The term ‘Youth’ has been defined by UNESCO- is “best understood as a period of transition from the dependence on childhood to adulthood’s independence and awareness of our independence as members of a community. Youth is a more fluid category than a fixed age group.”

Importance of Youth

• As per the annual report of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Department of Youth Affairs), 2016-17, the youth make up to be the most enthusiastic segment for any institution for governance.
• From the LGBTQ movement to the ‘equal right for women’ and from environmental concerns to human rights- the youth have been at the centre of activities encompassing multifarious arenas in public life and often act as a workable pressure group.
• The youth have an innate ability to adapt to the ever-changing societal dynamics and thus, should be at the core of economic/socially meaningful actions.
• The youth can act as a bridge between two generations. The youth are basically the catalyst of new social thinking, economic development and political activity.
• The Youth can act as agents spurring societal change. For example, the young today are no longer so rigid in matters of inter-dining and inter-community marriage.

National Youth Policy 2014

“The National Youth Policy 2014 proposes a holistic vision for the youth of India, which is to empower youth of the country to achieve their full potential and through them enable India to find its rightful place in the community of nations”.

Objectives and Priority areas of the policy

• Creating a productive workforce that can make a sustainable contribution to India’s economic development.

The priority areas for this are:

• Education
• Entreprenuership
• Employment and skill development
• Develop a strong, healthy generation equipped to take on future generations. To be operated through:
• Health- healthy lifestyle
• Sports
• Instil social values and promote community service to build rational ownership- operative tools are
• Promotion of social values
• Community Engagements
• Facilitate participation and civic engagements at all centres of governance to be operated through
• Participation in politics and governance
• Youth engagement
• Support youth at risk and create equitable opportunities for all disadvantaged and marginalized youth. The priority areas being inclusion and Social Justice.

A look at current Government Initiatives

• The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan has been mandated for developing and engaging youth in nation building activities.
• The National Service Scheme (NSS) develops the morale and humanistic personality through voluntary social service.
• There also exists the ‘National Programmes for Youth and Adolescent Development’. It is also accompanied by National youth festivals and awards to facilitate and encourage the young.
• Skill up gradation Traning program (SUTP): It aims to develop vocational training skill with the help of trained masters to help generate extra income and boost self-confidence. This programme also aims to recognize the local need and thus imparts vocational training.
• Promotion of Folk Art, Culture and Yuva Kriti: With the ‘Generation X’ obsessed about the west- this programme comes as the much needed task master to provide opportunity to the rural youth to showcase and promote their culture and talent.
• Mahatma Gandhi Yuva Swachta Abhiyaan and Shramdaan Karyakram: to alert and engage the youth in contributing to the cleanliness drive and water conservation.
• Life Skill Training for adolescents (Empowerment for Adolescents): 
  This is an important and major initiative for it highlights the psychological derailment of the youth, and training youth in a manner that enables them to cope with pressure and make healthy life choices. This scheme also aims to sensitize and make aware the adolescent about reproductive sexual health, the issues and concerns.
• Tribal Youth Exchange Programme (TYEP): The aim is to pick up potential youth from the left wing extremism affected tribal belt and tour them to other parts of the nation. It enables them to develop and nationalize their mind set without the influence of a dominant local ideology. TYEP also provides an opportunity where learning by experience may be put into practice in respective tribal home towns whose youth have seen the magic of development; infrastructural growth and skill development.
• North-East Youth Exchange Programme: Under the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan in an joint effort with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, aims at a collaboration of North Eastern Youth with the youth of Maharashtra to develop an understanding of socio-economic development and ethos of culturally diverse lifestyles.

Challenges that the Youth Face

• The young today have sadly been subjected to the ill-effects of fast growing urban sutures and are drawn to crimes even to maintain a living. A major reason for this negative outlook is the disparity between availability and accessibility.
• While there are programmes and initiatives undertaken by the Government- the method or means to avail of them has not been easy.
• In fact, the dominant hurdles in accessing these facilities are the ‘financial constraints’ or the ‘social structure’.
• Academia has not been fully sensitive and welcoming to the ‘on growing crisis of youth identity’.

The Way Forward

• There is an urgent need to recognize, accept and appreciate the working of a young mind. This recognition has to be substantially different from the strict and rigid mind-set of expectations from the youth.
• The youth’s capable potential can be put to plural benefits with a mere inclusion of the inter-disciplinary approach in imparting education.
• The Government through its various means has tried its best to bring out the potential and capability of each individual youth, that not only helps in personality development but foster an emerging national global dominant voice.
• The transforming youth shall be the torch bearers of a much sensitized, conscious and harmonious world.