No Compromise

Understanding today’s Youth, their World, their Work, and the Importance to Sustainable Development

By Saarah Khan

Sustainable development is often defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”1 In a similar vein, it can be said that the well-being of young people is critically important in shaping the future of the world. More than 90% of the global youth population resides in the developing world, where the impact of global decision making has often been felt the hardest.2 In 2015 the world’s leaders came together to create the Sustainable Development Goals as a promise to “secure the rights and well-being of everyone on a healthy, thriving planet”.

While governments have largely failed to make a discernable dent in the progress of the 17 goals, with a weak global economy, rising global conflicts, and the climate crisis placing the attainment of the goals further in jeopardy, young people are being touted as the “torchbearers of the 2030 Agenda”, not only as beneficiaries of the policies but as partners, participants and drivers of its implementation and success.

Currently half of the world’s population is under the age of 30, meaning that this is the largest generation of young people in history. The United Nations estimates that the population of the youth between the ages of 15-24 has risen by 67% since 1965 and is growing at a much faster rate than the total population3. Despite this, young people are often overlooked or undervalued when it comes to the decisions made around issues that, arguably, will have the greatest impact on their peer group, given that they will likely have several years to deal with the ramifications of other, older generations’ decisions.

Empowering the youth is an important factor in not only the success of the sustainable goals but in the progress of humankind. Young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than other adults, with a 15% global youth unemployment rate4, the opportunities available often being temporary and informal, with poor working conditions. Even in developed countries where young people should have better access to gainful employment opportunities, they are not adequately represented by senior and executive leadership at their places of work.

The corporate world has faced challenges in engaging and retaining younger employees, largely because young people are often not involved in the decision-making arena of the workplace. The average age of directors in the S&P 500 companies is 635. This is quite evidently not reflective of the customer base or the employee base. The creation of avenues and support for youth development initiatives, especially in the corporate world through, for example, mentorship and outreach programmes are beneficial not only to the young people themselves, but to the companies who support these initiatives as it would provide a more inclusive environment and greater opportunity for innovation. Capacity Canada’s Gen Z on Boards6 program is a great example that trains, mentors, and matches young people with Boards that directly serve the community, with at least one student creating their own non-profit organisation at the age of 21, with the knowledge gained through the program.

Investing in young people, especially in marginalised and minority communities is essential in building the inclusive partnerships required to address the global sustainability challenges.

The potential of this generation is often demonstrated in exemplary ways once they are given the opportunity to be active stakeholders in building the communities to which they belong. One example of this is the innovation by a group of teenagers in Ukraine, who after identifying the need for alternative power sources after attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure, set up a solar charging station, with knowledge they gained by participating in the global youth innovation program, UPSHIFT.

Similarly, a seed funding and entrepreneurship program funded in a joint effort between UNICEF and Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement enabled 23-year-old Leen from Syria to develop a medical app that allows patients to have access to daily medical advice and to easily schedule medical appointments. When asked how the program has helped Syrian youth, she stated “We deserve this support because we’re a creative community that only needs guidance to reach our full potential.”7

Research conducted by Tufts University suggested that youth civic engagement is a critical part of community development as they “have unique perspectives on local issues, they often bring new ideas to the table, and they can be an inexhaustible source of energy and passion for social change.”8 However, these decision-making spaces are often inaccessible to this demographic, youth being severely underrepresented in the majority of political sphere, with the average global age of parliamentarians as 53. Given that the most online age group is the exact demographic defined by the UN as “youth”, it is no surprise that we have seen social media utilised as an element of social change and grassroots movement by young people in order to effect change, increase awareness and challenge the status quo.

Perhaps the most widely known example of this is that of Greta Thunberg, who at the age of 15 staged her first protest and thus began the #SchoolStrike4ClimateChange which sparked global interest on the issue of climate change and global warming, resulting in the largest climate strike ever, as almost 4 million people around the world participated. Many young activists have followed her example, such as Licypriya Kangujam9, who at the age of 10 has enacted change India by advocating for climate action and who’s protests have resulted in new air pollution regulations in five Indian states. She is not an anomaly as a 2021 study by Edelman10 shows that 70% of Gen Z are involved in a social or political cause. Yolian Ogbu, a member of the youth led Zero Hour movement, wrote in a 2019 article that “young people across the world are coming together to recreate and redefine people power and governance”11.

From climate change action to challenging social inequalities, young people are demanding action and taking charge. They are organizing marches, walkouts, protests, campaigns, leading non-profits, lobbying governments, and challenging norms in every aspect of society.

Today’s youth understand that the actions of generations before them have had a profound effect on the life that they now must live, across all social, environmental and economic aspects. And they also understand that they have no choice but to act and innovate to make their world better for their generation and beyond. It is therefore imperative for other, older generations to give this younger generation the opportunity and the space to be true torchbearers, partners, and drivers of positive change.

1 “Sustainable Development.” EUR, eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/sustainable-development.html

2 “Youth.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/global-issues/youth#:

3 “Youth - United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/youth/.

4 “World Youth Unemployment Rate 1991-2024.” MacroTrends, www.macrotrends.net/countries/WLD/world/youth-unemploymentrate

5 “On the Board but Aging Out.” Korn Ferry, Korn Ferry, 10 Aug. 2022, www.kornferry.com/insights/this-week-in-leadership/ mandatory-retirement-age-board-directors

6 “Gen Z on Boards.” Capacity Canada, 31 Aug. 2023, capacitycanada.ca/boards-embracing-the-vision-of-youth/.

7 “The Changemakers: 10 Youth Building Peace in Their Communities.” UNICEF Canada: For Every Child, www.unicef.ca/en/blog/ changemakers-10-youth-building-peace-their-communities.

8 “Why Is Youth Civic Engagement Important?” CIRCLE, circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/why-it-important

9 “10 Youth Changemakers from around the World: Youth Changemakers, Mapped.” 10 Youth Changemakers from around the World | Youth Changemakers, Mapped., www.climateculture.earth/5-minute-reads/10-youth-changemakers-from-around-the-world.

10 “Unleashing the Power of Gen Z.” Edelman, www.edelman.com/insights/unleashing-power-gen-z.

11 Ogbu, Yolian. “Why 2019 Was the Year of the Protest.” I, i-d.vice.com/en/article/a35bak/2019-protest-year-youth-movementszero-hour.