Since today is Youth Day, it was only fitting to explore some of the issues faced by the youth today and acknowledge that we understand your struggles and believe in your capabilities to overcome them.

Mental health issues

Mental health issues are misunderstood and often downplayed. Feeling emotional now and again is perfectly normal, but feelings of sadness and being emotional for no reason, isolating yourself, being unable to explain your emotions, sleeping a lot or having suicidal thoughts may be signs of a deeper issue. It would be advisable to seek help by speaking to a professional. Speaking up helps and should take the load off of you.

Unemployment

Being young and unemployed can be very frustrating. With the unemployment rate among young people being at over 40%, it’s safe to say that this is one of the biggest socio-economic issues faced by the youth today. There’s no easy formula to overcome this problem except to work hard on developing new skills, to continue searching for employment or to consider entrepreneurship. Persistence and dedication can go a long way, and we know how demotivating being rejected can be. But try to keep positive and remember that life won’t always be this difficult. It would also be helpful to consider internship programmes, bursaries and volunteering just to help you up-skill.

Education

We’ve seen movements around education related issues like the #FeesMustFall movement led by students. This movement aims to get the government to stop increasing or reduce fees in higher education and to make provision for students who are struggling to pay their fees. Even though the movement was effective in bringing a halt in the increase of fees and bring the NSFAS system to better accommodate the students who couldn’t afford to pay for their fees, a large number of young people are still unable to study due to the fact that they can’t afford it.

Cyber bullying

Living in a world where everyone has a smartphone with social media apps on it, nothing can hap-pen to you without it being documented and shared. We’ve seen so many pictures and videos go viral on the internet, causing a real stir and even resulting in cyber bullying. Having the freedom to post what you like in a split second has resulted in young people abusing this power and belittling others in the process. It’s okay to be opinionated and to express yourself, that’s freedom of speech. However, it’s important to be conscious of the kind of things you post and how they make others feel.

Substance abuse

Substance abuse is linked to all the other issues faced by the youth today and trying to cope with them. The abuse of alcohol and drugs can have a long-term effect not only on your physical health, but also on your mental state. It can also cause you to engage in risky behaviour and making irre-sponsible decisions. Identifying that you have a substance abuse problem is the first step to recov-ering because you can seek help.

Young people today face a lot of issues, however, it’s important to understand that there’s nothing you can’t overcome. Seeking help, speaking to people close to you and exploring ways to over-come these issues by doing research can be helpful. You can also reach out by Asking CellCgirl, we’re always here to help. Remember to make your voice heard on our social media pages, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, and let us know what issues you’re currently facing.