TAKING IT TO THE STREETS
Historically, youth voices have been strong instruments for effective change, and are proving to be even louder in the 21st Century. Young people around the world are demanding transformations of all kinds, enabling millennials to build movements through protests and other mobilization tools in order to challenge the status quo. In this piece, the author shares some of his personal experiences in Cambodia to illustrate the feeling that individual acts matter to impact a collective, inspiring youth to stand up for what they believe in to make a difference.
by David Peck “ B
Every generation gets a chance to change the world. Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls. Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard.
” U2
ernard Shaw said it was a pity that youth was wasted on the young. In many cases this may be true, but when it comes
to movements for change young people are making a serious difference. Consider the man who faced four tanks in Tiananmen Square and stood his ground in the youth-led democratic protests of 1989 in Beijing. He was only 19 years old. The iconic picture has now become known as The Unknown Rebel. Or how about the courage and tenacity of Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old activist who has changed the way people view women in Afghanistan and who is now the youngest ever nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Or Bilaal Rajan, who started fundraising at the age of four, and currently works with UNICEF as a junior ambassador.
Cambodia is ranked third in the Greater Mekong Sub region for economic growth.[i]
Extreme poverty, high mortality rates,
landmine issues and food security continue to be serious concerns, and yet it is a country whose future lies on the shoulders of its youth. According to Feed The Future, approximately 70% of Cambodians are under 35 years old. That’s a young country, the majority of its citizens are born in, or after 1979. The Khmer Rouge were defeated in 1978 and the country was plunged into ten years of civil war. The young blood that comprises the kingdom today is
38 iAM Youth as... Allies
its greatest asset and liability. With little history, tradition and tacit knowledge to guide these young men and women, Cambodia is carving a new path for itself into the 21st Century. In a recent Globe and Mail article we read of the clash that protestors had with police over unionization and garment worker wages. Civic unrest, political dissatisfaction and moral outrage abounds. Young people are demanding transformation of all kinds. Protests, social media, and the general consensus that things need to change are challenging the way things have always been done in Cambodia, at least in recent history. In the last election, millennials upset the political apple cart and reminded the ruling class that change is possible and that
the status quo must sit up, listen and act
accordingly. The youth-led vote is gaining knowledge, courage and insight. Change is coming, however
incrementally. Young
Cambodians know they have the ability to make a difference. They are fighting back, taking to the streets and speaking out on a variety of issues. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are agents of change. What we do affects the environment and others around us. Each one of us can have a profound, positive effect on the world. Individual acts do matter. The road to social change is less traveled for a reason. Too often wealth, status and celebrity subvert a socially just and relevant heart. Are we walking along the road less traveled or are we merely traveling the road less and less? Cambodian youth and what they’re facing as they make their way into the future are an active reminder to us all that what we do does indeed affect everyone else. Getting involved matters.
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