Youths Today, Leaders Tomorrow

*my submission for *SCAPE New Media Ambassador Quest

 

About “Youths Today, Leaders Tomorrow”

I believe that every youth is like an unpolished diamond, freshly mined from the depths of earth. As some progress in life, they are moulded by society to become brilliant gems, shining through in life, to succeed as somebody. I rage against the fact that for some, such potential, thus buried and sometimes forgotten, is never fulfilled. Such waste should not be tolerated in a country where our only resource is human capital. Every one of our young bloods should be conditioned into gems such that they, the youths of today, will be the leaders of our nation tomorrow.

As part of a core group of counsellors supporting a community of youths at risks, my life centers around the hardship and difficulties that such youths face on a day-to-day basis. I want to help them, to explore different opportunities with them and make them shine. Many of them go home daily facing broken homes, harbouring depressive thoughts about the aimlessness of their lives. Some seek solace with friends / gangsters, others take to other means, and some others just have no idea how to handle themselves. Deprived of opportunities for genuine productivity, lured into consumptive roles, young people come to believe that their lives make little difference to the world. But yet at heart I know that each and every one of them, has an innate value to society, that hidden within them is a fire to succeed, and to give back, just that at this moment in their lives, it lays suppressed, unable to shine. It brings me great joy to assist them, through various means such as counseling sessions, motivational speeches, leadership camps and stress management workshops. I believe that over time, I am able to break down their barriers and reach out to them, to develop them into the future leaders of tomorrow.

Additionally, I have first-hand experience in peer counseling in Singapore Management University. With a good listening ear, empathic understanding, unconditional support and a genuine heart, I have successfully formed a good counseling relationship with my client and regained my client’s meaningfulness in life. In addition, I was a ‘mentor’ to a group of more than 15 youths at a recent guidance program camp to help them realize their strengths and instill leadership qualities in them. Also, for these youths to become individuals who can take on the responsibility to bring a positive change in their own lives, rather than blame situations or people for their present troubles. All it takes is just some polishing to these diamonds :)

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