Young people in society
Provided by the Professional Order of Social Workers of Québec (Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Québec), these articles are intended to help you deal with everyday life. They could also give you resources to help a friend!
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Get involved and be happy
We spend a lot of time and energy developing our personality and skills between the ages of 18 and 25. However, it's important to also get involved in the ever changing world around us and make sure that our leaders' decisions meet our needs. Here's how: First, get informed.
News bulletins on the radio or on TV, social and political newsmagazines, as well as Web sites, provide facts and analyses that will help you get a comprehensive grasp of situations.
For example, maybe you have a friend whose gone fighting in Afghanistan. When you hear from him, does he tell you he's worried he'll be killed by an anti-personnel mine or that he has a lot of free time? Do you think it's courageous of him to risk is life to fight terrorism?
Do you want to preserve the environment by diverting recyclable materials or by protecting the air and watercourses from heavy metals that affect the health of humans, land and sea animals?
When you see young, homeless people, do you think of showing your support with a smile, money or by buying one of the newspapers they publish?
Are you interested in medical research?
Second, get involved.
Is there a discussion group at your educational institution that talks about the relevance of current wars? Many young individuals go to Central America or Africa to help out with education or social services and come back feeling rewarded by their international cooperation experience.
Doing something positive can benefit the people around us. Is there a teen that needs help with his math homework? Is an elderly or disabled person having problems crossing a busy intersection? Are there young parents who need a babysitter to mind the kids for a bit of down time? By helping, we can improve the quality of life around us. And this is something money can't buy.
Third, after getting informed and getting involved, think. What impact are your actions having on the people you work with?
Researches show that people who do volunteer work are happier than those who only focus on themselves.
The improvement of the state of the planet and the fate of poor or suffering people depend on our ability to recover our sense of solidarity and act accordingly.
More and more, thinkers expect political, humanitarian and environmental thinking to change. You'll be a stakeholder of these changes, so why not act now? Economic systems based solely on market economy and totalitarian governments are being questioned. Let's hope that human beings will soon become a priority. This is the challenge every generation faces!
Claire Leduc
Social Worker
