By Zeenat Rahman, Special to CNN
Editor’s note: Zeenat Rahman serves as Special Adviser to the U.S Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues. You can follow her @zeenat. The views expressed are her own.
Young people are at the center of global events. This is not a platitude, but a fact, given that half of the world’s population is under the age of 30. We live in an era dubbed the age of human talent, and this human capital is a fundamental driver of economic development. But how can we best harness the talent of youth populations and create new pathways for progress? Entrepreneurship, defined by innovation, creativity, and economic advancement, is key to leveraging this talent and forging new paths as entrepreneurs and young people around the world share many of the same traits.
Emerging powers are increasingly putting economics at the center of their foreign policies, and with at least 75 million young people globally, if not more, seeking access to meaningful livelihoods, this demographic is an economic reality that policy makers cannot ignore. Instituting meaningful ways to engage the natural talents of young people, while also addressing the economic challenges this demographic faces, make entrepreneurship initiatives so critical to help solve global challenges.
By CNN Global Public Square
For more “What in the World,” watch "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET
Earlier this month, the Pakistani Taliban opened fire on a school bus. Two girls were shot. At first, it seemed a familiar story. The Taliban, after all, has bombed hundreds of schools, especially those for girls.
But here's what's new: Mass protests ensued against the Taliban, and in favor of women. That's startling and refreshing in Pakistan.
This past week, thousands of demonstrators thronged to the streets to protest the Taliban's brutality towards women. They're rallying around one person, 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai. Malala was one of the girls who was shot on that school bus. She was not an accidental target. The Taliban directly sought her out and shot her in the head. They wanted to kill not only Malala, but what she stood for. Here's why:
Editor’s Note: This is an edited version of an article from the ‘Oxford Analytica Daily Brief’. Oxford Analytica is a global analysis and advisory firm that draws on a worldwide network of experts to advise its clients on their strategy and performance.
From the ‘Occupy’ phenomenon to last year’s ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings, young people have been at the forefront of recent social protest trends. There is nothing new in youth-led protest; but since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, youth unemployment levels have remained persistently high across the world. Especially in countries facing budget austerity, high youth unemployment levels could stoke significant social unrest.
In addition to stability questions, there’s the obvious economic impact: Young workers facing prolonged unemployment are at risk of years of low compensation once they eventually re-join the workforce. They are even at risk of permanent exclusion from job markets. FULL POST
Editor’s Note: Priya Parker, an expert-in-residence at the Harvard Innovation Lab, is the founder of Thrive Labs, a visioning and strategy advisory firm based in Brooklyn, New York. You can follow Priya on Twitter @priyaparker.
By Priya Parker – Special to CNN
If January is when the old guard gathers in Davos, Switzerland, March is when the new guard descends on Austin, Texas. At a time of crisis in America, Europe, the Middle East and beyond, a group of tech-savvy do-gooders meets, greets and tweets at South By Southwest.
The conference has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, exploring questions well beyond the sphere of technology. The several hundred panels and featured sessions for this year’s SXSW Interactive tend to reflect the current concerns of the rising elite. In this post, I’d like to add one concern to their list: Can the avid, accomplished doers at SXSW show the way for a rising generation of Millennials who are all too often afraid to fulfill their potential as leaders? FULL POST
Editor's Note: Katherine Newman is the James B. Knapp Dean of the Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and the co-author of Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings.
By Katherine Newman - Special to CNN
Why would a "quiet kid" whom no one really notices erupt into murderous violence? My research team studied the rash of school shootings that erupted in the late 1990's and arrived at some conclusions that may prove useful in understanding what happened at Chardon High School on Monday.
Initial reports suggest the shooter was a "loner'" but were quickly followed by claims that he had friends. The community was taken by surprise, but we learn the shooter texted at least one person about his intentions. These swirling contradictions are completely consistent with the findings in our book, Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings.
High school shooters are rarely loners. They are "failed joiners." The difference is important. A loner absents himself from social contact and withdraws from the world around him. Shooters are engaged, but not successful. They reach out to cliques, only to be rebuffed. Their daily social experience is of rejection and frustration, not isolation. FULL POST
Editor's Note: Dr. Frank Ochberg is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Michigan State University and former Associate Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
By Frank Ochberg - Special to CNN
School shootings are far more frequent in America than in other countries, although terrible massacres have occurred in Russia, Israel, and several European nations. In the high-crime neighborhoods of inner cities, school turf is relatively safe. We have learned to harden the target and patrol with vigilance.
And even in those suburbs and small towns where spree killings have occurred, the rates, per capita, are lower now than in previous decades. School is a safe place - until, as in Chardon, Ohio, the unspeakable happens. Then, even though the risks are low, it is fair to ask, why does this still happen? Why here, in America? FULL POST
Editor's Note: Rod Snyder is president of the Young Democrats of America.
By Rod Snyder - Special to CNN
When young voters helped put Barack Obama in office, the Millennial Generation made it clear its voice affects elections. Some have opined that this generation won’t continue to support President Obama and the causes we care about (see Have the youth given up on Obama? on this blog). These doubters are wrong, and I know young voters will make a statement again in 2012.
Young people energized fellow supporters and went to the polls in 2008 because Barack Obama respected the youth vote as a legitimate political force.
Our candidate promised to make college and health care more affordable for all. He promised to lift America’s place in the world by ending the War in Iraq, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and eliminating the practice of torture. And by following through, President Obama made America a richer place for young people like me.
This election is a choice, and we know that no matter which candidate they nominate, the President’s opponents have made it clear they will exacerbate these very economic disparities. Republicans dragged their feet on the payroll tax cut for working Americans. They refused to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. They have opposed progress at nearly every step of this economic recovery. FULL POST
Editor's Note: Brad Chase is a partner with Capitol Media Partners, a Los Angeles-based communications and public affairs consultancy.
By Brad Chase - Special to CNN
In 2008, the youth vote helped sweep Barack Obama into office. Americans 18-29 spread the word on social media, energized fundraising and went to the polls.
In 2012, the youth vote is moving on and throwing those omnipresent “Hope” bumper stickers and t-shirts in garbage bins.
Not because of apathy. Not because another candidate generates more enthusiasm. Not because of his character. Not because they think voting is pointless. The 18-29 vote is up for grabs in 2012 because youth can’t afford cars to put bumper stickers on and those t-shirts are worn out from too many days sitting on the couch unemployed.
The sobering reality: just 55.3 percent of Americans between 16 and 29 have jobs. And earlier this year, Americans’ student loan debt surpassed credit card debt for the first time ever. FULL POST
One of the most basic tenets of the American Dream is being called into question by recent economic data. Can each new generation do better than the one before it?
So far, today's young people aren't off to an encouraging start.
According to analysis by the Pew Research Center released Monday, younger Americans have been left behind as the oldest generation has seen wealth surge since the mid-1980s.
While it's typical for older generations to hold more wealth than younger ones who've had less time to save, the gap between the two age groups has widened rapidly.
In 1984, households headed by people age 65 and older were worth just 10 times the median net worth of households headed by people 35 and younger.
But now that gap has widened to 47-to-one, marking the largest wealth gap ever recorded between the two age groups.
"We don't know how the story ends, but we know how the story is beginning," said Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center. "At the beginning, today's young people are not doing better than yesterday's young adults."
By Nicole Rojas, GlobalPost
Who said protesting was for grown ups? As these photographs show, kids are joining the masses at Occupy protests around the world.
The protests, which began in New York City as hundreds gathered in Zucotti Park to "Occupy Wall Street," have spread to cities all over the world.
And, the adults, some of whom have made the Occupy camps their home, are bringing along their little ones. Many believe they have must seize this "teachable moment" to educate their kids on income equality and the right to protest.
Editor's Note: Maria Eitel, president of the Nike Foundation, works with key players in economic and social development to achieve the foundation's objective of contributing to poverty alleviation.
By Maria Eitel – Special to CNN
The Nobel Committee got it right when they awarded three incredible women the Nobel Peace Prize – H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman – "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work."
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize recognizes more than the winners themselves. It recognizes the powerful force for positive change locked within half of our population. The Nobel Committee is joining the growing movement that sees female participation and voice as not only as a human rights issue; it is an economic, social and political issue. As Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Nobel Committee, said, “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.” Jagland said it beautifully. There’s one critical word missing: girls. FULL POST
Editor's Note: Maria Eitel, president of the Nike Foundation, works with key players in economic and social development to achieve the foundation's objective of contributing to poverty alleviation.
By Maria Eitel - Special to CNN
Investing in a girl stops poverty before it starts. That's the simple premise of the powerful force we call "The Girl Effect." This week, The Girl Effect is on the global stage at the Clinton Global Initiative and the World Bank Annual Meeting. Take it from World Bank President Robert Zoellick or former U.S. President Bill Clinton: Investing in girls is smart economics.
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