Philosopher Avec La Jeunesse

In justifying our interest in today’s youth, it is not enough to say that they are the nation’s future. For in doing so, we are turning them into a mere tool for shaping the future – we are exploiting them, granting them but a secondary importance – we are implying that only the future matters, thereby vowing them to extinction.Our concern for young people must be timely and impartial. It must address their trials and problems, their inherent value and not their obligations towards tomorrow’s society. What is needed is to genuinely take action on behalf of young people themselves.The real first step of any pro-youth action is to promote clear awareness of the very characteristics which form the essence of youth. We must therefore thoroughly explore its “characteristics,” its significance and its “potential.”Obviously, this significance, or essence, does not constitute a homogenous, uniform and constant “social group.” Sociologists are justified in refining their descriptions of groups. “There are” urban, rural and suburban youths. Some are unemployed, others are not; some have degrees, but many of them do not. Moreover, these young people may, or may not, be the offspring of European, Asian, or African immigrants. Our conception of young people may vary from one historic era to the next.Trying to find their “place” in society, striving for success in their lives and close relationships, and working to achieve a meaningful life are but a few of the elements shared by all young people. The unchanging essential point is the very fact that they are young. This is the aspect which we will be exploring as we attempt to measure its ramifications.