Viewing youths in social context

"Praise youth and it will prosper." -  Irish proverb Youths have an endless potential which makes them the most important and productive guiding force for any nation. Development of a society as well as a country mainly depends on the exploration and utilisation of the potentialities of the young people.
We are aware that young men and women have certain roles and responsibilities in a society.  Some of these responsibilities vary from one society to another, yet they have certain aspects that are common among most of societies. In this respect, understanding the social position of young people is crucial. The module Young People and Society examines the range of definitions of youth, adolescence and family, and the problems and issues facing young people and societies in which they live. By exploring what researchers and social scientists have said about youth in various social contexts, and relating that to general theories about society, the module illuminates the situation of young people in our society.
The module is divided into 4 units. 'Unit -1: Ways of Seeing Young People' helps us to understand the experiences of growing up as a young woman or man, and the different perceptions of young people and adults. The way the young people are perceived and how the term 'youth' is defined change from society to society and from one culture to another. Therefore, to fully grasp what is meant by 'youth', it is very important to examine what is meant by 'society' and 'culture', and how they are interrelated. Three theoretical approaches to the study of society are discussed in this chapter: the functionalist approach, the conflict theory and the 'interactionist' approach.  Each approach makes some basic assumptions about how society is organised. No one approach is necessarily right or wrong as different writers on society approach the topic from different perspectives.
 'Unit-2: Adolescence' starts off by describing and defining the concept of adolescence, which is generally held to be a stage through which all young people must pass. Then this chapter draws our attention to examining the theories of adolescence that are presented under two main headings: psychoanalytic theories and sociological theories. Psychoanalytic theories tend to have cultural biases as these theories are developed mainly by European scholars (i.e. Freud, Hall, Ericson and others) examining youth in their societies. Sociological theories tend to see the process of adolescence as being influenced mainly by environmental factors originating outside the individual adolescents. Three of the key concepts that have emerged out of sociological theories on adolescence are: socialisation, role assumption and generation gap. But there is very little empirical evidence based on research to support the view that a generation gap exists, or that it is inevitable in human societies.
Young people of all ages belong to families. 'Unit-3: Young People and the Family' begins with a discussion of types of families. Unless we grew up in a home such as an orphanage run by the state or a non-government organisation, some of the family (nuclear, extended, single parent etc.) experiences described here are familiar to us. It is generally agreed that family is an important institution in society which is usually responsible for the care, protection and upbringing of the young members of society. Family is also a critical factor in moulding the personality of the individual. This chapter concludes by examining some of the problems that families are facing today: i) the increasing participation of women in the labour force, ii) the effect of new technologies on communication, and iii) the rise in unmarried adolescent pregnancies.
The final chapter of this module 'Unit-4: Social Issues that Affect Young People' discusses three important issues that have impact on youth: society's images of young people, youth unemployment and the threat of AIDS. One common concept of youth views the young people as a metaphor of hope, change and regeneration. The most dominant and lasting image of young people is one of problems and instability. Youth unemployment is a global problem - both in developed and developing countries - which can result in serious economic and psychological effects leading a young person to the practice of drug/substance abuse.
This unit concludes by focusing on the point that AIDS is not an academic issue; it is literally a question of life and death. It is also a social issue as the young people with AIDS suffer discrimination in education, employment and health care.

The writer is an independent researcher.
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Young People and Society
(a module for Commonwealth Youth Programme - diploma in Youth in Development Work; published by Commonwealth Secretariat, London)