

Empowering young people to believe that they can make a positive difference for themselves and their communities can be a motivator to work harder at school. A belief in the importance of education can have a ripple effect on the overall standards of education, which in turn can benefit the country as a whole.

Through education, young people are exposed to things they didn’t know before and this new information gives them a greater level of knowledge to improve their understanding of the world around them.

3. Involvement and Participation

Empowering youth gives young people the confidence to have a voice in their community and take responsibility for actions and decisions that impact them.

Getting the youth actively involved and participating in their communities helps them take pride in tackling problems head on. When the youth are involved and participating, they are engaged, and this is really positive for future community development.

4. Community Development

Empowering the youth can impact all aspects of a community. From food and water, to energy and education, youth can take responsibility and use creativity to support community development in their local regions.

Having exposure to more challenges and issues helps spark further creative thinking and problem solving – something that helps communities continue to thrive.

5. Employment

Through youth empowerment, comes a higher level of education, a developed skillset and a broader range of opportunities when it comes to employment.

Often, young people need opportunities to discover their own talents and interests and this is something our projects at Think Pacific can provide. For example, you may find your involvement in sports exposing a hidden talent or a sheer enjoyment of sports that can in turn motivate them to seek employment in this area. Youth empowerment can also lead to new jobs being created as an understanding of the needs of a community and country, developing with the changing times and environment.

Learn More About Think Pacific

Perhaps it can be said that a better tomorrow comes from the youth of today. At Think Pacific we work closely with the youth of Fiji and believe that our many projects, will help empower youths to have the confidence and self-esteem to take charge of their futures. We learn from each other and whilst you will share and develop your own knowledge and skillsets with them, you too can learn from their knowledge and skillsets.

We firmly believe in the importance of a richer understanding of different cultures and how we can empower each other to make positive change on the world in which we live today. If you’d like to find out more about our many exciting and unique projects we have to offer, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today or download a brochure to learn more.

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