Online Reporter
Fadzayi Maposah-Correspondent
The youthful days are some of the memorable days of one’s life. Since life is lived forwards, but understood backwards, it is only when we are older that we realise the “boring” days of our youth were actually the good days.
When we look back, we realise they were actually the best days, and because we are older than what we were, we boldly refer to them as the good old days.
Is it not strange that most people do not enjoy the life that they are living, hoping for better days, only to then realise that they missed out on many things.
I have been wondering what I would like if I was a young person in 2026. How would I handle the influx of information at my fingertips, because even as an adult, I struggle and have to exercise great self-control just to remain sane?
How would I handle social media? Would I be able to keep up with the happenings in other young people’s life? How would I handle the fact that I could chat with people all over the world in real time?
What about having access to television programmes 24 hours a day? Would I manage, or, my parents would have to exercise some control over me?
Young people in Zimbabwe and globally are faced with a lot of options regarding how they should run their lives. There are also so many options in terms of what they can do careerwise.
I was telling some young people that the year that I wrote my A-Level exams, there was only one institution of higher education in the country — the University of Zimbabwe. As a result, there was fierce competition for places at the university.
Now each province in Zimbabwe has a State university. Some provinces actually have more than one university, with some being church-run.
So at least bear with parents and guardians who insist that their child should go to the University of Zimbabwe, it is the only university that they know. They do not want to hear about other universities that came later, or maybe if they did not make it to the UZ, then back in their youthful days, their child will do so on their behalf!
Besides there being so many universities, there are many degree programmes that are available, rendering decision-making complex not only for the young person, but adults too.
Careers have become diverse, and even the way that people work has also changed. There are children who have been learning online for as long as well.
Their understanding of online education and my understanding are very different. While they consider it normal, those of my age are still baffled by how these young people cope with the learning on their gadgets.
Young people are tech-savvy, they know their way around technology, which may be a maze for my peers and I.
Young people with so much information at their fingertips are prone to the very same mistakes that those without made.
There are some things that have not changed. If one takes alcohol, the way they think is altered and the decisions they make under the influence may have lifelong repercussions.
If one is sexually active, they may get a sexually transmitted infection. Given how so good the young people are with technology, getting a gadget and mastering its functions within a short period, one would think that they would apply the same level of concentration to knowing themselves better and do their best not to expose themselves to situations that leave them with conditions that could have been avoided.
With so many students in institutions of higher learning, there are some things that we should no longer be concerned with because these young people know and have access to information. These are young people who have had opportunities to conduct experiments in laboratories, yet they are not able to apply that information in real life.
The greatest challenge or weakness is thinking that one is invincible. One thinks that they can do almost anything and have so much time to get things done. Days turn into months, and months into years, and then they realise that they are not getting younger any more.
Hard as it is to believe, one day you will look back and realise that you are no longer young. When you look back, may you say to yourself that you made use of the opportunities that life presented to you.
This country has presented opportunities for young people to learn, yet some refuse to go to school even when resources are available.
There are opportunities for young people to take care of their health. I have been to tertiary institutions where organisations provide health services for young people, including HIV testing.
Some focused young people will access the services, and others will walk past thinking that it is of no consequence to them, yet at some point of their college life, they may become sexually active , not knowing their HIV status and or that of their partner.
Then one wonders, how did they get pass that enabled them to get a place in university when they fail to know the importance of knowing one’s HIV status?
Today is National Youth Day which is being held under the theme: “Youth Agenda for Transformation.” The national commemorations will be held at Igava Training Centre in Marondera.
Young people’s participation in development is very important. This can only be done by responsible youths willing to take good care of their health and make appropriate decisions that protect their health understanding that health is wealth.
No matter how young a person is, when they are not well, they should get medical attention. Just like there are many college and career options today, there are also many options that relate to health.
Happy National Youth Day Zimbabwe!
